Melisa Young—more popularly known as Kid Sister—blew up with such singles as "Right Hand Hi" and "Pro Nails" featuring Kanye West off her debut album Ultraviolet. She has deep roots in Chicago and returns the nightlife scene with an appearance in Spin Nightclub this week. She talked new music, nails and the South Side Nunn on One.
Windy City Times: Hi, Kid! You are currently busy working on new music.
Kid Sister: Yes, this is album number two. I am tying up the loose ends and stuff. I am also working on an EP that will proceed the album and another EP with another artist that is top secret so I can't say anything about it. I am really excited!
WCT: You have been working with Scoop Deville.
KS: He is one of the producers on the new album.
WCT: Who are some of the other producers?
KS: The list is so long well not as long as the last album. The Neptunes, DJ Mehdi, and XXXChange who did "Control," maybe Nadastrom, I am not sure.
WCT: Guest appearances?
KS: There are some but I can't say yet. There are some from the rap world and some from the R&B world.
WCT: Do you know when it will be released?
KS: We are getting things mixed now. There is not a due date. We are getting things done and I am touring. I have three new videos coming out. Two of them are shot and one we still need to shoot. One is being edited. One is super DIY with this mystery musician. We shot the video the day we recorded our first song together so the video is more finished than the song. You gotta be quick these days.
WCT: You are from Markham, Ill. Where is that?
KS: No one knows the South Side unless you from there. The south suburbs are very blue collar. There is not a lot to do around there, which is why many people don't know these towns. There are steel mills or nothing. That is where I grew up and why I did music—because it didn't require anything. To do music you have to just like to sing or play an instrument. Boredom started it off!
WCT: You moved to the North Side eventually, correct?
KS: The last neighborhood I lived in was Albany Park. Now I live in LA.
WCT: Where do you get your nails done in Chicago?
KS: I do them myself in Chicago. There are certain cities where I can't find what I need. Unfortunately, Chicago is one of them. Even in L.A., there was a lady in Koreatown who had ill nail designs but she was a bitch. She was really overpriced. She had her homey prices and then the American prices. [Laughs] I stole designs from her and eventually did it myself. Marie Nails is nice in L.A. It is fancy.
WCT: Do you hang out with Perez Hilton out there in L.A.?
KS: We run in very different social circles. He is very Hollywood and I am very not Hollywood! We have mutual friends for sure and sometimes talk on the Internet.
WCT: I know he is a supporter of your work because I was at the Hard Rock for an afterparty during Lollapalooza and you both were there.
KS: Oh, yeah. The Perez Night Out was fun. He always puts a new track up on his website of mine. He is a powerful figure in the gay community. We like to stick together.
WCT: Where did you meet Kanye West in the first place?
KS: My ex boyfriend was his tour DJ. He has always been a friend of my ex.
WCT: I read you studied filmmaking at Columbia College in Chicago.
KS: Yes, I interned in New York on a couple of bigger indies. I thought that was what I wanted to do because it seemed so interesting. After those internships I noticed I don't get paid much more than nothing, which was what I was paid. It is 14-hour days on the set on average. I had gray hair after those two years.
WCT: You did a film about 9/11 that is timely now.
KS: I have been listening to NPR. It has been pulling on my heartstrings, boo. It was so poignant some of the stories I was listening to today.
WCT: I heard the last time you were at Spin it was really packed.
KS: It was really fun but last time it wasn't publicized enough that it was a mini-set. People didn't think it was long enough.
WCT: So you want people to know it is a smaller set.
KS: Yes, I will sing a few songs and hang out to have a good time in my hometown. It is always good to come home and see old friends. I also like to look at shirtless men. It is gonna be dope!
Catch Kid Sister at Spin Nightclub, 800 W. Belmont Ave., Sept. 17 when she takes the stage at midnight. Visit www.spin-nightclub.com for tickets and details.
