A Los Angeles-based indie-pop trio with music that sounds like a breath of fresh air . Little Monarch was created by former music teacher and solo jazz artist Casey K . He felt like something was missing . He contacted a musician who was interning at the same school he taught named , Nick Setter . They became instant friends and collaborators . Then , somewhere in that process , the duo became a trio , after Casey saw another band one night at the House of Blues and became enamored with their keyboardist , Lanita Smith . The rest is history and in this amazing interview .
What are your goals as a group for 2017 ? We plan on writing and releasing more music , for sure . It would be great to align the band with a bigger act and do some tour dates as an opener .
How would you describe your music ? Upbeat , positive , warm , and soulful — A unique fusion of pop and rock with some edges .
What inspires your music ? Well , we try to stay focused on uplifting messages for our music , and stories that can insight positive change . Our first EP keeps it ’ s fun and light . Drawing on everything from late nights and blurry decisions to California sunshine and young love . Our follow up music will dive a little deeper and touch on some social issues , while remaining upbeat and hopeful .
Where did the name come from ? I wish there was a killer story behind the name , but honestly it was one of the names that all members agreed on . We wanted to take into consideration what we felt when we listened back to the music and Little Monarch fit quite nicely . It was either that or Pizza Dust , lol .
How did you each know music was what you wanted to do ? I think for all of us music has been in our lives since we were very little . We all studied music in school and then even went on to teach music and still do . Lanita grew up playing in Church in Memphis , Nick started guitar very young and went on to study it at Berklee in Boston , and I ( Casey ) came from a Musical Theatre family and studied Jazz at USC .
How do you deal with pressure and negativity as a public figure ? So far there hasn ’ t really been any negative backlash towards the group but maybe as we grow and reach more audiences those situations will arise . We will always stay true to each other , our writing , and ourselves . No matter how much pressure we are under we stand for love , equality , friendship , and quality music .
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