For KVY (pronounced Kay), it’s a veritable coming from the wings into the spotlight.
While growing up in east Kingston, KVY used to hang around her father while he created music. Later on, he invited her to sing harmonies on some of the songs that he recorded.
“My father had a studio when I was growing up, he used to write and record his own songs, and had me sing harmonies on his songs, that was when he realised that I could sing all the different parts without being told what to sing [as] that came naturally for me,” KVY recalled.
She later attended Edna Manley College for the Visual and Performing Arts where she honed her musical skills.
“My professional singing career started after I accompanied a friend to a rehearsal. One of the singers didn’t show up and it just happened that I knew the harmonies for the songs. So, I sang them in the rehearsal just to fill the space that day and I was hired for the gig and I sang for that person for three years. This person is Tarrus Riley,” KVY shared.
KVY, who has done background work for several entertainers and whose voice has been featured on a few hit songs, steps out in a big way on her solo single Dream of You.
The track was produced by respected and influential musician and producer Llamar “Riff Raff” Brown. It will be released on November 17 via Nebilus Records.
KVY shared how the idea for Dream of You came about and its inspiration.
“The song Dream of You came about because I was going through a period of time where I knew exactly what I wanted in a relationship, but I couldn’t find it. So, it seemed like all I was doing was dreaming of this person; from their personality, to how they looked, and the things that we would do together. I find that this happens to a lot of people. It seems so difficult nowadays to find somebody who really connects with you, but we can easily paint a picture of exactly what we want in a partner. We’ve all had that dream at some point in our lives,” KVY suggested.
This is her first time working with Brown and she said the experience taught her a lot musically.
“Working with Llamar Brown adjusted my perspective on recording and singing in the studio. He pointed out the technicalities, while also making sure that I was expressing exactly what I wanted to – not just with words, but with emotions. It was definitely a learning experience,” said KVY.
KVY has been doing harmony singing for 17 years. Among the artistes she has worked with are Jah Cure, Tarrus Riley, Christopher Martin, Romain Virgo, Shaggy, Alaine, Tessanne Chin, among others.
Her voice can be heard on the chart-topping hit Leader by Masicka and Dexta Daps, Stay With Me by Romain Virgo, Pressure by Koffee, Shaggy’s Christmas in the Islands album, and Stephen Marley’s latest album Old Soul.
KVY, whose real name is Karene Brown, is originally from east Kingston and she confesses that she honed her musical chops in the church.
“Yes, I did sing in church. I started out singing in the children’s choir, then junior choir, then what they call a mass choir, until I started directing the youth choir at church,” she revealed.
She wants her music to touch the hearts and emotions of those who listen to it.
“More than anything, I hope to make people smile. I hope that my music can leave a little bit of magic in everybody’s life everywhere I go. We all deserve happiness, and the world is such a chaotic place, but I believe that music is something that can heal the mind and spirit, no matter what anyone is going through, music has a way of shifting your energy. So when I walk off a stage or after somebody listens to my music, that is what I want the results to be, that persons feeling a little bit happier or more at peace than they were before they heard my music,” said KVY.
Source: Jamaica Observer
