This post was updated Jan. 30 at 8:33 p.m.

Intertwining artistry and storytelling, KOLE is crafting a harmony of genres and cultures.

Boasting an extensive catalog of songwriting collaborations ranging from Meghan Trainor to Ingrid Michaelson, the ethnomusicology alumnus is recognized in this year’s Grammys for her work on Lalah Hathaway’s latest release “VANTABLACK.” Hathaway’s album is nominated in the prestigious Best R&B Album category, marking KOLE’s second Grammy recognition as a songwriter. The producer co-wrote three songs on the nominated album: “The Energy,” “Myth Of Being” and “I AM,” also performing background vocals on “The Energy.” Influenced by songwriting icons including Carole King and Joni Mitchell, KOLE said she hopes to bring to attention the underrepresentation of female songwriters in the industry.

Ahead of the Grammy Awards on Feb. 2, KOLE spoke with the Daily Bruin’s Ruwani Jayasekara regarding her approach to songwriting and her artistic aspirations.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

[Related: Q&A: Zach Templar talks upcoming US tour debut preparation, future artistic direction]

Daily Bruin: How do you navigate balancing your own artistic voice with the vision of the artist you’re writing for?

KOLE: When you’re writing for another artist, I think you completely have to drop your ego, and you really have to be an excellent listener. When I’m working with someone else, my goal is to make something that day that they love so much and that they want to listen to when they finish it. My goal is also to help them tell their story in the best way possible.

When I’m working with them, I’m taking myself out of it as much as possible and trying to be a vessel for them because when you’re thinking about your own problems, sometimes it’s hard to unravel them. The way that I think about being a songwriter is they’re telling me what’s on their mind, their fears, their hopes, and I can synthesize that and spit it back out to them in a way that makes sense. I think writing for myself feels like a stream of consciousness, and writing for other people is therapy.

DB: As a songwriter, your music has spanned diverse genres from Latin to K-pop to R&B. How do you adapt your approach to songwriting when writing within different genres?

KOLE: I think the approach is so individual, because I’ve worked with Latin artists, for example, who want to make Latin music or reggaeton, and then you kind of follow their lead on that. But I’ve also worked with Latin artists who want to make western Latin music that feels very pop, but it still brings in the Latin elements and influences. So it’s almost following the leader, in that sense. I do think what’s really fun about working with people around the world is being able to blend genres in a way that isn’t necessarily happening here all the time in the U.S. Music is so global, and K-pop has been the first genre to really be a global phenomenon. So, I think my approach is individual-based because just because somebody is from Korea or they’re from Latin America, it doesn’t mean that they want to make music that has already happened there.

DB: You mentioned you were an ethnomusicology major, how has UCLA’s music program changed your approach to songwriting?

KOLE: It’s very relevant to what I do, and I think having the education and the background in the genesis of music from different cultures allows me to speak about those things and reference those things in an educated way with the people that I’m working with from different parts of the world. So in a production sense, being able to pull up a sample or an instrument that’s specific to their culture that probably not that many people are thinking of. UCLA’s ethnomusicology program exposed me to so many genres that I don’t know that I would have sought out on my own. I spent four years dabbling and playing around with those instruments and getting it into my body. I think those influences come out in my writing too.

DB: Of the tracks you co-wrote on the album, is there one that resonates with you personally and what does that particular song mean to you lyrically or emotionally?

KOLE: I think “I AM” is the one that resonates with me the most. It’s kind of a mantra song, and Lalah sort of cycles through all these mantras of what she is, but in a greater sense, what we are. So I have to say that’s probably the one that I relate to the most. My favorite might be “The Energy” just because I love that chorus so much, and I also sang background vocals on it. Lalah, during our session, told me that my voice sounded like glass, and I won’t forget it because it’s high praise coming from a legendary vocalist.

[Related: Q&A: BabyJake discusses influences behind album ‘Beautiful Blue Collar Boy’]

DB: This is not the first time you’ve co-written on a track of a Grammy-nominated project — with Kelly Clarkson’s “When Christmas Comes Around…” How does this time feel different for you as an artist?

KOLE: The Kelly Clarkson song was a song that I wrote with Toby Gad and Lindy Robbins. We wrote that over Zoom and sent it over email to Kelly’s team, and she cut it and put it on the album. But I wasn’t a part of the creation of the album. I wasn’t really privy to the creative process in the same way that I was for Lalah’s album, because I saw that album go from start to finish. So, I really was a part of the project in a more invested way, which obviously feels even better having a Grammy nomination on something that I was more hands-on with.