Kayla Briët

Kayla Briët

 

Briët’s otherworldly music is both an act of reclaiming her Indigenous heritage and a way of finding her own place in the universe

 
 
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In her unique performances, Kayla sings, plays the keyboard, guitar and the guzheng zither, a traditional a Chinese instrument; all this while live looping the various components of her music. During her performances, she often has one hand playing the guzheng zither and the other playing her keyboard simultaneously. Kayla’s talents extend beyond music, and she also creates work as a filmmaker and virtual reality artist.

 
 
 
 

Kayla Briët is a 21 year old composer, filmmaker and virtual reality artist of Prairie Band Potawatomi/Neshnabe, Chinese, and Dutch-Indonesian decent. Kayla's work explores themes of identity in the multiple mediums of storytelling she engages. From a young age, Kayla became fascinated with creating soundscapes and draws from elements of traditional folk, electronic, synth pop, and cinematic worlds; singing tales of love, loss, and finding home. Through intimate live performances, she shares stories using voice, keyboard, guitar, guzheng zither (a traditional Chinese instrument), and live looping.

 
 
 
 

Her Prairie Band Potawatomi/Neshnabe, Chinese, and Dutch-Indonesian roots deeply inspire her in both music & film. Her award-winning short documentary, Smoke That Travels (trailer featured below), immerses viewers in her native Prairie Band Potawatomi heritage and explores fears that her culture may someday be forgotten. Kayla composed the music for the film and it has screened and won awards at over 45 festivals internationally, including Sundance, MoMA NYC, The US Embassy, and the Smithsonian Institute in Washington DC where the film is now archived. In 2017, Kayla was invited to give her first TED talk as a 2017 TED Fellow. Currently, she's scoring independent films, directing experimental projects in 360 & VR, and producing her EP to debut this year, in 2018.

 
 

These are some of the first full studio tracks I wrote/self-produced when I was 15-16. Playing around with orchestral/electronic styles and often writing about themes balancing light and dark, right and wrong, and the journey of finding yourself in the midst of self-doubt. I hope you enjoy. <3 Kayla

 
 

What happens when a story is forgotten? This film was originally intended to be a small time capsule of my thoughts, feelings, and fears of stories being lost in time. It’s a piece dedicated to my little (currently 3 year old) brother, Senachwine, and a reminder for myself to look back on in the future. I started this last summer at 18, and little did I know that this film would take me on a journey and bring me closer to so many people around the world. Over 30 festivals and screenings from the Americas and Europe to Africa and Australia. I feel so lucky being able to meet new artists, family, and friends and experience treasured moments, big and small — it feels like a dream. Releasing this out into the world is a moment I will never forget, so here goes. Thank you so much to all who have supported this film so far. with love x Miigwech, Kayla "Smoke That Travels" Original Music here: "Smoke That Travels" is a personal documentary by Kayla Briët that explores preservation and loss of culture and her own identity as Prairie Band Potawatomi. runtime 13 min with Gary Wiskigeamatyuk directed + edited + cinematography + original score by Kayla Briët | 19 years old FESTIVALS Full Film Awards 2016 YoungArts (Los Angeles) - Winner in Cinematic Arts 2016 National Film Festival for Talented Youth (NFFTY) - Audience Award "Around the World in 10 Films" 2016 National Film Festival for Talented Youth (NFFTY) - Best Emerging Female Filmmaker 2016 Chicago CineYouth Festival - Best Documentary Senior Division 2016 New Renaissance Film Festival - Best Young Talent (Documentary) 2016 Bushwick Film Festival - Best Short Film 2016 ImagineNATIVE (Canada) - Best Youth Work 2016 Seattle International Film Festival (SIFF) - Official Selection, Best of NFFTY 2016 Chicago International Film Festival - Official Selection, Best of CineYouth 2016 Rockland Youth Film Festival - Director of the Year 2016 Kleinkaap Short Film Festival (South Africa) - Best Documentary Official Selection 2016 DocumentaQro (DOQU) Festival (Mexico) - Official Selection 2016 Miami Independent Film Festival (Florida) - Official Selection 2016 Largo Film Awards (Switzerland) - Official Selection 2016 Move Me Productions Festival (Belgium) - Official Selection 2016 Kleinkaap Short Film Festival (South Africa) - Official Selection, Cinematography Nominee 2016 VisionFest 3.0 (Los Angeles) - Official Selection Director's List 2016 CUCALORUS Film Festival (North Carolina) - Official Selection 2016 Guam International Film Festival (Guam) - Official Selection 2016 Broke Student Film Festival (Michigan) - Official Selection 2016 Tribal Film Festival (Oklahoma) - Official Selection 2016 Orlando Edge Film Festival (Florida) - Official Selection 2016 IndieWise Virtual Festival (Online) - Official Selection 2016 RAW Film Festival (Los Angeles) - Official Selection 2016 Buffer Festival (Canada) - Official Selection 2016 Winda Film Festival (Australia) - Official Selection 2016 Ethiopia International Film Festival (Ethiopia) - Official Selection 2016 Citizen Jane Film Festival (Missouri) - Official Selection 2016 Big Water Film Festival (Wisconsin) - Official Selection 2016 Vidcon (California) - Official Selection, Intermix 2016 One Flaming Arrow Festival (Oregon) - Official Selection Excerpt Awards, Screening, and Official Selection 2015 Summer in the City (London, UK) - Official Selection INTERMIX 2015 Buffer Festival (Canada) - Women of Youtube Award 2016 Sundance Film Festival Ignite Fellowship 2016 YoungArts (Florida) - Cinematic Arts Winner 2016 SundanceTV, nofilmschool.com, Adobe Project1324 (Online)