Kira Ashwin, TikTok

💭 Thoughts on Mk.gee, Starface stickers, and trusting the process.

Kira Ashwin is a Canadian music industry professional with 10 years experience working across both the UK and Canada. She’s worked across many facets of the industry, with experience in partnerships, digital marketing, and sales from her time at Sony Music, The Orchard, AWAL, and TikTok, where she now works as their UK Music Partnerships Manager. Currently living and working in London, UK, she spends her time dancing, thrifting, and eating her way through the city.

🎯 Current focus

I’m currently working on digging back into visual arts and dedicating more time to it on a regular basis - primarily painting and sketching. It’s something I’ve done my whole life and that I love dearly, but I’ve found it can be hard to find (literal and figurative) space for creativity and motivation in my little London apartment! I’m excited about it because I’ve been trying to practice creating more abstract work in the last few years, which is challenging for me because I’ve historically focussed on realism. I have a hard time breaking from realism because I’m compelled to try to replicate the beauty of nature. My dad is an incredible artist who can paint a scene that looks like a picture, and part of me really wants to be able to do it as well as him. 

🌱 Trusting the process 

Victoria Monet’s recent acceptance speech at the Grammy’s really resonated with me when she said that she likes to “liken [herself] to a plant”; that her roots have been growing unseen in the dirt for so many years, and that she feels like she’s finally sprouting for everyone to see. I think it’s a beautiful and powerful metaphor to remind us to trust the process, and that the most important work we do on our journey happens in private, and can take some time. Regardless of how long it takes to “sprout”, you need to build the foundation before you can break through to the other side in a meaningful way. 

🔁 Listening to music on repeat 

I’ve been listening to the Mk.gee single, “You got it” (and all the Mk.gee singles tbh), endlessly until his full album came out last week. Now that the album’s finally out, I’ll probably be listening to it in its entirety every day for the foreseeable future. I have a bit of an addictive personality when it comes to music, so when I find a project I love, I listen to it on repeat continuously until I know it like the back of my hand. The album is such a beautiful piece of work, and I’ve loved the simplicity of the visuals that have been released so far. The music and the visuals both have so much mystique. The production is incredible, with so much texture (mostly Mk.gee with Dijon contributing to a few tracks), the melodies are addictive, and the lyrics are so simple but still really moving to me.

🙏 Keeping gratitude front of mind

Lately I’m really focussed on gratitude and taking myself back there at every opportunity I can. There’s a lot going on in the world right now, and a lot of uncertainty for so many people. With all of this, I want to hold everything I love with intention as often as I can, for as long as I can. 

⭐️ Starface stickers

Since a few years ago I've become obsessed with Starface, and I truly can’t live without them. I tend to wear them during the day, and I get questions and compliments on them almost every day that I do. They’re so cute and have become a super functional everyday accessory for me. They really do help with reducing acne and scarring, I’ve noticed a big difference - my dermatologist also agrees that they (acne stickers) work!

👀 Seeing Mk.gee perform his debut album live

I’m really looking forward to seeing Mk.gee perform his debut album, Two Star & The Dream Police at EartH in Hackney. I’ve loved Mk.gee’s work for so many years, and the new project pierced my heart & became an instant favourite of mine as soon as it was released. I haven’t seen him perform in a very long time, and I’m excited to hear the album live, especially in that venue. EartH’s is one of my favourite venues in London, and it’s always really special for me when I get to see an artist I adore at a great venue.

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