Scottish-born, London-based avant-pop artist KAETO’s latest single, “Don’t Ask,” is another sophisticated sonic shapeshifter, effortlessly blending trip-hop, dance, jazz, and electronic influences with a hint of punk’s playful, theatrical anarchy.
This genre-hopping masterpiece (according to a writer I wholeheartedly agree with, i.e., me) may evoke the sounds of artists like Beth Gibbons and Massive Attack, but it also simultaneously highlights how KAETO is beginning to carve her own unique space in the current music scene.
“Don’t Ask” continues her run of mesmerising visually striking videos that teeter between elegance and playful absurdity. It’s co-directed by KAETO and Maisy Banks, and produced by Max Rad.
“In this song, I’m writing about my relationship with myself,” KAETO says. “Maisy and I directed the video. It’s a celebration of our skin and the beautiful human body. Liv Lockwood is the incredible choreographer we worked with. She has an amazing brain and really understood what we were trying to create. The choreography perfectly encapsulates the internal struggle we experience that is reflected in the song, and I loved the use of the symbols of teeth, the mouth, hair, and the tongue.”