Kristianne Bautista, lead vocalist of the rising indie band Kan Wakan, has a sugar and smoke voice backed by a haunting orchestral ensemble.Signed to the renowned major label Verve Music Group, (home to heavy-hitters like Yuna and Alice Coltrane), this L.A.-based band’s trance-inducing strings make for an epic listening experience. They weave elements of Americana, psychedelia and post-rock, recalling the likes of Phillip Glass, Etta James and Moondog. I caught up with the songstress at the band’s center during the band’s debut CMJ performance in NYC.
“Kan Wakan is derived from the Tagalog word kalawakan, a loose term for atmosphere, space,” says Bautista. “Two of us in the band, [Bautista and bassist Ian Anderson] are Filipino. [The word Kalawakan is] vague, but it means something really big.” As she speaks, she lightly pulls on an American Spirit, readying her voice for the night’s show. She emanates a shy, 90s teen-dream vibe. Every now and again, she smiles warmly.
Born and raised in the L.A. area, with short stints in her native Philippines, Bautista embraces family ritual and history—it’s a connection to her lively, bi-country, family-oriented upbringing. “Instead of eating dinner together, my family would listen to records together. Nina Simone is my biggest influence. Anything that comes out of her mouth is pure conviction.”
“I wanted something with big, orchestral elements,” says Bautista. “I grew up listening to Andrew Lloyd Weber, jazz and punk. Put it all together, and that’s what my voice is.” The interstellar meaning of Kan Wakan might very well be a metaphor for the scope of their multi-instrumental sound. It’s the musical brainchild of composer/producer Gueorgui I. Linev, a Bulgarian-born musician who met Kristianne in a coffee shop. Linev has likened Bautista’s voice similar to Nico’s in The Velvet Underground, but with more sultry undertones.
