April 21st, 2026
"Falling" with Krish Valentine
Krish Valentine (KV) is an emerging artist whose work masterfully translates the pressures of personal growth into a resonant, soulful sound. In a deep-dive interview with Kevin Small Jr. (KSJ), Founder & President of SNAKE Magazine, he discusses the creative evolution of his single “Falling” and how he balances the pursuit of national stardom with a grounded commitment to fostering meaningful change within his local community.
KSJ: COULD YOU WALK US THROUGH THE CREATIVE PROCESS FOR "FALLING"? SPECIFICALLY, WHAT PERSONAL OR PUBLIC EVENTS INSPIRED THE CORE MESSAGE OF THE TRACK, AND WHAT SOCIETAL CONVERSATION ARE YOU HOPING TO SPARK WITH IT?
KV: “Falling” was written about my first girlfriend, before we were actually together. I met her at a singing event, and I started writing it right after the event ended, because we both left to go back to our own separate cities. I was 14 years old, it was a new thing for me, so I had to express myself in some way, and music ended up being the way to express those feelings. And it was a really nice outlet for me because with the other ways of self-expression, nothing really came naturally. But then, for me, music and songwriting really just flowed. The song is about yearning to be with someone. But I leave it open kind of on purpose, to where you don't know by the end of the song if the other person likes you as well, if it’s an actual two-sided thing. I expressed that in my cover art as well: I'm sitting at a table, and you can't see the other end of the table, but I have a flower. The conversation I meant to spark through that photo was, you don't know if I'm waiting on someone, you don't know if someone just left, you don't know if I'm just sitting there alone...I used that to broaden the types of people that would relate to the song. Because some people are in a one-sided thing where they like someone but they don't like 'em back, or some people are in a situation where it's two-sided but you don't know exactly the other person's feelings. So I kind of made it open-ended on purpose.
KSJ: AS AN ARTIST BUILDING A CAREER FROM THE GROUND UP, YOU OFTEN FACE THE CHALLENGE OF BALANCING CREATIVE VISION WITH THE REALITIES OF FINANCIAL STABILITY AND PATIENCE. HOW DO THE STRUGGLES AND LESSONS LEARNED FROM YOUR LIFE OUTSIDE OF MUSIC INFORM THE EMOTIONAL CORE OF YOUR SONGWRITING?
KV: Through my experiences as a songwriter, I've definitely refined how I make the song. If I come across an idea that I like, but I don't remember it an hour later, I'm just like, "Okay, that song was probably not worth it to continue writing on." Because as creatives, we want to follow through on all the ideas and start building out, but you have to balance your time with what's actually practical and what you think will actually do well. At the same time, I try to have contrast in my songs, so if the first verse is very wordy, I'll try to make the chorus a little bit more open, and vice versa. You want to do what you want, as a creative, and write what speaks to you. But you also have to remember that the listener is actually the one paying your bills. I don't think that you should write music for the listener, however. Especially nowadays, I feel like people are just hyper-focused on what the listener wants–like, “will the listener think this is boring?” And that's definitely important; you should consider the listener in your creative experience. But you shouldn't make that the primary focus, because as soon as you do, your art moves from being something that is emotionally appealing to you–and could be emotionally appealing to other people–to just something that is just very contrived. So you want to strike a balance there.
KSJ: AS YOU STRIVE FOR NATIONAL STARDOM, WHAT MEASURABLE, POSITIVE IMPACT OR COMMUNITY CHANGE ARE YOU SEEKING TO ACHIEVE THROUGH YOUR MUSIC RIGHT NOW, SPECIFICALLY WITHIN YOUR LOCAL FANBASE?
KV: I don't mean to sound corny, but when I'm listening to music, I like feeling like I'm the main character in a movie. So if I'm in a sad mood, I want the song I'm listening to to kinda accentuate the mood that I'm feeling. Or if I'm feeling good, I'll listen to a song that's happy and I'll feel even more happy. I want the music to accentuate whatever emotion I'm feeling at the moment. I just want to impact more and more people and make them feel like that, because that's one of the greatest feelings in the world to just be moved by the music. I've started reaching out to venues; I'm starting to play more and more live shows. I had a recent show and a release party for a new song called, “If I Got You.” So I just want to put myself out there more and move more and more people with my music. That’s how I want to grow my fan-base.