When most musicians were 15, they were writing angst-ridden songs about unrequited love and how nobody understands them. When Kita was 15, she was writing about sunflowers and rocking chairs in an effort to distract her mom so she could go out partying. Although her lyricism has definitely moved on in the last four years, the now 19-year-old's music still exudes the same innocent positivity. It's an attitude born from spending endless sun-drenched days surfing at the beach on the East Coast of Australia interspersed with time spent painting and gorging on Fleetwood Mac records. (It seems likely her titling of debut song "My Own Way" might be a nod to her heroes.) Dropped online a couple weeks back, Noisey called "My Own Way" pretty much perfect—"like Stevie Nicks dancing by candelight with Suzanne Vega while Lorde looks on." We needed to more, so we lured her out to the sun-warmed California hills of Topanga, overlooking the Pacific Ocean, to record a stripped acoustic rendition. Shortly after she was off to London where we called up the singer—who speaks with laidback Aussie drawl edged out with a brilliantly sardonic air—to find out how this surfer girl got her start in music and what makes her tick. She seems like exactly the kind of person you'd want to take a road trip with, but cranking her music up on the car radio might have to be the next best thing.Article continues below…Noisey: Hey! What have you been up to today?
Kita: I've just walked through a lot of rain to get to where I am in London so I'm pretty drenched right now. But it's fine because I go back to LA soon. I've been going back and forth between London, LA, and Australia, with no base at the moment. I'm just living out of suitcases.Where's your favorite place to be?
In Australia at home, of course! I'm a bit homesick at the moment. I think I'm pretty comfortable by myself, and I don't being a wonderer, but I find writing songs at home so much easier and it comes more naturally because I'm the most comfortable there.How do you think growing up there affected the music you're making today?
I was born in Brisbane, but I grew up in this little surf town by the East Coast. Being in a small town, I wasn't immersed in pop music as such so I felt like I could experiment and take it in different directions. Plus, the sunshine made me a positive person. I get the whole dark, deep music stuff and I delve into it about once every couple of weeks, but it's usually just to get all my emotions out. It's not really my style.When did you start writing songs?
It was only around the last four or five years that I was writing everyday, and writing about better things. When I was really young I just wrote about sunflowers and rocking chairs. The first proper song I wrote was just a distraction for my mum so I could go to a party, but it was about a rocking chair. These days, I write a lot about my surroundings and it's often got a visual element to it. I take inspiration from all over the place, though. I read loads of books when I can but sometimes it can be fun to come at things with a clear head and see what comes out when I get into the studio and bounce ideas off whoever's there. A lot of magic can come from that.Do you make other types of art as well?
I did art as a subject at school and I bought some paints the other day as I want to get back into painting. None of my family play music but they do paint. I never really thought about the fact I am comfortable in the visual arts, but I guess it's true. I love novels as well. I'm reading Just Kids by Patti Smith and I like real life stories. She's crazy, that chick and a constant source of inspiration.How would you describe your musical style?
It's a bit throwback. It's bouncy and happy, I suppose. I really just think it's a reflection of my personality. People often say I'm stuck in the 80s, but I think that's a good thing because if I listened to heaps of pop music that's around today I might start following trends. I listen to a lot of Patti Smith, Tom Petty and Crowded House. I'm also completely obsessed with Fleetwood Mac. "Dreams" is my all time favorite song.What do you when you're not making music?
Whenever I get a spare moment at home I'm always at the beach and I like to go there if I'm feeling hungover. I can't always do that in other places. The other day I was hungover in London and I didn't know what to do, so I just found myself lying on a park bench.It happens to the best of us! What are you working on at the moment?
I'm just writing as many great songs as I can to add to the bucket. I want it to become an album eventually, and I can't wait to start playing my music live. I'm just taking every day as it comes and I'm so excited to get all my music out there.Thanks, Kita.Daisy Jones is a writer living in London and she's on Twitter.
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Kita: I've just walked through a lot of rain to get to where I am in London so I'm pretty drenched right now. But it's fine because I go back to LA soon. I've been going back and forth between London, LA, and Australia, with no base at the moment. I'm just living out of suitcases.Where's your favorite place to be?
In Australia at home, of course! I'm a bit homesick at the moment. I think I'm pretty comfortable by myself, and I don't being a wonderer, but I find writing songs at home so much easier and it comes more naturally because I'm the most comfortable there.How do you think growing up there affected the music you're making today?
I was born in Brisbane, but I grew up in this little surf town by the East Coast. Being in a small town, I wasn't immersed in pop music as such so I felt like I could experiment and take it in different directions. Plus, the sunshine made me a positive person. I get the whole dark, deep music stuff and I delve into it about once every couple of weeks, but it's usually just to get all my emotions out. It's not really my style.When did you start writing songs?
It was only around the last four or five years that I was writing everyday, and writing about better things. When I was really young I just wrote about sunflowers and rocking chairs. The first proper song I wrote was just a distraction for my mum so I could go to a party, but it was about a rocking chair. These days, I write a lot about my surroundings and it's often got a visual element to it. I take inspiration from all over the place, though. I read loads of books when I can but sometimes it can be fun to come at things with a clear head and see what comes out when I get into the studio and bounce ideas off whoever's there. A lot of magic can come from that.
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I did art as a subject at school and I bought some paints the other day as I want to get back into painting. None of my family play music but they do paint. I never really thought about the fact I am comfortable in the visual arts, but I guess it's true. I love novels as well. I'm reading Just Kids by Patti Smith and I like real life stories. She's crazy, that chick and a constant source of inspiration.How would you describe your musical style?
It's a bit throwback. It's bouncy and happy, I suppose. I really just think it's a reflection of my personality. People often say I'm stuck in the 80s, but I think that's a good thing because if I listened to heaps of pop music that's around today I might start following trends. I listen to a lot of Patti Smith, Tom Petty and Crowded House. I'm also completely obsessed with Fleetwood Mac. "Dreams" is my all time favorite song.What do you when you're not making music?
Whenever I get a spare moment at home I'm always at the beach and I like to go there if I'm feeling hungover. I can't always do that in other places. The other day I was hungover in London and I didn't know what to do, so I just found myself lying on a park bench.It happens to the best of us! What are you working on at the moment?
I'm just writing as many great songs as I can to add to the bucket. I want it to become an album eventually, and I can't wait to start playing my music live. I'm just taking every day as it comes and I'm so excited to get all my music out there.Thanks, Kita.Daisy Jones is a writer living in London and she's on Twitter.