MEET Ky: Finding Her Sound and Shaping Her Future

We’re so excited to get to know you a bit more today. To start off – tell us 3 things that will help us get to know you.

Firstly, I'm a British-Caribbean Hip-Hop artist (artistically known as Kynda) who was born and raised in South London. I started as a Pop-Punk writer and then very quickly realised that wasn't the path that I wanted to take my artistry down…but if you put on some Paramore and I'll still scream everything bar for bar.

Secondly, my favourite subject in school (outside of music) was always English. I love reading poetry and essays. That's probably where the love for Hip-Hop began.

Lastly, Stevie Wonder is probably my favourite artist of all time. I take a lot inspiration from his lyricism and the way he articulates things is so beautiful. He has created some of the best albums of all time and I would love to see him live. Summer Soft is my favourite song!
 

It’s so interesting to hear snippets into all the things feeding into you as a musician – can you tell us more about your journey as an artist?
My musical journey began the day I was born to be honest. My dad was a DJ in his spare time when I was a kid. My Godfather owned a Sound System and would take me to some of his events. In summer my Auntie would take me on trips in her Peugeot and music would blare from the speakers as we sped down motorway.

Music has always been such a big part of my life but I could never do formal training due to financial instability so I taught myself everything, from singing to understanding music theory. It was a long and tedious process but it paid off because I got into The BRIT School in Year 10. I It was the first time I had the opportunity to really evaluate who I wanted to be as an artist. Kynda is the culmination of years of trial and error. It was only last year that I really decided that my heart was in Hip-Hop and since, then songs have been pouring from my mind nonstop.

For the first time, all the music I've been making feels right and honest. It's so crazy how once you step into your most truthful and authentic self, everything else just makes so much sense.

We can totally resonate with the power of being able to step into yourself, so it’s music to our ears (pardon the pun!) to hear how you’ve got there.

You mentioned your musical influences from your younger years like being taken to Sound System events which are a big part of Caribbean culture and of course, now you make Hip Hop which is rooted in Black culture - do you think your heritage has influenced your musical sound and style?

My Black-British heritage is very important to me and I'd like for it to come across that way in my music. Despite my main musical inspirations being Black-American, I wouldn't have been able to make the transition into Hip-Hop/Jazz Rap if it wasn't for the love I have for the UK Grime and Rap scene. When I was younger, the TV in my bedroom was always on either "Flava" or "Channel AKA". I cried like a baby when both of them stopped broadcasting. I would just watch the same music videos on repeat and I would study what I was hearing. The flow, the cadence and the confidence. Some of the most talented MCs out there are Grime artists.

I came across A Tribe Called Quest in 2019. I had never heard of Jazz Rap before and I was blown away. It had the same level of skill as Grime but it also had really funky basslines, interesting samples and an overall playfulness that I hadn't heard before. I loved it. The more I listened to it, the more I became familiar with other Hip-Hop subgenres such as Boom Bap. Then I'd do research about the samples being used in tracks and become obsessed with older Jazz, Soul and Funk songs.

That's something I love about Black music. Nothing is ever left behind, it's reworked and developed to make something new. I'm hoping that I can add something new to that legacy.
 

What a beautiful way to sum up what Black music means to you. It certainly sounds like you’ve delved into and absorbed so much from so many genres – a true student of the arts!

Which is the perfect segue to ask you about the other artistic influence that you mentioned: The BRIT School. Tell us more about what that experience was like.
There are no words that I can use that would accurately tell you how incredible The BRIT School Experience was but I’ll try and sum it up. So you have two options when joining BRIT, you can join at Key Stage 4 (years 10 & 11) or Post-16 (years 12 & 13). I graduated from the school over the summer after four years with a Distinction. At a regular school, often what happens is that there's 2 or 3 people in the class that like music who really try to be the best they can be at it. The BRIT School was like being in a class full of those people. They encouraged collaboration all the time. This means I was able to put together bands, get constructive criticism and learn new things that I wouldn't have been able to on my own.

Attending The BRIT has taken me places that a 5 year old Ky wouldn't have even dreamed about. I really don't want to come across as boastful but I got to perform at the MITS awards and SXSW London. Attended the Silver Clef and BRIT Awards. I've been able to get into rooms that 5 year old Ky wouldn't have dreamed of. In November, I'll by playing a track of mine at The Royal Albert Hall with my band that I formed at The BRIT School. Honestly, I’ve had dreams come true. I will say though, nothing is handed to you. You have to work for these opportunities because it's one of those schools where you get out what you give. I loved giving everything I had to The BRIT School.

It doesn’t sound like you’re bragging at all – sounds like you were able to grow and achieve for yourself, and 5 year old Ky, at The BRIT School. You should be proud – and it makes us proud to be partnered with the school. 

One of the exciting parts of our partnership is supporting Stepping Stone Bursaries that help students invest in their journeys after leaving school, when financial pressures of being creative can be much heavier...

This year, the bursary is going to you! We’d love to hear more about the impact the bursary will have.

I am incredibly grateful that I was selected for it because I'm now able to start working more on the production side of music. So far, my career has been focused on writing songs and gigging. I'm yet to release any songs onto streaming websites. However, I'm ready to do more with my music and the next step is making these songs available to everyone. That's why, when I got my Bursary, the first things I bought were a MacBook and Logic Pro.

I'm still learning the fundamentals of production but the fact that I'm able to work on my music from home makes me happier than words can say. It used to be that after the school day was done, I couldn't work on composing because I didn't have the equipment to at home. Now I can work on music whenever I want.

Also, my best friend/producer has gone to Leeds to study. Having Logic at home means that he can send over files and I can record straight onto the track and edit as I please. I'm hoping I'll be able to release before the end of the year.
 

How exciting to hear you’ve dived straight in to put it too good use. It’s so inspiring for us to hear the real difference our partnerships have on the people they work with, so thank you for sharing that with us.

We’re looking forward to hearing your first releases – so to wrap up, tell us how we can hear them!

Before my first release you can find snippets of live performances and a few more insights into me as a person on  Instagram and TikTok under @KindaKynda. On Spotify, when I do release, it will be under Kynda. So keep an eye out!!

We will definitely be keeping an eye out! Thank you for chatting with us today Ky, it was lovely getting to know you.