Meet Abra Kadab | Recording Artist, Composer & Social Activist

We had the good fortune of connecting with Abra Kadab and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Abra, what led you to pursuing a creative path professionally?
Music has always been not only a place to which my mind can escape, but a medium of psychological and spiritual cleansing. My approach to writing lyrics is generally an attempt to make sense of the forces of humanity that I either feel deeply moved by, or in some cases the ones fear the most. I pursued a career as an artist because I had to. It’s something I knew about myself from very early on. I’ve had many subjects of notable interest in my life, but art has pursued me and has always been one of the only things I’ve ever understood about the world.

Please tell us more about your work. We’d love to hear what sets you apart from others, what you are most proud of or excited about. How did you get to where you are today professionally. Was it easy? If not, how did you overcome the challenges? What are the lessons you’ve learned along the way. What do you want the world to know about you or your brand and story?
What may set me apart from other artists is the challenges and difficult subject matters I’m willing to confront, and the risks I’m willing to take as an artist. My project KUBIK (also known as The Artist Kubik) began in 2016. Many times my lyrics are written from the perspective of an antagonist. I very strongly believe this is a woefully overlooked perspective, much to the detriment of greater society. I think it’s safe to say that in order to solve a problem, you have to understand that problem. In order to understand a thing you have to understand the nature of that thing. Most questions are many, many “whys” or “hows” deep.

I want people to understand that women and queer people are demonized and villainized by broader society. Therefore it should not be a surprise to anyone that I (as a queer woman) would choose to portray a lyrical villain. Some people don’t appreciate this, and that’s fine. I understand their trauma having gone through it myself. However, most people who have been victimized by characters like the ones I recreate understand my work and appreciate it. It seems, from my experience with listeners, many of the people who see themselves in these unsavory characters are the ones who are the most uncomfortable. A guilty conscience is its own indictment.

When approaching an album, I usually have a theme in mind. The title of the album acts as an umbrella for this theme. The concept of my debut album “KUBIK – World On Fire” is sociopolitical distress. It is my belief that the main cause of sociopolitical stressors, whether they be rooted in misogyny, racism, homophobia, or transphobia, almost always lead back to extremist religious beliefs and practices. This album deals with issues such as religious abuse, sexual assault, white supremacy, Christian supremacy, racism, American gun culture, homophobia, misogyny, and xenophobia. So here we have a concept of a world on fire. It could be the “world” of one specific individual, or it could be the world in which we all share a basic consensual reality.

The concept of my second album “KUBIK – The Empty Space” is, of course, emptiness. We explore the internal vacancy that the whole of humanity seems to experience. As human beings, our respective feelings of emptiness are, I believe, a reflection of our collective biological natures. Almost everyone seems to be keenly aware of the profundity and depth of their inner void. This album navigates the ways in which we attempt to fill that gaping hole (vices, religion, love, hedonism, etc.) It also explores the psyche and the dream world.

My upcoming album is called “KUBIK – When The Light Goes Out The Darkness Comes.” This album explores the will to power, control, greed, and obsession. It also analyzes fascism, narcissism, classism, addiction, disconnectedness, and rage. These elements represent the darkness that lives and breeds inside the minds and hearts of all of humanity, and what becomes of you or I in the total absence of “natural” light (natural light referring to goodness and living a principled life.) As an example, I’ll refer to the metaphorical use of natural light as opposed to “artificial” light (artificial light referring to the lifeless face with a plastic smile.) One of the tracks from this album, a track called “Dim,” explores using the light of a destructive force like fire to light your way and find your path.

Getting to where I am professionally was not easy. I don’t know if it will have been worth it. That’s a question for later, I think. But what I can say is this is definitely what I am meant to do. I overcome my challenges by believing in myself, believing in my mission, and using steely determination to thwart naysayers, haters, and pessimists. I’ve learned that if I believe in myself, others will, too. If I obsess over my own work, others will, too. If my work moves me, it will move others, too. I’ve learned to never force the writing. Any great idea will just pop right into your head and you can just go along with it until it runs it’s course. And most importantly, as a friend of mine always says, “Keep the channel open.”

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
As its own microcosm, I find downtown Los Angeles to be fascinating. The entire country lives here. The whole world lives here. There is no shortage of differences between all human factions of this city. It’s what makes this place so beautiful, but simultaneously so dangerous. There’s no shortage of interesting people you can meet on a street corner and have an edifying and enlightening conversation with. It just takes the courage to do so, the willingness to connect, the awareness of their boundaries and your own, and knowing when to disengage (or whether to engage at all…).

In terms of good eats and drinks I’ll refer people to The Edison or Clifton’s Republic in DTLA, and to Canter’s Deli in Hollywood.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I have been fortunate enough to have a strong support system consisting of multiple outstanding artists through my career.

Firstly, I give William Gallo, my engineer and former band mate in Denver, credit for leading me down the path of noise/experimental music, which has dictated my approach to writing ever since. He and I started recording together in 2009 and very soon after things got weird in the best possible way.

In 2016, soon after I arrived in Los Angeles I was mentored by Rick Torres (Supreme Beings of Leisure). It’s thanks to him, his incredible artistic prowess, and his teaching spirit (Musician’s Institute Hollywood) that my debut album “KUBIK – World On Fire” (produced by Rick Torres and released through ERecords) exists today. Rick is very fond of my affinity for finding musical value in found objects such as vacuum cleaners, chains, trash can lids, machinery, and power drills.

Scarlet Rivera has not only been an amazing friend, but could definitely also be classified as an artistic muse. She graced most of my second album “KUBIK – The Empty Space” with her haunted, mystical approach to the violin. She’s one of the most astounding, ingenious, and legendary artists I’ve ever met. More recently, she has transcended working on just my albums. I work with her closely in film score composition as well.

“The Empty Space” and Scarlet’s presence on it garnered the attention of Michael A. Levine, her fellow violinist and a renowned film composer and songwriter in his own right. Since the album release, Michael has been a mentor to me specifically in the area of film composition. He challenges me to make absolutely sure that my work is of the highest quality, and that all details are finely tuned. If Michael says it’s good, then it’s great!

Filmmaker Paula Crichton is another of my artistic muses. It’s accurate to say I would not be where I am without her. She’s a wonderful partner to have not just in the creative world, but in life. Her personal dedication to me is humbling and her contributions to my career are vast. She is a queer/Latinx director and cinematographer, and is responsible for establishing the visual brand for my musical project KUBIK. Her deep understanding of my artistic vision (and me personally) combined with her ability to visually convey abstract concepts, has informed her storytelling approach to my music videos. In addition to that, I’ve scored many of her short films. My favorite so far (and her latest film) “The English Rose” will be released in 2024.

There are many more people who have personally supported me and my career, who have challenged me to grow as a person and as an artist, and who have facilitated the expansion of my abilities. I’m confident they all know who they are.

Website: https://www.theartistkubik.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/the.artist.kubik/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theartistkubik/

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UClqvuKdH2VXeRptXyAhWkrw

Other: Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/5ZPD1R9CNIVEZAfwjPTrT4?si=vj7ocZ4HTcepTcKNue6rxQ

Image Credits
Paula Crichton