#CREATORTALK is a series of articles and interviews, with a focus on the creative industries and the talent working within them. In this edition of #CREATORTALK, we speak to musician, model and all-round unicorn Candy Ken.
PW- Candy Ken! It’s an honour. How are you doing?
Best day ever – tomorrow’s gonna be even better.
PW- Let’s jump right in and talk about your creative journey. You’ve conquered music and modelling, and have built a huge fanbase who respect both your work and commitment to equality and acceptance. What have been some of your best highlights so far?
Touring around the world, working with some of my idols and being Candy Ken on a daily basis is such a blessing and makes me so happy that its hard to pick a highlight. But as for right now I would say moving to LA is it !!! I have been wanting to live in the US since a teen and now I finally was able to make my dreams come true !!! I feel at home and appreciated here – people love what I do and understand it – I truly love LA.
PW- What are you currently working on, and what are you most excited to show the world soon?
Right now I’m working on an EDM album which is going to be insane – we wanna make you rave at festivals and bring Candy Ken vibes to the EDM world – should drop in Spring 2019 !!!!
PW- Society today has a tendency to label everything they can in regards to sexuality, gender etc. How does it feel to fight back against these labels, and what would you recommend to others who are feeling down about not necessarily “conforming”?
Be the difference – be brave and stand up for yourself !!! Don’t take yourself too seriously and really go for what you love and what you’re passionate about – life goes by fast – and there’s no time to feel down – the internet is where I found other unicorns aka people that are like me – it’s a beautiful way to connect and make each other confident. I always try to empower people over my social media and make you believe in yourself !!!
PW- Collaboration plays a huge role in the work that creatives do day-to-day. Who would you say are some of your favourite creative collaborators to date, and why?
Nicola Formichetti, the Cobra Snake, Terry Richardson, Susanne Bartsch, Michiko Koshino !!! They gave me the opportunity to shine and helped me execute my vision – they also made my life in LA possible and are the inspiration and motivation that I need to be Candy Ken.
PW- What would you say are three of your favourite looks you’ve worn to date?
PW- In this kind of industry, it can be tough to feel like you’re moving forwards sometimes. How do you battle these feelings when they come up, and do you have any advice to other people who might be struggling in a similar way?
The journey must be the goal !!! For me just being Candy Ken is everything I ever wanted! You should always have big goals and be focused, but what is it all worth if you suffer till then? That’s like wanting a six pack but hating going to the gym – you will end up not going and not achieving your goal. If you instead feel less worried about the six pack and practiced loving the journey, aka going to the gym, the six pack will come naturally. That’s a great metaphor for life itself – don’t worry about moving forward – focus on being – be present – you only have the now. Don’t get caught up in future goals but also don’t be lazy – stay present.
PW- And final question! How would you describe your craziest life experience to date?
To realize everything is possible – the moment you stop defining yourself of who you are and what you’re capable of, you will realize that you can be and do anything. I want you reading this to try to understand that you have no idea of who you are – the person you might think you are is just a reflection of your past and weird characteristics that either you or society has put upon you. You’re actually so great and you need to start believing in yourself – if you don’t believe in yourself nobody else will, so you gotta start with that. Realizing that you are everything – you are good enough and worthy and capable of it all- that’s definitely my craziest life experience !!! It made me love myself and brave enough to be Candy Ken.
Follow Candy Ken on Instagram here.
Image credits Omar Macchiavelli and as per Instagram- @candyken69
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