KOY is the transoceanic solo odyssey of St. Petersburg (RUS) born, Berlin-based artist Victoria Trunova. Raised in Germany, KOY has lived in and moved between Berlin (GER), Helsinki (FI), Oslo (NO) and Bergen (NO). Along the way, KOY has collected eclectic sonic traces and technicolour aesthetics that travel with her sound. KOY’s music is evocative of early The Knife, Grimes at her catchiest, Patrick Wolf at his most experimental, and Cocteau Twins at their most rhythmic. With glistening, dazzling, jarring graphics, video and artwork alongside the music – and a spoken word intro – KOY’s aesthetic is consistently beguiling, and the Dictatorship commanding.
FACTS:
1: We are united in our differences.
2: All the words are other people’s inventions.
3: Each of us must work for his own improvement, and at the same time share a general responsibility for all humanity.
QUESTIONS:
1. What is the biggest inspiration for your music?
Life in general. Things I see and observe. People I meet, everyday noises I hear. But also history, culture, and our future.
2. How and when did you get into making music?
Probably the moment I started to breath. I remember singing my own melodies on top of classical pieces as a kid. However, electronical music only entered my life a couple of years ago.
3. What are 5 of your favourite albums of all time?
I’ve always been afraid of this question! Music has so many aspects to it that can make an album great… so take this as a small selection… more than 5 though…
Henry Purcell: Dido & Aeneas
Sergei Sergejewitsch Prokofjew – Romeo and Juliet
Pauline Oliveros, Stuart Dempster, Panaiotis – Deep Listening
Rauli Badding Somerjoki – Täss on Rauli, moi!
Björk – Homogenic
Cocteau Twins – Treasure
4. What do you associate with Berlin?
“The Garden of Earthly Delights”.
5. What’s your favourite place in your town?
Oh, that is a difficult one. It’s maybe a bit weird, but I really enjoy taking Bus 200 – preferably at an hour when not so many tourists are around.
6. If there was no music in the world, what would you do instead?
Actually, interactive performance is something I started to do lately and that works without music as well.
7. What was the last record/music you bought?
I bought two Nick Cave records as a gift to my mum (and hope she is not going to read this before receiving them).
8. Who would you most like to collaborate with?
Anyone who shares a similar vision but comes from a very different cultural background or provides me with a whole different work environment. I once collaborated with an orchestra and I would love to do that again. I like challenges and working in new contexts.
9. What was your best gig (as performer or spectator)?
It’s hard to pick one as a performer. There were so many meaningful moments… This spring I was touring in Poland. One of my gigs got cancelled last minute, so I wrote an emergency message to female:pressure – a network I am part of. Within only a few hours I was invited to play a show at Czasoprzestrzeń in Wroclaw, which ended up being an incredible experience! I played my set twice and shared some great energy with the audience.
10. How important is technology to your creative process?
Technology is an important and integral part of my process. It inspires and challenges me to a point where it becomes an extension of my physical self.
11. Do you have siblings and how do they feel about your career/art?
I actually had to ask my sister (even though we talk about music all the time). Which resulted in me receiving what is probably the biggest compliment someone could get. She said she feels “inspired by my talent and creativity” and that she likes the way I use art as a tool to issue topics not only relevant to me, but to whole society.
Side note to self: ask sister for more feedback when in crisis.
KOY’s conceptual EP “Dictatorship Techno” is out now and can be purchased via Bandcamp or streamed on here.
Photo © Dragan Simicevic
