The Long Road Back: KOLETT on Creativity, Vulnerability, and ‘Tunnels’
Punk Head: “Tunnels” feels like a song about transition in multiple senses: physical movement, mental movement, artistic rebirth. When you look back now, what kind of tunnel do you think you were moving through during those twenty silent years?
KOLETT: Looking back, that almost twenty-year silence was the tunnel itself. A space where I felt trapped by my own perfectionism and the heavy weight of expectations. Because music has always been about pure joy for me, that pressure created a massive block. Making "Tunnels" was the process of finally walking out into the light. It was incredibly liberating to let go of those expectations and realize that a song is often truly alive precisely because of its imperfections.
Punk Head: There’s something poetic about writing lyrics during a commute. Do you think repetitive daily movement helps unlock ideas?
KOLETT: Yes, commuting is absolute "me-time" for me. I fall into a sort of trance very easily while traveling; in fact, almost all of my ideas have always been born on the move. Just looking at the landscape triggers a deeply meditative state in me, which immediately opens up the creative channels.
Punk Head: Because you self-produce, there’s no separation between your emotional world and your technical decisions. Does producing yourself feel liberating or exposing?
KOLETT: I choose to produce myself because I want to capture raw authenticity—that exact moment before the ego kicks in and starts doubting whether something is good or bad. I just want to release what is inside me. That is why I kept the slightly imperfect vocal take that I recorded while having a sore throat; it had something unrepeatable in it. Similarly, a fork accidentally dropped onto the table, and its metallic ring actually inspired the lyric "just the sound of iron drops." If I had re-recorded it, it definitely wouldn't be the same, because it came entirely from intuition. That said, I did hand over the mastering to someone else, just to have a fresh, expert pair of ears on it.
Punk Head: You’ve said environmental themes will shape your future work. What does “environmental music” mean to you beyond lyrics or messaging?
KOLETT: Conceptually, I want to draw a parallel between the external environment and the internal journey—how a person evolves and grows as their surroundings change. In the future, I want to travel around the country and capture specific moments and atmospheres that trigger these internal shifts. Through my music, I hope to encourage people to pause, slow down, and start paying closer attention to the environment around them.
Punk Head: Hearing other musicians talk openly about creative struggle became a turning point for you. Did that experience change how you view vulnerability in art?
KOLETT: Seeing that the creative process isn't easy for others either, definitely gave me the courage to open up. For some reason, I used to have a mental block that if something didn't come effortlessly, it somehow lost its magic. Realizing that immensely talented musicians also struggle while writing great songs helped me break down that barrier and completely changed how I view vulnerability in art.
