Kendra Frost’s musical journey is one of evolution and exploration. From her choir days to opening for Nine Inch Nails, she’s crafted a unique sound that fuses vocal harmonies with electronic innovation. In this interview, Kendra shares insights into her creative process, the tools she relies on, and the inspiration she draws from both music and other art forms. Discover the passion that drives her artistry forward.
How did you get into music and what’s your background?
I was drawn to sound at a very early age. I loved singing and joined a local choir when I was about 9 years old, staying there until my mid teens and progressing up through the various classes. We performed all the time and my confidence gradually grew. One of the first times I sang a solo was at The Union Chapel in Islington, London. I was so terrified that all I could think to do was completely avoid eye contact with the audience and look up at a stained-glass window instead, imagining it was just me up there. After that, I was hooked! With my stage fright cured by a stained-glass window, I was thirsty for more. I fell in love with vocal harmonisation, formed a barbershop group with some dear choir friends and went on the hunt to find or form a band. I desperately wanted to write and play my own music.
How come you started using Reason?
I joined my first proper live band in my late teens on bass and vocal duties. We were a three piece called ‘Flame-On!’ and we wrote and played indie/dance crossover music. My best friend Jim, who is now a touring tech for a bunch of high profile bands, played keys and ‘did electronic stuff’. I had no idea at the time how he made the sounds he generated, but after peering over his shoulder in rehearsals a bunch of times, I began to pick up some tips and tricks for how to use this software he had called ‘Reason’…
What are you working on at the moment? Projects/ collaborations?
I divvy up my time between composing my own work, doing musical sound design for composer Carly Paradis for film and TV, taking on the occasional session job and building electronics for Digitana and Audio Kitchen- (albeit under their protective wing as I still don’t completely trust myself not to get zapped!) Songwriting and sound design are my favourite things to do and I’m focusing on those right now.
What would you say is your biggest career highlight so far?
Opening for NIN in the States on the Cold and Black and Infinite tour with my old band back in 2018. I mean… pinch me! I am so unbelievably thankful to Mr. Reznor and everyone on that tour, and I shall never stop beaming from ear to ear about it. Hands down the best thing ever.
Describe your sound and how you use Reason to achieve that?
I do all of my composition using Reason and have done so from the off. Recently, I’ve found myself putting down the bass guitar in favour of deep diving into my beloved synths, especially my Sequential/Oberheim OB-6 and Moog Voyager. My sound is still very much vocal led with harmonies, but there’s now more of a dance focus in the drums and melodic accompaniment. I’m a hardware girl at heart, but I love applying a digital effect or two afterwards in Reason and cooking up a bunch of automations.
What are your favorite Reason devices or features?
When I start a composition in Reason, Kong and ReDrum are my go-to’s for jotting down rhythmical ideas and catalysts and then I flesh things out sample/sound design/MIDI wise later. They’re like old friends now. I think what most draws me to them is the fact that they’re based on classic hardware drum machines and employ similar parameters to those original devices. Like the hardware originals they’re based on, I find those limitations enormously inspiring; it helps me be more creative because I have to problem solve and think up ways to approach things. In comparison, if I’m put in front of something that has too many options, I get overwhelmed with choice and lose hours creating… well, a big splat.
What do you do when inspiration just isn’t there? How do you tackle writer’s block?
I don’t believe in writer’s block, I believe in an ‘empty tank’. If the ideas aren’t flowing, it means your tank is empty and needs topping up with whatever your version of nourishing creative petrol is. Mine is to follow up on other creative passions until ideas start flowing again, like photography, visiting art galleries or sewing- I love fixing up or amending clothes on my sewing machine- embroidery also… taking a few days ‘off’ to indulge myself in other forms of creativity is always a good one for me. It’s never really ‘off’, though, it’s giving my mind space to reset and that’s a hugely important part of the writing process, I believe. You need to allow yourself space to dream otherwise the art suffers. I’m pretty opinionated about this!
How do you integrate Reason with other hardware and software in your studio setup?
I bought something recently that is a welcome addition to my studio set up regarding Reason- it’s a Nektar Aruba MIDI controller and it speaks directly to Kong. I got it because even though I am not a drummer, I am a hands-on musician and I wanted a dedicated piece of hardware in order to play drums in a tactile way via MIDI directly into Reason’s sequencer, like I do with my synths. I work with MIDI a lot to do things like play back looped sequences in order to plot out sound design and modulation to be recorded or automated later, so I rely exclusively on Reason’s sequencer for that. It’s the heart of my studio working environment.
Favorite things about Reason 13 so far?
I’m loving the updated look and feel of the browser and menus in R13. It feels much more streamlined now. And I’ve always been a sucker for the animated cables on the back of the rack! Please never lose those!!
If you could give aspiring producers and musicians one piece of advice, what would it be?
My advice would be to seek inspiration from creative areas other than just music for what you produce sonically. Diversifying your approach can’t be a bad thing, after all!
Follow Kendra Frost
Instagram: @kendra_j_frost
How did you get into music and what’s your background?
I was drawn to sound at a very early age. I loved singing and joined a local choir when I was about 9 years old, staying there until my mid teens and progressing up through the various classes. We performed all the time and my confidence gradually grew. One of the first times I sang a solo was at The Union Chapel in Islington, London. I was so terrified that all I could think to do was completely avoid eye contact with the audience and look up at a stained-glass window instead, imagining it was just me up there. After that, I was hooked! With my stage fright cured by a stained-glass window, I was thirsty for more. I fell in love with vocal harmonisation, formed a barbershop group with some dear choir friends and went on the hunt to find or form a band. I desperately wanted to write and play my own music.
How come you started using Reason?
I joined my first proper live band in my late teens on bass and vocal duties. We were a three piece called ‘Flame-On!’ and we wrote and played indie/dance crossover music. My best friend Jim, who is now a touring tech for a bunch of high profile bands, played keys and ‘did electronic stuff’. I had no idea at the time how he made the sounds he generated, but after peering over his shoulder in rehearsals a bunch of times, I began to pick up some tips and tricks for how to use this software he had called ‘Reason’…
What are you working on at the moment? Projects/ collaborations?
I divvy up my time between composing my own work, doing musical sound design for composer Carly Paradis for film and TV, taking on the occasional session job and building electronics for Digitana and Audio Kitchen- (albeit under their protective wing as I still don’t completely trust myself not to get zapped!) Songwriting and sound design are my favourite things to do and I’m focusing on those right now.
What would you say is your biggest career highlight so far?
Opening for NIN in the States on the Cold and Black and Infinite tour with my old band back in 2018. I mean… pinch me! I am so unbelievably thankful to Mr. Reznor and everyone on that tour, and I shall never stop beaming from ear to ear about it. Hands down the best thing ever.
Describe your sound and how you use Reason to achieve that?
I do all of my composition using Reason and have done so from the off. Recently, I’ve found myself putting down the bass guitar in favour of deep diving into my beloved synths, especially my Sequential/Oberheim OB-6 and Moog Voyager. My sound is still very much vocal led with harmonies, but there’s now more of a dance focus in the drums and melodic accompaniment. I’m a hardware girl at heart, but I love applying a digital effect or two afterwards in Reason and cooking up a bunch of automations.
What are your favorite Reason devices or features?
When I start a composition in Reason, Kong and ReDrum are my go-to’s for jotting down rhythmical ideas and catalysts and then I flesh things out sample/sound design/MIDI wise later. They’re like old friends now. I think what most draws me to them is the fact that they’re based on classic hardware drum machines and employ similar parameters to those original devices. Like the hardware originals they’re based on, I find those limitations enormously inspiring; it helps me be more creative because I have to problem solve and think up ways to approach things. In comparison, if I’m put in front of something that has too many options, I get overwhelmed with choice and lose hours creating… well, a big splat.
What do you do when inspiration just isn’t there? How do you tackle writer’s block?
I don’t believe in writer’s block, I believe in an ‘empty tank’. If the ideas aren’t flowing, it means your tank is empty and needs topping up with whatever your version of nourishing creative petrol is. Mine is to follow up on other creative passions until ideas start flowing again, like photography, visiting art galleries or sewing- I love fixing up or amending clothes on my sewing machine- embroidery also… taking a few days ‘off’ to indulge myself in other forms of creativity is always a good one for me. It’s never really ‘off’, though, it’s giving my mind space to reset and that’s a hugely important part of the writing process, I believe. You need to allow yourself space to dream otherwise the art suffers. I’m pretty opinionated about this!
How do you integrate Reason with other hardware and software in your studio setup?
I bought something recently that is a welcome addition to my studio set up regarding Reason- it’s a Nektar Aruba MIDI controller and it speaks directly to Kong. I got it because even though I am not a drummer, I am a hands-on musician and I wanted a dedicated piece of hardware in order to play drums in a tactile way via MIDI directly into Reason’s sequencer, like I do with my synths. I work with MIDI a lot to do things like play back looped sequences in order to plot out sound design and modulation to be recorded or automated later, so I rely exclusively on Reason’s sequencer for that. It’s the heart of my studio working environment.
Favorite things about Reason 13 so far?
I’m loving the updated look and feel of the browser and menus in R13. It feels much more streamlined now. And I’ve always been a sucker for the animated cables on the back of the rack! Please never lose those!!
If you could give aspiring producers and musicians one piece of advice, what would it be?
My advice would be to seek inspiration from creative areas other than just music for what you produce sonically. Diversifying your approach can’t be a bad thing, after all!
Follow Kendra Frost
Instagram: @kendra_j_frost
