Canberra guitarist and singer-songwriter, Citizen Kay released his new LP, ‘Belly Of The Beast’, in August.
“I’m pretty stocked. I’ve had it tucked away for a while now, so it’s pretty great it’s coming out to the world,” he says.
‘Belly Of The Beast’ is a record incorporating themes of maturing and reflection. “It was never intended to be an album until I got halfway through. It was more about maturing and growing up and reflecting on life so far.”
Taking his time with each track, Citizen Kay emphasised perfecting the flow of the LP resulting in a cohesive record. “I’m usually a massive ball of energy, so for the past two years it’s just been realising and taking a moment to breathe and appreciate what’s around.”
{youtube}mqhhVwuM1Mk{/youtube}
Now a 12-track LP, Citizen Kay originally wrote 30 tracks. “I sat on each song for three to four months and came back and only left the songs I still felt a connection with.”
From August through to November Citizen Kay will be headlining his own shows while also touring beside hip hop stalwart Illy for the second time. “The Illy tour is like a practice for me, so the timing has worked out really well.
“It’ll be great to see how the crowd reacts to my new LP before my headliner. It will give me some time to figure out how to take it to the next level.”
Citizen Kay has supported the likes of Ice Cube, Public Enemy, Run The Jewels, Danny Brown, Wiz Khalifa and Earl Sweatshirt just to name a few. A mix of traditional hip hop blended with the sounds of soul, jazz, blues and rock Citizen Kay has created his own sound.
He began creating music professionally four years ago. Since then he has achieved ARIA nominations for his ‘Demokracy’ EP (2014) and ‘With The People’ LP (2015). “I’ve always been around music and played guitar as a hobby, music has always been a therapeutical release for me,” he says.
{youtube}SlkHlhBMRmU{/youtube}
“The defining moment for me was when I was in the crowd at Groovin The Moo. Public Enemy was on stage and it was crazy, I realised I wanted to do the same thing and it spiralled from there.”
At six-years old, Citizen Kay moved to Australia from Ghana. “I think it will always been an underlying influence on my music; if I was still living in Ghana I wouldn’t be the musician I am today.”
Rapper, songwriter and producer Citizen Kay is continuously striving towards success. After he finishes this batch of tour dates, he'll be focusing on his writing as well as producing more music. “I work with a lot of local artists from Canberra.
“One of my long-term goals is to change the perception people have of Canberra, so that I can show the world how much talent we have.”
‘Belly Of The Beast’ is available now.
Citizen Kay Tour Dates
Sat 30 Sep - Sweaty Palms (Central Coast)Fri 6 Oct - Rolling Stone Live Lodge (Sydney)
Sat 7 Oct - Northcote Social Club (Melbourne)
Fri 13 Oct - Rocket Bar (Adelaide)
Sat 14 Oct - The Transit Bar (Canberra)
Thu 19 Oct - The Foundry (Brisbane)
Fri 20 Oct - Amplifier Bar (Perth)
On Tour With Illy
Thu 21 Sep - Wool Exchange (Geelong)Fri 22 Sep - Whalers (Warnambool)
Sat 23 Sep - Shadows (Mt Gambier)
28 & 29 Sep - The Cambridge Hotel (Newcastle)
Fri 3 Nov - Panthers (Port Macquarie)
Sat 4 Nov - Hoey Moey (Coffs Harbour)
Fri 10 Nov - Home Tavern (Wagga)
Sat 11 Nov - Area Hotel (Griffith)
Fri 24 Nov - SS&A Club (Albury)
