Kiss Facility: Voice Notes

For Kiss Facility, i.e artist duo Salvador Navarrete and Mayah Alkhateri, it all began with a voice note. Improvised words, seemingly disconnected — words that, in fact, need no translation. And it is those very words that, by stirring emotion, inevitably led to romance.

Yes, there’s a love story at the start of Kiss Facility — musical at first, intimate later.

“Meeting someone professionally, making music with them is kind of like going on a date — it can be magical, or it can become a mess.”

There’s something about Mayah’s words, as if they transcend language. “Mayah sent me a voice note with song lyrics she wrote in Arabic. I couldn’t really understand the words, yet I instantly knew what she meant, and we made a song and music video out of them.” 

Music does work that way, of course: it speaks through sentiments. This probably is the secret behind Salvador and Mayah’s artistic synergy. That, and surrounding themselves with creative souls, forming a collective of artists who continually complement and enrich one another’s worlds, through voice-note exchanges, a capella singing, WhatsApp recordings, and playful sessions with drums and violins. It all seems so simple, yet it’s profoundly complex.

Kiss Facility is not just a music project; it is a platform, a free space where both individuals can express themselves without restraint. When meeting Mayah, one can sense the power of femininity emanating on stage and online. She stands and asserts herself as a free Arab woman, unafraid to let desire speak. Salvador, in turn, embodies a gentler, more vulnerable form of masculinity — a presence that draws the listener closer.

Kiss Facility has grown into a space of belonging, a place where desire can finally speak in its own language: "We receive a lot of feedback from Arabic women and from the queer community.” It feels natural, then, that their upcoming album explores love and desire — a more electronic, and still emotionally charged project. In Mayah’s own words: “It is important to talk about love in such a difficult political climate. We need things that make us feel good. We try not to restrict ourselves — we’re lucky enough not to have to — and to avoid negative feelings.”

But is it always that simple?

Is playing with one’s public image truly safe?

Fan culture can be intense. “People think they know you through the social networks, and feel disappointed when reality doesn’t match that illusion.” That mismatch creates a sense of vulnerability. “We try to keep boundaries”, they continue, “but what we love most is meeting new artists, working together organically, and connecting with the audience during shows.”

With Kiss Facility, the line between intimacy and exposure is blurred — in their lyrics, but also in the rawness of their online and artistic selves. It makes sense that almost all songs begin as collages of voice notes: something so ordinary, yet deeply emotional, exceeding language itself. The duo's words and melodies reach straight to the soul, evoking feelings we all share, or will eventually experience, someday.