Kala’s music is more than just a thread of his creativity – it’s the whole tapestry.

Ali’ikai Kala holds certificates in music business and music production through UCLA Extension. However, he is also Kala, an aspiring hip-hop artist who holds his music at the center of all his ambitions. Kala said his latest EP, “The Building Down The Block Is On Fire,” represents a stepping stone in both his career and musical persona.

“My music is the center of all my creativity, for sure,” Kala said. “I’m a musician first – it’s just my focus on all things creative.”

Kala said he spent his childhood around the world, moving from city to city, never staying somewhere for longer than three years. Kala said one of his earliest musical memories was encountering a drum circle while in Botswana. The drummers invited Kala to join in, and he was inspired by the way that music brought people together. He added that living in the Netherlands and experiencing the vibrant house and techno music scene there has influenced the sonic presence of his music as well. Overall, Kala said his childhood instilled in him a deep appreciation for how similar people are around the world.

“It’s given me a very worldly, holistic view of things, and I like to think that it’s helped me let go from my insecurities a little bit,” Kala said. “Being all over the world and all these different places and learning about myself in relation to these different spots that I’ve lived in has … made me a much more confident person, … a lot less scared of what people think.”

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Nevertheless, Kala said “The Building Down The Block Is On Fire” is only slightly influenced by his childhood, and instead his main inspiration was his first year living in Los Angeles. Although he had spent his entire life moving from place to place, Kala said living in LA was the first time he was without his family and experiencing the isolation of not having somewhere to reset.

Kala added that he sought to experiment with the production of the EP, making it as maximalist as possible. He said he weaved in musical samples ranging from YouTube clips to records he retrieved from thrift store crates. Kala said he is inspired by the sound and content of A Tribe Called Quest, appreciating how the simplicity of its production compliments the vocal tracks. Geonu Park, a third-year music industry student, said he worked with Kala on the record by playing guitar and bass.

“Kai loves to do everything himself,” Park said. “He organizes the shows. He produced the whole EP. He prides himself on not needing a label. … I think it’s very impressive.”

In addition to music, Kala said he expresses his creativity through other mediums, including fashion and film. He said his experience in both film production and fashion design, with both music video direction credits and garments under his name, has helped him refine his musical persona. With cultivating his fashion and visual presence along with his musical identity, Kala said he has been able to embody his music.

“I was really trying to create a whole curated look for the project, both through the visual aspects and of course with the clothes as well,” Kala said. “I like world building, and that’s the world that I want to stay in. So the character that I’m playing for this project has … one outfit, one set of visuals, one style of editing, of colors.”

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Juliet Lyons, a singer-songwriter, composer and Recording Academy voting member, said she worked with Kala as a GRAMMY U mentor. Lyons said she was impressed with “The Building Down The Block Is On Fire” and was especially drawn to the title track. Kala said the song was inspired by two specific events that happened when he first moved to LA, the first being a building down the block from his apartment burning down and the second being the death of a former classmate. However, Lyons said the track was especially prescient because of how it paralleled the wildfires across LA County in January.

“Even though he had a very distinct point of view and knew what he wanted and knew who he was as an artist, he was also incredibly open to learning,” Lyons said. “Very inquisitive, very driven, very motivated. At that age too, where there’s so many distractions, there’s so much fun to be had. … He really was there to learn.”

Kala said the most difficult part of the process was releasing the EP. He said he hesitated and was unsure of what reception he would receive but realized he could not hold on to the project forever. Overall, he said the most rewarding part of the EP was being able to make it and execute the creative vision he had spent a lifetime cultivating.

“It was the process of creating it and learning so much about myself and who I am as an artist, as a person, and making connections, making friends, going to the studio with people,” Kala said. “That was what that project needed to be for me.”