With Saints unable to field Iuliia ‘sckrafft’ Gerasimova at ESL Impact Katowice, they turned to Kaia “KiKi” Holmen to stand in for them at the event. While the team may have struggled in a tough group, KiKi performed admirably. After their elimination, we at BLIX.GG sat down with KiKi to discuss her professional future and streaming career.
Sam ‘AN1MO’ McKenzie, BLIX.GG: You’ve been standing in for Saints at this event. When did you know you were going to be standing in? How did that come about?
Kaia “KiKi” Holmen: It was about two weeks ago, and I got added to their Discord group, and they were like, “Hello, KiKi. We have a situation here. We have a girl who doesn’t have a visa. Are you available? Do you want to join us?” and I was like, “Yeah, sure. I can do it.” It was ATK’s coach, sprayxd, who vouched for me and said that they should ask me.
BLIX: So, was it a nice surprise to be asked to stand in and come here?
KiKi: Yeah, definitely. I didn’t really expect it. I was like, “Whoa. Am I even doing something then? I need to cancel all my plans.”
BLIX: What was it like playing in front of a crowd on stage?
KiKi: It was fun. I missed it. I have played on a stage before, so it was not my first time. For the others, it was their first time. They were really nervous about it, but I tried my best to try to calm down.
BLIX: Are you happy with how you played and how you did?
KiKi: Personally, I’m happy about my performance.
BLIX: Are you looking for a team outside of standing in at the moment?
KiKi: Yeah, I am. I’m looking for a team. I am currently in the Gucci Gaming project, and I am working on myself every day. I’m watching matches and everything to try to figure out how I can just become a better player. I just want to compete. That’s what I’ve been going for.
Image: Freddie ‘GrimyRannarr’ PritchardBLIX: How does Gucci Gaming help with that? Can you tell me some more about that?
KiKi: We have a pro coach in enkay J. He used to coach for BIG and he helped me a lot with in-game stuff and how I can become better. We also have psychiatrist coaches, and they help us with mental stuff and how to find the balance between our life gaming and outside of gaming, like IRL and stuff like that.
BLIX: You study, and you have other jobs, is it difficult to keep that up while playing?
KiKi: No, I don’t study anymore. I quit because I didn’t want to do it anymore. I had just been focusing on streaming and the Gucci Gaming project so I’m working on myself.
BLIX: How’s streaming going?
KiKi: It’s going really well.
BLIX: What sort of audience are you getting?
KiKi: It’s mainly gamers and Norwegians.
BLIX: Is it just CS you’re streaming?
KiKi: Yes, mainly. It’s just CS, and sometimes once in a while, I do some IRL stuff, but that doesn’t happen often.
BLIX: What are your hopes for the rest of the year? Is it to find a team and be back on stages like this?
KiKi: Yeah, I definitely want to find myself a team and compete. I missed it so much, so I’m really grateful for the chance I got from Saints.
BLIX: Do you want to drop your Twitch channel, and where you can be contacted?
KiKi: On Twitch, my name is kikiicsgo and on Twitter, it’s @KiKiicsgo. On Instagram, my handle is kaiaholmen.
Cover Image: Freddie ‘GrimyRannarr’ Pritchard
