Kari Faux Launches Streetwear Brand, Lowkey Superstar
There are anywhere from 100 billion to 400 billion stars in our Milky Way galaxy— many of which you can’t even see. In fact, from any single spot on Earth, there are around 4,548 stars visible without the help of fancy telescopes or binoculars. So even on the clearest of days, there are quite a few stars that go unnoticed, despite how large they are— lowkey superstars if you will. What happens to a star unseen? Does it burn out? Or does it manage to shine in its own corner of the galaxy? Artist Kari Faux is an embodiment of this phenomenon. Lowkey enough where we’ve gotta pull out our telescopes to get a second look but bright enough to shine across galaxies.
We chat with Kari over Zoom about her latest mixtape, Lowkey Superstar, the album that helped get her there, her fashion and music influences, and her new streetwear brand, “Lowkey Superstar” which launches today.
Lowkey Superstar the mixtape is sonically such a departure from the records on Cry 4 Help.
“Every time I tried to make something happy, it felt like a lie. I made the [Cry 4 Help] sound exactly how I felt at the time. After I made that and got that off my chest in a very public way, it created space for me to figure myself out in front of my audience. With ‘Lowkey Superstar,’ there wasn’t a lot of thought that went into that mixtape. I went in thinking, ‘imma just rap.’ There’s actually an album in-between ‘Cry 4 Help’ and ‘Lowkey Superstar’ that y’all haven’t heard. So without the context of the album, it sounds like I’m jumping from this space to this space but there’s a middle ground that y’all haven’t heard. It took me to make that to even get to ‘Lowkey Superstar.’
An album? What does that sound like? Why haven’t we heard it?
To be real, there were too many people that didn't understand it. I’m getting to a place where I can’t let people convince me that I am something that I may not wholeheartedly be. I used to let people convince me that I should be like this or sound like this and I don’t care anymore. I can’t. The music that was made on the album isn’t rap. I’m rapping but it’s not rap. I’m not a rapper I’m just capable of rapping. I have one song on there where it’s the blues. I love Santigold and I want to embody that. Artists that are just artists. When you hear it you love it even though you may not know what it is.
As an artist that tours a lot, now that that’s not a thing, how do you think through digital rollout?
I technically quit music so I’m not even thinking about it right now [laughs] but I’m actively still making shit. Just the other day I started writing. I’m trying to be a better writer, not even rap, just how I feel in an abstract way. My next album I wanna take my time. I don’t explore my feelings too deeply because if I get too deep I won’t be able to make it back up.
So how do we get from the mixtape to the brand Lowkey Superstar?
The clothes were actually supposed to drop with the mixtape but because of COVID, it didn’t happen. I was like, ‘I’m sitting with all of these designs, this shit should come out.’ It was always intended to be a full brand anyway it wasn’t going to be just merch and since music isn’t paying the bills [laughs] I decided imma just make my brand. But I also really love clothes.
I would love to hear more about your inspirations in regards to fashion. Like, obviously Santigold and Debbie Harry but can you talk to me about brands that you grew up with and was like, “oh this is cool!”
I always loved Pharrell. BBC. BAPE. That was the shit that we wanted. I remember, like when I was in 9th or 10th grade niggas had Ice Creams, they wanted to skate, niggas were wearing trucker hats. We wanted to be like Pharrell. That’s the inspiration behind Lowkey Superstar. When I think about it, I’m like, oh yeah, I would want my brand to be like that, you know? Iconic but accessible.
I’m not trying to make something that people cant have access to. I want my price point to be reasonable. I want to make affordable streetwear clothing— I don’t know too many black women that make streetwear. I’m going to make pieces that I know that I would want to wear. Lots of colors. Patterns. Even though this is the first drop and it’s very simple, I think it has my personality in it. This is another thing for me to grown and learn from. I’m learning a lot.
What are you learning?
Being disappointed is 1000% a part of the process. Having an idea and it not working out and knowing how to be like, “ok, let’s pivot” and try again until you get it right. It’s really so much fun. When I got my first sample hat made, do you not understand I walked out of the place with that hat on. I’m surprised I’m not wearing it right now, I lowkey wear it every day. I did acid two weeks ago and my t-shirts were laid out on my beanbag chair and I just laid on them and was like, “it’s such a privilege to be able to lay down in your own ideas.” How many people don’t have ideas? I mean, people have ideas but don’t follow through. I’m happy that I have enough follow-through to make my ideas real.
Who would you say is the Lowkey Superstar customer?
That’s the thing, I don’t have a particular customer in mind. When I do my shows and look at my audience I’m like, “wow, y’all don’t even look like y’all would even hang out let alone stand shoulder to shoulder.” Lowkey Superstar is for any person that understands that they don’t have to do too much to be cool.
What advice do you have for artists that are trying to cut through the noise and make money while doing it?
You’ve gotta be selling something along with the music and that’s something I’m learning now. I would only sell merch when I was doing shows. Find something you can make that people want to buy from you and sell it.