[Video] Lili K & Peter CottonTale Perform "Highlight The Moon" at Truth Studios
It's been a minute since Lili K and Peter CottonTale got together to produce one of the my favorite jazz/soul albums of the past couple of years in Metal Petals, the 2012 release that established both artists as names to know, especially among the fertile and growing Chicago scene. The pair linked up while in Los Angeles at Truth Studios to re-hash one of the more sonically-rewarding track on the project in "Highlight The Moon" which gets a more down home, instrumental feel here with CottonTale on the keys. Lili shows off the voice we all know and love, while also demonstrating new tweaks in her vocals that make the latest version of "Highlight The Moon" ever more entrancing. The Milwaukee-born songstress has played in the background quite a bit as well, adding her vocals to tracks by Chance The Rapper and Vic Mensa on their latest projects Acid Rap and Innanetape, but here she continues to prove that she is a solo force behind the microphone. Lili and Peter are both back and forth from the coasts as they work on her follow-up to last year's My Favorite Things EP. Watch the full video, streaming below.
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[RH Feature] Lili K: Hard out here for a soul singer
Photography By: Jeremy Frank
Lili K is very much a different breed in today's music scene. Without frills, clever marketing schemes or extravagant funding, the Milwaukee native and current Chicagoan has made a name for herself on talent and hustle, in a genre that is lacking listeners or widespread publicity.
It is hard to pin down Lili at first glance. The tattooed, blond haired white girl, occasionally sporting a hoop between her nostrils, sometimes looks better suited for a hardcore rock show than a jazz club, albeit with a sort of elegant swagger that can be hard to pinpoint.
Success can be relative for a neo-soul singer in the modern age, and a tough exterior can go a long way. Having just played an opening set with one of her heroes, Musiq Soulchild, weeks ago at The Shrine on Chicago's near south side, the recent Columbia College graduate exited stage left, got a hug from the man of the hour, teared up a little bit at meeting one of her heroes; and retreated back to her far North side loft to prepare for the next thing on the agenda. Because, if all you have is your fans and your health, the hustle is a little more real.
Soul music doesn't always pay the bills. But the difference between Lili and many of her contemporaries is her unwillingness to bargain with her passion, a sort of tunnel vision that has helped carve her standing amongst fellow singers across the country.
"I feel like my aesthetic and music and personality combine into this quirky, not-what-people-expect type of artist, and I love that. I sing soul and jazz music, I love hip hop so that's always in there somehow, I like to wear weird clothes, and I love to be goofy," said Lili. "I don't have a gimmick, I don't use the whole 'sex sells' mantra, I just make the music I love and stay true to myself. It's not mainstream, but it's real."
[EP] Lili K: My Favorite Things
Chicago jazz Queen Lili K. dropped her highly anticipated EP My Favorite Things today, which is also her birthday. This four track EP is made up completely of jazz standards - musical compositions that are essential to the essence of jazz musicians. Her soultry voice graces these musical compositions, produced by frequent collaborater Peter Cottontale. Do your ears and soul a favor - stream and download below.
Download Lili K's EP My Favorite Things here.