We sat down with upcoming artist KELVIN for a first convo with him as part of our Rising Interview series. KELVIN is originally from Guinea-Bissau, moving to the UK when he was young. His story brings a unique vibe to his sound, with some great songs already and lots more to come!
I have been able to work on my mental state which is really important.
This past year for many reasons surrounding the pandemic has been a challenge for many artists! How have you found this period of time? How have you been keeping?
Yeah, the pandemic has been challenging for all of us. But as an artist, I have managed to find a few benefits during this, because I have more free time and I am able to focus more on my music. I have been able to write more music because there is not much else to distract me. Also, I have been able to work on my mental state which is really important.
For those who haven't heard your music yet, how would you describe it?
I would describe my music as something you can relate to, something you can listen to and vibe to as well.
What musical influences are there in your music?
My music has elements of UK urban, US Hip Hop and even afro-beat. I think it helps me be more unique - people who listen to my music usually say that it sounds different and I think it is because of the mix. I don’t really have a specific artist that I look to for inspiration though. As long as I like the sound of the music, it doesn’t matter who it is, I’ll gain inspiration from it and put it into my own work.
What is your process writing songs?
Every time I try to write a song, I try to put some words that - when the listener listens to it - they can feel the way I felt when I was writing that song… the kind of emotion I am expressing
The listener… can feel the way I felt when I was writing that song…
Who do you think would find your music most inspiring?
I think the people who would find my music interesting would be the people who find it hard to express their feelings in different situations.
You say that people who find it hard to express their feelings will relate to your music. Is this linked to your own experiences moving to the UK/learning a new language?
Yeah I would say me not speaking the language… it was hard to express how I felt. I feel like with music, when I started expressing my emotions and putting out there, even if you didn’t understand what I was saying, you could tell how I was feeling at the moment. If I was happy, you could tell I was happy when listening to that music. If I was sad, you could tell because you could feel the emotion that I am expressing.
…me not speaking the language… it was hard to express how I felt.
What can we expect from you over the next few months? What is next for Kelvin?
You will see more proper music videos coming out in the future. More music will be out on Spotify. I been experimenting with different sounds, different influences I been recording, which I am excited to share.