GRAMMY-nominated artist Kossisko has released Finally Free from their SLAYERZ BALL album due June 7 alongside a performance video.
“I wanted to get really personal and turn my pain into an empowering anthem,” said Kossisko. “The song title pretty much conveys the meaning of the song. When I wrote the song I really wanted to just share times in my life I was bullied and was really down on myself but then in the end I learned how to cope with those things and turn the pain into strength.”
In discussing the iconic East West Studios, wheere the video was filmed, they added: “At the end of the day I’m a fan so when I get to work in places where you can almost feel this sort of electric energy from all the history and iconic artists that have passed through there. It always reminds me why I fell in love with music. It was such a cool experience to get to shoot my live pieces there. The acoustics and sound you get in that room is fucking incredible, I think the room just adds another dimension to whatever is done lol; it has its own spirit.”
SLAYERZ BALL is infused with electrifying funk, disco allure and R&B beats with soulful melodies serving as an ode to freedom, empowerment, and authenticity, encompassing themes of liberation, sexuality, love, and unapologetic self-expression. The new single, Finally Free, follows Talk To Me and Rich Bi$h – the song that led to collaborating with Rick James’s Stone City Band for this record.
The album brings together the funk genius of Rick James mixed with the dance-all-night vibes of Prince, the joy of RuPaul, and the sexy soul of Donna Summer but making SLAYERZ BALL required a couple of reckonings. One was the discovery of a cerebral arteriovenous malformation (AVM), a rare condition in which blood vessels in the brain get tangled. Kossisko suffered seizures, tingling, and numbness — all symptoms of this brain injury.
“The doctors thought I’d suffered a minor stroke, but found out later I was born with this and now it was hemorrhaging,” they say. “If I hadn’t been hospitalised, there was a big chance I would have died.” The record was in progress when it was discovered. When they went back to work on it, it was with a newfound sense of freedom. “I came into it like this was my last record because I’d faced death.”
Kossisko also underwent a major evolution in their presentation of their gender. “I’ve been nonbinary my entire life, but I didn’t have the language or community so I didn’t understand it,” they added.
