Laryssa Kim

About

" A soundtrack for the subconscious "

Based in Belgium, Italian-Congolese artist Laryssa Kim has more than one string to her bow. Composer, singer, dancer and performer, she began her musical career in Rome, surrounded by reggae and electronic music. Her artistic metamorphosis began with a move to Amsterdam in 2008. In the Netherlands, she immersed herself in contemporary dance and physical theatre, broadening her toolset in an environment that encouraged playful experimentation around composition.

Arriving in Brussels in 2013, Kim went on to pursue her interest in electroacoustics by completing a master’s program in acousmatic music at the Royal Conservatory of Mons (near the French border). This trans-European journey has led her to an incredibly contemplative body of work. Released in February 2024 and called ‘Contezza’ (an ancestral Italian word meaning “consciousness”), Laryssa Kim’s debut album explores the world of dreams through some polymorphic and polyglot compositions. With her subtly manipulated and modulated voice, the singer explores incredible soundscapes in French, English and Italian.

‘Contezza’ is a true sonic experiment. Crafted away from traditional pop formats, Laryssa Kim’s record evolves at the genres’ borders, making some unexpected connections. Soul, electronic, Italian popular music, R&B and musique concrète converge on melodies that tirelessly converse with our subconscious. To fuel her dreamy aesthetic, Kim also incorporates field recording techniques, injecting some sounds captured in real life into the heart of her compositions.

Attracted by meditation, astrology, magic, and Chinese oracles, Laryssa Kim finds her path at the junction of new technologies and a connection to the subconscious. Like daydreams, her polymorphous tracks are characterized by a deliberate lack of structure. Diving into Kim’s universe means accepting that you will be carried away, to float in an ocean of sounds and sensations: a universe that evokes the progress of the past (Enya, Brian Eno) and the beauty of Afrofuturism. It’s a world apart. Haunted. Bewitching.