The day before the event, after securing our tickets, we received a text blast from Kali Flower: “My secrets are yours tomorrow at Saltwater Secrets. Please come in Lost Girl attire (blues, oranges, beige, white, a little green never hurts).”
“This event will give back as much as you give in.”
Held at Royal Lane Studios on Thursday, Aug. 14, Saltwater Secrets was a mystery. 35 fans bought tickets at $25 per person to experience an “emotional, multi-sensory experience for those in the thick of heartbreak, healing and transformation.” These fans have been following the pop and R&B singer since she said goodbye to Fuccgirl SZN earlier this year and introduced Lost Girl SZN with imagery of her home state of Hawaii.
She went off the grid to find herself. New music came in the form of “Lost” and “Bottom of the Ocean,” but the vision has been kept under wraps until now. The Kali fans who have stayed soft on the inside and are curious wanted to know more about her new direction.
Upon arrival at 7:30 p.m., Flower had laid several copies of the Observer with Branoofunck on the cover, flipping it to her “Getting Lost With Kali Flower” story featured in the paper. Once we were checked in, guests had their photos taken by event staff. These photos would be for the laminated “License to Feel” cards, issued by the Department of Emotional Exploration, for everyone to hit all the activations as they navigate their journey from being lost to being found. A reflective entrance with handwritten messages on the mirror opened the door to our vulnerability. Reminders of being allowed to start over, that we’re not broken, that we’re becoming and the part of us that was ready to be seen last night lowered our emotional walls.
Fans were met with a QR code that allowed them to save a link to hear Saltwater Secrets early.
Eric Diep
We were then guided to an empty canvas with painting supplies. This area allowed us to release whatever we were holding inside and paint what we were feeling with various brushes and colors. Some people painted vibrant beach themes to match the Lost Girl SZN aesthetic. Others got creative with the blank slate, painting portraits of Flower. The creative outlet serves the purpose of processing your loss and going full bloom.
On the SZN Stage, Flower, wearing an island-inspired white dress, directed us to watch a snippet of Lost Girl: Behind the Music, an intimate interview diving into the inspiration behind Saltwater Secrets and the personal growth that followed. The interview, directed by Steven “Jupiter” Jones and featuring appearances by Cozy Campos and Pretty Dim, was the most open and unguarded we’ve seen Flower yet.
“This season is more about what happens when you meet the consequences of your actions,” she said. “You find yourself that there’s this better version that you want to become, but you’re also stuck with who you’re used to being.”
Further explaining Lost Girl SZN, this is her showing her fans what this process looks like.
“Loss of self, loss of loved ones, loss of dreams and things that I thought were gonna come into fruition. This season is a deep one for sure, but I know a lot of people can relate to it,” Flower said.
In another portion of the interview, she reveals a time in her life when she didn’t have a place to live, getting teary as she recalls when she was struggling. Campos said she was there for him when he was going through a period of losing his father, so he graciously returned the favor and let her stay with him, calling her “family.”
Flower announced her debut EP, Saltwater Secrets, will be released on Aug. 26. She played the first three songs, performing an acoustic version of “Bottom of the Ocean” and getting us dancing to “Lost,” featuring GZO, who did his verse live. Those who scanned the QR code on their phone from a digital sign that also had the release date got a link to the six-song project in full.
The event’s final room had a calming blue bed and a Stitch plushie. Lilo and Stitch fans will remember the scene when Stitch goes into the woods to find his family, taking Lilo’s copy of The Ugly Duckling along with him. He reads the distraught duckling’s words out loud, making them his own: “I’m lost!”
With that in mind, this was a place where you let your “saltwater secret” go, as in releasing something you’ve been holding onto. For our confessional recording taken by photographer Faith Thompson, we chose resentment. We were handed a pouch of goodies with candy and a sticker. Inside, it was a handwritten note by Flower: “The moments of stillness hold the clearest answers.”
As we walked out, Remy Reilly was next to reveal some secrets of her own. She enjoyed the intention and creativity behind the event, brainstorming ideas for how she plans to implement them for her next project. The event was very DIY, but executed in a fashion where people flowed from one activity to the next, guided by the spirit of finding peace.
Flower was speaking to her friends and fans throughout the night, the kind of peer-to-peer connection you miss before an artist gets bigger. As we made our way towards the exit, we watched people dance to Cozy Campos’ set, feeling a little lighter than when we came in. The weight of the world is not as heavy on our shoulders, continuing to drift wherever the sea of life takes us.
