KayCyy finds himself in an exciting position when we catch up in Melbourne, his fanbase is growing worldwide, and we find him halfway through his first world tour, touching down in The UK, Europe, Australia and many parts of the US for the first time. Behind the scenes, the Kenyan-born artist has been a hot commodity in the studio, notably lending his voice to Kayne West on Donda and appearing as one of the first features on Travis Scott’s newest opus, UTOPIA.
Raised between Kenya and Minnesota, his passion for music ignited during church services at a young age, eventually leading him to pursue a career in music. KayCyy’s journey ramped up with 2021 singles like ‘Flew By You’ and ‘No Luck’ boiling over into his 2022 singles ‘THE SUN’ and ‘OKAY’ with French producer Gesaffelstein as well as his project Get Used To It, securing his spot as a favourite newcomer.
His latest EP, TW2052, sees Kaycyy and Gesaffelstein expand on the fusion of their sound; as he prepares to release his debut album, Who Is KayCyy? Later this year, the anticipation for his future endeavours is high. With an impressive body of work and an unwavering commitment to his craft, the rising star is poised to leave an indelible mark on the music industry. As he continues to conquer new territories and connect with fans around the globe, the future looks exceptionally bright for KayCyy, the King of Confidence.
During our chat, KayCyy hints at a Ksubi collaboration, explains why he admires artist Rosalía’s creative direction and emphasises the importance of connecting with local artists when travelling.
Kaycyy, welcome to Australia. How has it been so far?
Man, thank you. It’s been amazing. It’s been an interesting Winter, man. It’s a really good Winter, actually. I would rather this Winter than the one in Minnesota for real. The energy at my first show was amazing. I was kind of nervous beforehand because I didn’t know how it would be, you know? But the fans, everybody just gave that energy, and it was amazing.
I heard you plan to shoot a video in Sydney for an upcoming track. Can you tell us some more about that?
Yessir, it’s for this most anticipated song I got called ‘My Jeans’, and I’m just happy that it’s finally happening. I’ve been supporting and wearing Ksubi for the past year, and we became close, so it’s dope to bring this vision home together finally. We’re going to do the whole video together in a way, so there will be customised jeans that we do together and all types of things. And the collab will hopefully come out sometime this year with the song at the right time. So I’m excited about that. It’s dope. I came to the base of it, man; it’s in Australia, so I’ve been waiting to come out here for a while, and it’s perfect that the tour just aligned with it.
I wanted to take it back to the start — you were born in Kenya and later moved to Minnesota. How old were you when you moved to the US? Did you experience culture shock when you first moved to the US?
I was like 9 or 10, and absolutely. I came from a very warm place, like right by the equator and all that, so like when I came to Minnesota, it was just like freezing, like I think I got there in the Wintertime too, so I had to adapt to it, you know, everything was different.
I used to wear uniforms in school, so when I came there, I didn’t wear uniforms anymore, so I was happy about that, but there were a lot of changes actually. The food, getting accustomed to that. At school in Kenya, I was eating the same food I eat at home, it might not be as good as my mom’s, but it’s still basically the same—Sukuma wiki with the Ugali, whatever it is.
How did music come into your life? What were some early influences on you?
There are so many different ways that music was just like implemented in my life. Whether it was my uncles playing music in the car, reggae music, whether it was like my brother singing at a talent show and I got inspired by that, or whether it’s like just hearing music in church when I was going there with my mom. All of those were components of my wanting to make music. I just got addicted to that sound. And yeah, I just started writing songs.
Could you share a significant milestone or turning point in your early music career? How did it shape your growth and artistic direction?
When I first got into New York, it was big, you know? I had never really been to a big city like that; you know what I’m saying? Minnesota was the biggest place I had been to in America. So just getting to New York by age 18, that moment felt like a stepping stone towards where I was going.
Tell me about your most recent project TW2052 and your chemistry with producer Gesaffelstein. How did you two get linked up, and what can you tell us about making the project?
At first, we both worked on Donda, but we never really met each other through that [at the time], but once I got with Columbia, we’re both on the same label and man, shout out to Ron Perry and everybody for just setting it up for me to work with him. He doesn’t really work with nobody, so when I got a chance to actually work with him, it was kind of a life-changing experience for me musically, in a way. We just started tapping into something different when we made ‘THE SUN’ and ‘OKAY’ all in like 24 hours, and then everything else that came on this new EP, we decided it was gonna be like bonus tracks that we add, we wanted to make it feel new, you know? So we cooked up those three new songs just texting with each other. We didn’t really even meet this time, but we spoke a lot, texting and talking, you know what I’m saying? And we ended up making that, and it became TW2052, just like an extended version of TW 20 50 in a way. It’s like a mini album now with seven songs on there, including the old ones. It’s dope because if somebody has never heard the first songs before, now they get this full listen of this Kaycyy and Gesaffelstein sound, and it’s a vibe.
You have been travelling a lot lately too. Where have been some of your favourite places you’ve visited?
Yeah, man, travelling the world. I ain’t gonna lie. Melbourne so far is lit. I love Paris. Germany was lit. I really loved Munich. I was there for a few days and got to catch a vibe. I love London, you know.
When you travel, I noticed you’re always on IG or Twitter, asking your fans who they think you need to link with, whether collaborating on music or bringing them out on stage. Why do you think it’s important for artists travelling to tap in with what’s happening in the places they visit?
Man, ’cause that’s the whole point, really. You gotta kinda give your respects to who’s working in those cities that you’re going to. Not to say that you’re checking in, but you kinda are just tapping in like, “Yo, I’m in your city; I’m trying to see who y’all are fucking with.” I’m trying to see who y’all really listen to. I like doing that because then I like bringing out the localised people to perform at my shows and stuff like that. I like doing that a lot because that’s how I tap in with the new artists out here and who the city loves, so it’s important to me.
I saw you shouted out Rosalía as an artist you like and want to work with; what do you admire about her artistry?
Love her. Just like her creative direction. She’s just like a genius mind. I’ve never met her, but I can just tell from watching her interviews and listening to her music; her beats are incredible, like how she breaks down stuff and works on her music. I just feel like she’s one of the few that’s pushing the sound, in a way so I’m just interested to see where she gonna take it like in the next three years, five years, you know.
How do you envision your musical journey progressing in the coming years?
It’s like a slow and steady rise for real, man. Even just to be here, and performing all over the world— whether it’s 100 people, 250 or whatever it is, I really appreciate it, and I feel like it’s growing. So I have to be consistent, drop good music, and continue to show people who I am. I’ve got it all mapped out in my head, what I’m trying to drop, so it’s all God willing—see how it goes, you know.
One thing on your bucket list you still need to accomplish?
Man, so much, I still haven’t bought a house. So that’s one thing I need to do, like buy my Mama a big house. Right now, it’s something—we’re situated, but I want to buy her that dream house. You know what I’m saying? Because her dream house is my dream house in a way. So it’s like, I need that home base. That’s one thing I wanna do.