We have to interview them. I instantly messaged Queenie, simultaneously sending the 15 second clip of Lil Rick and Lanakila’s newest song “GRATEFUL.” into her dms.
Very soon after, we reached out to the boys and locked in an interview where we were able to dive deeper into the creation of New Zealand’s up and coming artists’ recent single release. Lil Rick and Lanakila are part of a collective group of creatives known as Kalo Block. Kalo Block has been an instrumental part of their growth as artists and as people.
Lanakila starts the interview with his response to how Kalo Block has shaped him “They’ve just helped me up my game in so many ways, like, they’re constantly challenging me in a good way. We make such a safe environment to grow, make mistakes and just keep pushing each other.”
Following his response was Lil Rick the main singer on the single “GRATEFUL.,” “It’s actually helped me jump out of my comfort zone and, like, get out there more, you know, even with content creating, switching up genres, talking – like in this interview, what I’m doing now. I wouldn’t (have done this interview) if I was doing this myself. I would have turned down most of these…”
Well we are surely glad we were able to snag an interview with these two young men, Lil Rick, 21, and Lanakila, 23. The track has only been out for a little over a month, and the song has already surpassed 200k streams on platforms. We are glad we are able to give these boys their flowers on a song that is vulnerable with an uplifting sound and message attached to it.
Intrigued to get to know more about the roots of how “GRATEFUL.” came to be, Lanakila shares how it came to be. “ He (Lil Rick) was just playing a lot of his unreleased tracks, and then he came across, “GRATEFUL.,” and he just played it to me. He didn’t even have a second verse. And when I heard it, I was like, ‘What the heck, bro!’” You can see the excitement through the screen from these boys and how much they support each other’s successes and genesis stories. “I’ve never heard him do a real personal song from the perspective of his own faith. So when he played it to me in the car, I was just like, buzzing!”
The buzz was real from Lanakila as he was speaking on the talents of Lil Rick. The track began to unfold and come together as Lil Rick opened up the track to Lanakila to write his own verse.
Those reading, we can all agree this song has something special in it. Don’t just take our word for it, the song has been trending all over social media platforms and even rugby star’s have used it in the background of their videos. It can possibly be their unique vocals and intriguing beat, or the message behind their lyrics that makes everyone immediately add this track to their playlist.
Lil Rick, shares with us why he decided to create a song that speaks volumes to all of us on our journey with our faith. “I wanted to speak about my faith with where it was, and where I wanted to be. I just had that realization that, you know, I would not be here if God didn’t help me get through everything I was going through.” That is a whole word! We couldn’t have agreed more with his statement! For the most part, most of us have had that realization as well, where when we look back on our life, it was God who helped us get through everything – in the ups and downs!
Lanakila touches on this furthermore as he opens up why he wrote the verse the way he did, “My faith walk, it’s obviously a journey – like your own personal walk. But I’m grateful for second chances, and waking up every morning knowing that His mercies are new and that I can get another chance at life every day. That’s kind of where my verse speaks to as well. Just talks about all the trials and tribulations that I’ve been through, even on my own. I’ll change every now and then. But, you know My God remains the same, and that’s something that I try to live by every day.”
Shocked and in awe of the vulnerability these boys are able to testify about their own lives is admirable and we are so excited to see what more they have in store for fans. We are sure they are going to make more waves in the music industry with their unique storytelling. Their way of giving listeners a different sound and perspective most are not used to hearing allows them to carve out a path not many have walked on.
With the rise of many Pacific Islander artists embracing their faith and displaying it to the public in their music, we love and appreciate the positive energy and light being shared in a world full of darkness and hate.
Be on the lookout for new music coming from Lil Rick and Lanakila and their fellow Kalo Block brothers. Lanakila just released a new song called “No Effect” available on all platforms.
