Starving Yet Full (Cédric Kazihise-Gasaïda Gasaïda) owns a tenacious stage presence and bewildering appeal to the masses. From his stand-out performances at Barcelona’s Sonar Festival, and the U.K.’s Glastonbury and Lovebox Festivals, to his appearance in the front row at a Dior fashion show in Paris, He was the lead vocalist in the electronic band Azari & III, responsible for the dance floor hits “Hungry for the Power”, “Manic” and “Reckless With Your Love,” including the highly regarded Remixes by Jamie Jones, Tensnake, Tiga, Maceo Plex & Nicholas Jaar! Born in Burundi, of Rwandan citizenship, he divided his early years between the two countries prior to emigrating to Toronto, Canada at the age of 16, spending a few months in London and some interesting years in Moscow, before returning to his home country, Rwanda, where he is currently based!
We caught up with Starving Yet Full to talk about inspiration, storytelling, upcoming gigs, and more.
Hey Cédric! It’s a pleasure to have you here with us. How has 2023 been for you so far?
Hello and Thank You for having me! 2023 has been great so far! Glad to be home, back to my motherland (Rwanda)after 21 years. Refreshing & Inspiring to say the least!!
Congrats on the release of your latest single «Home» with Maxi Meraki on My Other Side of The Moon. What was your inspiration behind this track?
The track is a testimony on its own! It talks about the prodigal son returning home to find healing and new inspiration, fresh perspective, and healing the soul, after a long absence on a musical quest and self-discovery!
What was your experience working on this record?
It was a pleasure working with Maxi Meraki on this track as I felt he understood & respected the message behind the storyline, even though we had never met! He’s quite a talented producer and I think he will go far!
Can you mention some musical influences that you believe have informed your approach to songwriting?
There are way too many to mention, to be honest! But I am heavily influenced by genres like House, RnB, Neo Soul, and Afro music!
How important is storytelling to you? Is there an ongoing theme in your writing or is it more about capturing a feeling with every individual project?
I tend to write about personal experiences, testimonies if you will, but I do have moments where I talk about other people’s stories or a message that is generally relatable to everyone!
Where can people expect to see you performing live in the next coming months?
I am currently scheduling tour dates In Asia, The Middle East, and Europe! I do hope to reach Latin America along the way, as I have never been. Stay tuned!!
Now that «Home» is out, what can people expect from Starving Yet Full next?
I am quite excited to say that I have 2 tracks coming out with a talented Latvian producer by Paul Murashov! Look out for the first release, “The Spirit Project & Starving Yet Full – Find Your Way” out on Deepalma this Feb 3rd, a Deep & Afro house nuanced track throughout with emotionally charged melodies, centering around introspective vocals!
With “Doves” soon to follow! You will have to stay tuned to find out on what label and when!
Thanks a lot for taking the time to answer our questions, is there anything else you would like to mention before we go?
I would like to wish everyone a fruitful New Year, stay focused, and last but not least, it gets better! Much appreciated, peace and love!
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Maxi Meraki feat. Starving Yet Full – Home EP it OUT NOW on My Other Side of The Moon
