Kylland’s self-empowering anthem “Make Your Own Magic” (ft. Josiah Johnson) is a glowing reminder to embrace life and believe in ourselves.
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Too easily can we forget the miracle of life: We are beautiful, magnificent creatures in a beautiful, magnificent, yet utterly distracted world. There are a million reasons to forget to smile; to shoot low, when we ought to aim high. Kylland’s self-empowering anthem “Make Your Own Magic” (ft. Josiah Johnson) is a glowing reminder to embrace life and believe in ourselves.
Did you knock at my door?
Or was that just the wind?
Feels like I’ve been here before,
but this time it feels different
I’m in control, I’m in control,
I’m in control, I’m in control
Atwood Magazine is proud to be premiering the music video for “Make Your Own Magic,” taken from Kylland’s debut Bloom EP (independently released April 27, 2018). The folk-pop duo of songwriter/guitarist Kim Kylland and bassist/producer Todd Schramke, Kylland formed only a year ago in Oakland, CA. The pair describe their relationship as a “spiritually complex partnership,” and it’s the tremendous depth of meaning and emotion lying behind those words that fuels their beautiful, distinguished music. While “Make Your Own Magic” is certainly a standout on Bloom, the entire debut EP is brimming with blissful, intimate warmth and free-flowing energies – qualities that are sure to keep us coming back to Kylland again and again.
Did you not get enough affection growing up?
You need it from me?
I cannot make enough love for both of us
I’m working on me
Make your own magic…
Featuring vocals from The Head and the Heart co-frontman Josiah Johnson, “Make Your Own Magic” is a soulfully sweet and instantly memorable piece of folk/pop wonder. Glowing with affection, the song wears a lively vibrance that speaks to our inner beauty and power. “Make your own magic” is a mantra for self-empowerment and self-love – a reminder that no matter what you’re going through, you are great.
Miles away, I’m retracing my steps
I can feel the ground under my feet again
Miles away, I’m retracing my steps
I can feel the ground under my feet again
Make your own magic…
“This was the second or third song Josiah and I wrote together, and it kind of came out of the ether,” Kim Kylland recalls. “We had been trying to write and felt stuck, so we went for a long walk, and eventually ended up in this cavernous room I had the keys to at school. It was a warm day, dusk, and we just sort of plopped down on the floor, huge old school windows open wide, surrounded by floor harps, cellos, pianos (the room was a storage for orchestral instruments at Mills College, where I studied music). We started throwing out lyrics jokingly, things we would thought we would never use, and placed them over two chords I happened to be obsessing over at the moment. This song really became an anthem for us, too, since both of us were undergoing huge change in our lives. It is a reminder that everything we need is inside us already, that we are the ones who make our own lives, our own magic.”
Josiah Johnson affirms Kylland’s feelings on the song, explaining his own personal connection to this song, its message, and more. “I loved how we made ‘Make Your Own Magic’ in such communion in that dark room at Mills,” Johnson tells Atwood Magazine. “And I love the reminder for myself that I don’t need to wait for anyone else or any outside circumstance to change for my life to begin. I just begin. And, I love that I tried to sound like Carly Bond, from Meernaa when I sang my parts on the record.”
Working extensively with Kylland throughout the EP’s creative process, Josiah Johnson adds a gritty texture and heartfelt resonance on this track. A seasoned, globally-touring songwriter and performer, he balances his own talents with those of Kim Kylland and Todd Schramke, helping them shine as bright as they possibly can: Thus, while his presence is strongly felt here in this song and elsewhere throughout Kylland’s music, Johnson’s nuanced tones and distinctive harmonies reflect an intent to bring out the beauty in others. Together, Kylland and Josiah Johnson sparkle with rich charm.
I don’t need to wait for anyone else or any outside circumstance to change for my life to begin
Kylland’s music is highly reminiscent of late ’60s and early ’70s pop artists – from Carole King to Fleetwood Mac, and so on and so forth. Their music truly glows with this marvelous appreciation for life and being alive, which can too often (for one reason or another) be missing from our daily goings-on. Thus, while “Make Your Own Magic” may initially feel like a simple call-to-action of our fullest potential, it is in fact far more than that: It’s a reminder of all that is amazing in our world, all that is, was, and can be.
Stream “Make Your Own Magic” exclusively on Atwood Magazine, and catch Kylland on tour now (dates and info below)! More US tour dates will be announced soon for September, October, and November.
“Make Your Own Magic” – Kylland ft. Josiah Johnson
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:: stream/purchase Bloom here ::
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