#streamcaribbean with KRYS [English translation]

Yé Moun La, you are listening to #streamcaribbean, my podcast about Caribbean music. You can listen to each episode directly on karukerament.com or on the usual streaming platforms. My name is Maëlla. I grew up in Guadeloupe surrounded by the cultural richness that shaped who I am but that I wasn’t aware of until my thirties. Today, I invite you to take a Karukerament musical journey to discover or rediscover a generation of Guadeloupean artists. When I say Karukerament, I mean that these artists offer their reading of the world by singing our past, our present and our future from our Guadeloupean point of view.  An nou ay mi la sa ka bay.

[intro]

I hope you are well. After talking about Caribbean soul with Meemee Nelzy, we resume the Karukerament musical journey with dancehall. We are with KRYS. In this first part, he tells us about his relationship with Guadeloupean music and his view on his career. #streamcaribbean. Good listening.

MAËLLA: What is your first memory of a Guadeloupean song? 

KRYS: Wow. First memory of a Guadeloupean song, Patrick St-Eloi. I remember an end-of-year party we had with the family, with all the uncles, aunties, grandma etc. where there was really the whole family. We even rented a house to celebrate Christmas.  Patrick St-Eloi's repertoire playing, uncles and aunts singing, dancing... So there you have it, PSE.

MAËLLA : Meemee Nelzy also had Kassav' as her first memory of a Guadeloupean song, so that proves that they are really the music founders of our generation. So I wanted to know, since you are really in the dancehall genre, even if I saw in the interviews that you started with rap before turning to dancehall…

KRYS: Yeah.

MAËLLA : but at the same time in your 10-year anniversary concert which is available online on your youtube channel KRYSMUSICS, we see that you pay tribute to gwo ka, and you even invited Yves Thôle, a ka master, so I would like to know what is the place of gwo ka in your way of approaching music? What is your relationship with gwo ka?

KRYS: (laughs) I think that above all it is in the genes, that is to say that consciously or unconsciously a young person who grows up in Guadeloupe is inevitably impacted by zouk, by gwo ka.  It is our musical and cultural environment. Now it is true that for me it arrived very late, I would say, in my conscience of a music professional because I actually stepped into the music world through street art, as they say “urban art”. An approach really through lyrics writing, through the culture that I saw in my hood, Lauricisque. The street artwork: graffiti, rap, hip hop dance. So, when you’re young, sometimes you ain’t interested in traditional music if your family is already in it, so I really entered through rap, through the lyrics, through claims, rather through the urban culture than through the traditional culture, so this traditional culture awareness came much later. And I was able to express it for the first time in a concert, at my 10th-year-anniversary concert.

MAËLLA: I'm thinking that it's a bit similar for me because I grew up in Guadeloupe, but I can't say that I really asked myself questions about gwo ka before I left Guadeloupe. Indeed, it was always part of my environment. And in the Caribbean concerts I’ve been going to… let’s say for the past 2, 3 years now? 3 years. There’s always this moment with the drums and it’s the moment that I look forward to now because it’s a moment that makes me feel at home. Even though they’re artists that I don't necessarily listen to in my daily life, it's really the moment that allows me to connect with the artist. When you say this awareness came to you, is there something in particular that made you say "well now I'm going to be interested in it" or is it really through the encounters you had?

KRYS : In fact, this awareness of traditional music comes with time, that is to say that by doing my job as an artist, by doing concerts, by doing studio sessions, by answering certain invitations since I had the opportunity to perform on stage with AKIYO in particular, tjos fleshes out one's art and one's inspirations and musical skills. I would say that it is at this moment that we say to ourselves "OK me I’m a big dancehall fan, I always did that, it’s the genre that drew me to music, but I’m Guadeloupean and if I want to enrich my performance, I’d say, during my concert, it’s natural for me to go in that direction, to do what belongs to our culture and to enrich me by going to seek on that side.

MAËLLA : This is the conclusion of my 1st special edition: "Can the zouk of the 21st century be an international kreyol pop music?” And I said that the key is in using traditional music but afterward you have to know how to present it to the public... But that's another thing. At what point do you consider that your passion has become your job? Because you often say that you started doing this because music is your passion and that you always had in mind to continue your studies, to become the CEO of your own company and you did music on the side really just because you liked it but at what moment you say well this is my job, I do this full time.

KRYS : The moment I really said to myself that I was going to do this full time, that this was my job, was when I graduated from university. (laughs) I graduated and where all my friends were in search of their first job, sending resumes left and right. Me, my path was already traced. I was signed at UNIVERSAL. And this was already my job. But it's at that time that I really became aware of it and, what I mean is that, I graduated in 2007, but it became my job way before that. Music, I think, became my business when I released my first album. When "Limé Mic La" came out, I was on stage every weekend. I had already done a lot of studio sessions, I had already signed 2 or 3 very serious music contracts, so it was already my job but simply because I was studying on the side, I didn't have to ask myself the question of doing it full time or not. I lived all that in fact without asking myself questions, that is to say I continued to develop in my music but always as a passion. Even if there were contracts, even if there were salaries and so on, but where it became really palpable was when I didn't have classes anymore, I didn't have to go back to school and music took 100 percent of my time at that time I said to myself "yeah this is really it. I'm a professional artist. 

MAËLLA: In that case 2004, "Limé Mic La". Debut album. A success. Then you are signed at UNIVERSAL in 2005/2006 ?

KRYS: Ouais, 2006.

MAËLLA: 2006. You released “K-RYSMATIK”, 2nd album. Still a success. 2007, "Renaissance", after you were stopped on your way up because of the scandal. So, this happens in 2007, “Renaissance”. Then, we arrive in 2008, you found Step Out Productions. In 2010, the album Step Out.

KRYS: Which was very successful. It was kind of the album of my big comeback because there’s the title track "Bootyshake" which was a huge hit and on this album, there was "Saucisson la" which also worked very well. Even artistically there were a lot of achievements since it is on this album that there is also my featuring with VYBZ KARTEL. I am super proud of this album and it worked well.

MAËLLA: How would you describe your career between the moment you released "Limé Mic La" and "Oasis"?

KRYS: Wow (laughs) How would I describe my career? First of all, it's a journey that is made of ups, downs, accidents, recovery, acceleration, and successes too, of course, and fortunately. And it was really an experience... An exceptional one. On all levels, both the good and the not so good sides, I think I had a very full artistic and human life.

MAËLLA: You see, you used the word exceptional and that's exactly the word I would use to describe you. When we talked, like I told you, I'm not into dancehall at all. I mean, the commercial stuff and all that to go dancing, no problem. But I've never been interested in dancehall as a music genre in the same way that I'm interested in R&B. So once you said yes to the interview, I said to myself "well, let's make an effort, let's go listen to his albums but really from beginning to end". I don't listen to the most famous songs. And the songs that I like are always the songs that aren’t title tracks. And I think to myself "this guy, he accomplished all this and he was barely in his twenties". And that's why I said to myself but this is exceptional.

KRYS: Sometimes, even today when I listen to what I did before, I think "what was my life really about? What made me have all these inspirations?” You know, when you're in it you don't realize. It's really with hindsight, even lyrics-wise, even technique-wise because when I entered the production, I acquired a lot of hindsight compared to the artistic creation. I had to develop tools to gauge and evaluate the artistic content of a song, the talent of an artist, their skills, and their potential. It’s true that when I listen to the young KRYS, I am rather happy and I even ask myself the question "could I do as well today?" But then the answer I find, to go to the end of my point, is that I make music that is the image of my life. Maybe there are things I wouldn't do as well today as 15 years ago, but there are things I do today that I wouldn't have been able to do 15 years ago. It's all about experience and inspiration and also a lot about the environment. I think I'm a bit of a sponge. Apart from the work that I can put in terms of lyrics, in terms of turns of phrase, in terms of energy, flow etc., I think that the content of my songs is very much influenced by my environment and my life at the time I create the song.  

In part 2, he talks about the concept of the "Oasis" album and his intention to talk about love. #streamcaribbean. Hope you enjoy it.

KRYS: In 2019, I was already thinking about releasing an album. I had already gone in one direction with "Hangova", "Tou Sa Ou Ka Fè". I had already made the choice of love (laughs) because, for me,... So it goes very far. When I had my daughter in 2018, I asked myself about my musical legacy. I had already realized which place music has in people's lives, and I had the chance to make some very festive songs. So there are many people who have very very positive very joyful memories with my songs, whether it is "Big Tune of the Carnival", "Program of the Week", "An Vlé An Gyal", a lot of people partied on my music so it's true that it happens quite often to me to meet people who say to me "oh la la I had too much fun on your songs" or "I hooked up with a lot of chicks", I have that too (laughs), "with your music" or "it cheered me up". Honestly, it's extremely rewarding for artists to realize that our music also accompanies people in their life, in their daily life, and when we have positive feedback about that, it feels good and it also gives us a sort of sense of responsibility for the music we make. It's true that, when you're in the intimacy of creation because it's a very intimate act to spit your guts out on a sheet of paper or on an instrument, it's actually quite personal in the beginning, when you make music. But afterwards, once this music is recorded, once it is released, each person has the right to make it their own and to do what they want with it, for their life, for their mood. And so I was already asking myself this question, saying to myself “okay, I'm past the 10th-year mark, I see a little bit the place I took in people's lives through my music or even through my image”, so I was already asking myself the question, or at least I was already thinking about it, saying to myself "okay, now that I'm aware of it, with the time I have left as a singer, what traces do I want to leave? How do I want people to talk about KRYS in ten years, in twenty years, in thirty years when I won't be singing or when I won't be around anymore?"

And then I said to myself "I'm going to focus on positivity. No matter what I say, there are people who work the melancholy, the dark vibe very well, but it ain’t what I want. I want light, I want positivity. My legacy and my brand are there. So I was already in that mindset. Then, I said to myself: "okay how do I express that? What do I like to do? What do I want to do right now?" And the love vibe came very very quickly, very very strongly with tracks like "Hangova", "Tou Sa Ou Ka Fè" and I really enjoyed making these tracks, I'm very very proud of them. And my album was already going in that direction and when COVID came along with the lockdown, with the time spent at home and my tours being canceled... Because I had to deal with that. You find yourself at home, facing yourself, and inevitably, the vibe changes. And then you're in front of the news, you realize the state of the world, what's happening. And then you become conscious again. Those who had embraced individualism realized in the end that we are on the same boat, that we share the same land, and that somehow, COVID has put everyone on an equal footing. I say it in a freestyle song. I say "gadé jan volè boujwa klocha tout moun an mèm bato la". This is the "Cho Mèm" freestyle number 2 of the "Cho Mèm" series. Faced with this catastrophe that the world is still experiencing today, my inspiration took another direction so I didn't make a compilation of what I did before and what I did after. I kept some songs indeed, notably those about love, but my album took another turn. There was even a change of name. The album wasn’t supposed to be called "Oasis". I had chosen another name. And this inspiration which arrived during the successive lockdowns made hope, solidarity, combativity take a much more important place in my creation and in the album. And the album is called "Oasis" precisely because, in the middle of this moment that I myself struggled through, in this desert that we all crossed a little bit, music was my oasis. So my goal with this album is that it’s an oasis for all those who listen to it and that they allow people to find strength, positivity, love, and light. This is the DNA of this album "Oasis".

MAËLLA: So let me say that my favorite album is "Renaissance". And I'll tell you why it's “Renaissance”. You did it at a time when I was personally going through a very difficult time because... Well, I arrived in France in 2005, I think 2005-2006? And it was violent for me. But from 2006 to 2008-2009, I couldn't really verbalize what I was feeling. I think I was even wearing blinders because I was suffering so much that I didn't want to feel the pain, so I said to myself, "No, it's okay, there's no problem.” All through my twenties, I spent my time trying to figure out where I belong in French society and I couldn't find my place. And now I've realized that it's up to me to find my place, that it's up to me to make my place too. That's why I have Karukerament because it's my own space and I'm happy to invite people who understand... Well, people give you the image of being the guy who likes to party, but honestly, the songs that have touched me are those… well, like you said earlier, it’s because of my own life experiences. The songs that moved me are those when you talk about that. You say words like “racist” in your songs. You have your "Letter to Aimé Césaire", "French citizens from the French Caribbean". You're not the first to write about the experience in France, but you're the first one that I feel when I listen to the lyrics, I say to myself "this! this is what I felt" and I say to myself "ah, it's okay. I wasn't crazy, I'm not alone" (laughs) But it's okay, it's okay. So about your team for this album…

KRYS: I met some new producers. Some of them have been around for a long time but I hadn't worked with them before, even though I had been enjoying their work for a long time. I think in particular of DJ Gil who composed “Tou Sa Ou Ka Fé” and “Solid”. DJ Blue who composed “BCWN” and “Boug An Mwen”, Staniski who did the konpa remix of “Tou Sa ou Ka Fé” which is a track I really like. I also worked with Benjay, a young composer who is very talented and who usually work with the French hip-hop scene, so it was my pleasure to work with him on my album. On the other hand, there are also regulars like Mister Francky. Even in terms of artists... Actually, on this album "Oasis", I really… Look, I know there are people who will say that, but for me, it's really true. This album, I did it with my heart and with my guts. Everything was very organic, very very natural, very based on feeling and vibe. Whether it was the collabs with the beatmakers or even with the artists featured on the album, everything was done in a very natural way.

MAËLLA: Let's start with the first track. "Oasis" which gives its name to the album. In your albums, in general, except for "Limé Mic La" because I think it wasn’t created with a specific concept in mind, but in your other albums, the first song and the last song are really well chosen. With "Oasis", it's an invitation to step into your universe, and I realized that the lyrics have this warrior vibe, so I liked the contrast. Can you tell us more about the song "Oasis"?

KRYS: For me, in this song "Oasis", there are really all the emotions present in the album. Everything that can express my mood at this moment in my life is present in this song. I mean, it’s a dancehall beat, the bass is heavy etc but the message, when you listen to the chorus, it is rather...between two vibes. How can I say it? It's sweet and sour because I say "kon pirat sé kon sa mwen ka navigé di mwen ka soléy ka sanb tèlmen lontan lanmè movè" so it's kind of sad to say tell me what the sun looks like, the sea has been bad for such a long time and I chose to live like a pirate because the world and the life we lead is sometimes difficult but we chose to stand upright and to live by our own rules too. That's what being a pirate is all about (laughs). In the second part of the chorus, I say that I am looking for my oasis to rest. I've been fighting for a long time and then I say that "in her eyes", talking about... a woman who…

MAËLLA: The person who…

KRYS: The person who could comfort me, I say "in your eyes I saw hope, tell me if I dreamed" so either there is a way for hope and happiness or I must actually keep on fighting. That's what the song "Oasis" is about, and the album as well. So it's true that there are several ways to read it. It may not look like it, but it’s probably one of the deepest songs on the album.

MAËLLA: No, yeah I think so too. Yes, I do. So that's why it's a good thing that it comes first because you can feel the different facets of KRYS. So, here comes the second track, it's "Koulè". It's a collaboration with Tiwony. Again, I thought it was something new for you to use traditional drums when it’s actually not because... On your album "K-Rysmatik", I think? There is the song "Robey E Charlotte". So it already had a little bit of this vibe, but it's true that this time, the sound feels complete. It's more about hopeful lyrics. There’s this “let’s keep a positive mindset” but in a... “yeah, we’re nice, but be careful” way (KRYS laughs). Like “we can take our weapons and go there, so you must be careful”. For this track, I’d like to hear you talk about the music video.

KRYS: The spot is the Duval site in Petit-Canal where there is this huge ka (drum). The first place where the video starts is a former slave prison, so it's on the slave stairs in Petit-Canal. It’s a place full of energy and history which for us was the video lead setting. It’s to say that we come from far away, that we’ve been through a lot, but we’re standing. To stand in this place and to choose bright colors like red, yellow, there was no random choice. Even the outfits we chose were royal outfits, they are the outfits of African kings. Everything in the message as in the song, in the visual, the presence of the ka, everything was directed toward this message of resilience, strength, and hope.

MAËLLA: What about working with Tiwony?

KRYS: He's a big brother, but it's true that it's the first time we're doing a track together. But Tiwony is someone who saw me when I was about 13/14 and started singing in sound systems. He was already part of the big guys and he saw me coming up. It's true that we were in contact, we had a great relationship for a long time but maybe we had to wait for the moment to really meet on a track that resembles us both and it's done now with "Koulè". I’m very very happy. I first started the track on my own and then I called him and said "you know what, big bro’? I think I found the track that we can do together" and I sent it to him. That's how it started.

MAËLLA: Then here comes track 3. "Tou Sa Ou Ka Fè". So, this is my song (laughs). As soon as the lyrics talk about dancing, it's for me. And here, what I really liked about the lyrics is that you have a man clearly expressing his desire for a woman, but it's done in such a sensual way. It's the kind of song that I would have loved to dance to when I was 14-15. Back in the day, it was all about Sean Paul and Sasha's "I'm Still In Love With You". And so that song made me think of that. I tell myself that 14-15-year-old kids, well now there is COVID so social distance but if they could dance on that, it would make them great memories for 20 years from now.

KRYS: Oh don't worry, I think they've found ways to dance. (laughs) Well, listen, I'm very happy. "Tou Sa Ou Ka Fè" is the magic of inspiration. DJ Gil sent me the track and I felt immediately this sensuality, this swaying, this bass play which makes me want to dance and to accompany people in this emotion. I remember that when I made this track, I told DJ Gil that we were going to repopulate the West Indies. (laughs) So there you go, "Tou Sa Ou Ka Fè" good.

MAËLLA: There’s also a music video. People can watch it on Youtube and you mentioned the konpa remix. That's how you know it's a good song. You can remix it in a different genre and it still sounds good. And so why did you remix it with Staniski?

KRYS: I wanted to make it even easier for people who were hesitant to dance as a couple to do so. I also thought that the melody itself was good for konpa. For the record, I was in Martinique to perform at an event where there was also Oswald. So, we were in the same hotel, we discussed a lot. We got along very well. It was the first or second time we saw each other.  I was like "yeah, you know, tomorrow I'm going to the studio with Staniski because we're going to do the remix of "Tou Sa Ou Ka Fè". He says "I'll go with you", I say "okay, cool, bro’". So Oswald and me, we go to the studio and it's him who turns up the konpa vibe, but it wasn’t planned. Again, it's the magic of music. It's just people who love music and who share a moment like this. With Oswald and even with Stanis. He also put a lot of care into this remix. He called a guitarist and a bass player to come and play the instruments live. So, yeah we’re very happy with the result. A lot of people liked this remix, so it's all good. 

MAËLLA : Staniski, I don't understand why the media don’t talk about him. He can decide not to do interviews, but I do not understand how the guy has been making hit after hit for years, and then we’re told "yes Caribbean music blabla" when there are local producers who do a great job and they’re not in the limelight. Again, he has the right to say that he doesn’t talk to the media, but the media must still talk about him. 

KRYS: (laughs) No, but it's true that he's discreet, but he's not against... I think .... Anyway, right now he's got a lot of hits. In fact, there is one. His track sang by Oswald and Saël that I love, and it’s getting media play right now. In any case, Staniski, even if we don't hear him directly in media, we hear his music and that's the most important thing. I think that for him too, that’s what matters the most. 

MAËLLA: Then here comes... I'm going to say it every time, it's my song. I love the album, so it’s given. This is the track "Lov' La". It's the second featuring on the album. We have Shanel Hill, a singer from Martinique. Likewise, when I listened to the song, I saw myself back in the day when Ménélik released "Bye Bye". The fact that there is the guy and the girl who sing, who rap. When I first heard the song, I saw myself. And it's the kind of song where you're like, "I want to have a boyfriend to go and say that to," like you want to be Shanel and say that to him. Frankly, I don't speak Creole, but I know Shanel's verse by heart. I don't know yours, but I know hers. I love it. The only thing I miss is in the music video, and I think it's an editing choice, is the part where she talks to you. She says "yeah, just yesterday I tried to talk to you about it, I don't understand why you're acting so surprised", I wish the two of you faced each other while singing.

KRYS: It's crazy that you say that. We shot that scene, but there was a problem with the footage. So we couldn’t use the scene during the editing process, but we did shoot this scene like that.

MAËLLA: Aww, it’s okay. You’ll do it on stage.

KRYS: yeah, on stage.

MAËLLA: how was it working with her?

KRYS: Shanel is very unique. Starting with her voice. Her voice is recognizable among 1,000, I think. We heard her on the radio with her hit "Pa Bizwen Palé". When I started to write this track on my own, having the instrumental, I said to myself "no, “Lov'La” is a duet with a female singer and I only see one. It's Shanel Hill”. Also, one of my best friends loves Shanel Hill, he told me "one day, you’ll have to make a feat with her". So it was kind of meant to be. We went to Martinique to do the feat with her and to actually meet because we didn’t know each other personally yet. We went to Martinique to meet her, her team, DJ Ken etc. To do it live. There was really a beautiful exchange. We’re very happy with this track.

MAËLLA: Honestly, that’s my tune (laughs). Then we go to "Solid". So "Solid". Same thing, I didn't listen to the lyrics first. I listened several times but I was too into the melody to really pay attention to the lyrics. It was only when I really looked at the tracklist that I saw that it had explicit lyrics. I was like "I don't get it, what is he saying in the lyrics to make it explicit". On "Oasis", there are only two songs with the explicit mention. "Solid" and "BCWN". I say to myself, “lemme backtrack”. And then, I went "noooo, he ain’t saying what I think he’s saying!” (laughs) Plus, I had watched the music video. I thought "this has nothing to do with that". So I was like okay?... For me, it's the free electron of the album.

KRYS: That's a good analysis. For us, "Solid" was the link between the freestyles series and the album that was going to come out right after. In the “Cho Mèm” freestyles series, there were 4 of them, they were there to build up the buzz before the album came out. The audience was quite happy with those freestyles. "Solid" was the transition. Also, it's a very particular musical style. You can call it UK Dancehall. English dancehall with a very particular rhythm, a specific flow, and a specific way of placing your voice and that’s what makes it UK Dancehall. I wanted to make a song in this style. Yes, it's a bit of a free electron and it brings back a bit of this very Caribbean atmosphere, very swaying, mid-tempo vibe, it gave a bit more punch to the album. I think it belonged there too and it completed the picture.

In this third part, he tells us about his relationship with transmission and his view on the women of his generation. #streamcaribbean. I hope you enjoy it.

MAËLLA: Besides, where it's positioned in the tracklist makes it a good introduction to the second part of the album starting with "Boss Inna Real Life", the collaboration with Admiral T. Very dancehall. I was wondering. The fact that it's still a boss thing, was that already decided? Because you did a collaboration on his album and the song is called "Boss Lady".

KRYS: Yeah. Ladies first. First, we talked about boss ladies. And then we talked about the men who are bosses... (laughs) No, it's a coincidence. I don't know why. You point that out now, but we didn't pay attention. Admiral and me, it's quite funny when we’re together. We’ve been in this business for a few years now. When we get together on a song, we only have one thing in mind, it's to have fun. That's why we find ourselves on a lot of big dancehall tunes, because that's what makes it fun. We don't necessarily try to make a commercial hit that will be played on the radio. On the contrary, we try to make music without concession. Real music that we like and that makes us happy, no matter the results afterward. That's how we made "Boss Inna Real Life" which still contains a message. The real boss is the one who works (laughs) not necessarily what we see on social media that’s a little fake. We were there to say “let's be it in real life, let's work to be bosses in real life and not just in appearance”.

MAËLLA: Is it a track that was already planned on the first version of the album? 

KRYS: That one, yes. It was on the first version.

MAËLLA: You can see that the tracklist was well thought out. Right after that, we have "Boug An Mwen". When I was in high school, it was Admiral T on one side and KRYS on the other. You are the two main figures of my adolescence. Then with "Boug An Mwen", you’re with Kevni and Pompis, it's another generation, right?

KRYS: Yes.

MAËLLA: "Boug An Mwen", frankly, it's not the song that interested me the most at first, but symbolically, it's like "Koulè", it's really the link reflecting your whole career because we see you in your role as the person who passes on the baton to the generation that comes after you. And then I saw that there was a remix. In the remix, there is Matieu White, Drexi, Lion P, Dexterman, Daddy Yod. When I saw that there was Daddy Yod, I said to myself "oh yeah!" So you really manage to make the link between the previous generations and the ones coming up. That's why this track, frankly... Even the music video. Personally, in your videos, I prefer those where you’re with people and we see you in ordinary situations. For instance, the “Tou Sa Ou Ka Fè” or “Hangova” videos make us dream. They ain’t my style, though. On the other hand, the music video where we see you with people having fun, I love that. We see that in "Boug An Mwen". So how did you manage to get all these artists on this track?

KRYS: I think you've said it all. The goal is to be able to visualize this link between the generations. I find myself, let's say, in the middle between Daddy Yod and Matieu White who will be the oldest and the newest artists. Matieu White, Kevni, this generation which at the time when "Boug An Mwen" came out was a bit the emerging generation on the dancehall scene in particular. It's important to show that we’re all part of the same movement, that we can get together around music. Moreover, the title "Boug An Mwen" said it all. I wasn’t going to make "Boug An Mwen" all alone in my corner (laughs).

MAËLLA: you say that, but at the same time, I was thinking that in terms of representation it's also a strong statement because we don't see a lot of Black men having fun together. Having fun in a... I wouldn’t say “normal way”, but just being happy together. When we watch the music video, we see that you’re happy to be together. In the music video for the remix, you’re mostly in the studio and it's nice to see you together. We see you exchange. So yes, in terms of representation, I think it's great to have kept a visual trace of all that.

KRYS: That’s good.

MAËLLA: Then we go to "BCWN". It's another song about dancing. It's a single that was already released and that you put back on the album. So let’s start with the first two sentences of the song, I said to myself, “this opening in a concert. You're going to say "swaré la opérasyonel, swaré la bordélik", PULL PULL PULL UP!” Then we'll stop. Everybody's gonna scream, you're gonna put it back, we're all gonna start screaming. I saw myself in concert with that song. However, and I'm sorry to say this about the music video, I was so into the sci-fi concept, but I don't think it was fully exploited.

KRYS: It’s your opinion that shall be respected (laughs).

MAËLLA: (laughs) Thank you. So, “BCWN”, a song about dancing, why did you write it?

KRYS: "BCWN", the goal was to make a big dancehall tune for people to have fun, to dance. It's the oldest track we put on the album. It had been out since 2018. I had to think about whether I was going to put it on or not. Even though it was already on the first version of the album. I found that a lot of people still liked the song. I had a lot of dance videos on social media about this song. I said to myself "no, the album is coming out. BCWN already has a music video. There are people who like it, so they have to be able to find it on the album too." That's how I put "BCWN" on "Oasis". 

MAËLLA: Then we move to "Chak Moun On Moun". My tune. It's a collab with Triple Kay Band. They’re from Dominica if I understand correctly. In fact, it's really the song you want to hear at Carnival. It's the album song that, for me, symbolizes your mindset open to the Caribbean. Even if I know that on the previous albums, you have other collabs that show that you’re open to the Caribbean. How did you end up collaborating with Triple Kay?

KRYS: Precisely because I wanted this album to be an album turned towards the Creole community and towards the Caribbean world. Triple Kay is a mythical group of bouyon music. I said to myself if I'm going to make my first bouyon sound, I might as well do it with the number 1s.

MAËLLA: Then we go to "Kolabo". It's always a carnival-style song, to party. "Chak Moun On Moun", "Kolabo" are in that spirit of dancing together. Ain’t nobody here to dance by themselves. We dance in pairs. When I listened to the album, it's the first song that made me think of you, in the sense that I didn't listen to you when I was younger and it’s the first song where I said to myself that it reminds me of a KRYS song that I listened to when I was younger. It made me think of "Big Tune du Carnaval". I don't know, making a connection like that... I thought "well, KRYS still made an impact on my life". Even though I didn't think it was that way. It's true, it's the first song where I said to myself that I feel connected to your music, to the universe that you want to propose. It was with this one when I first listened to the album. Now, I'm really into "Tou Sa Ou Ka Fè", "Lov' La", but the first time, it was really "Kolabo" that evoked something in me. For you, what does "Kolabo" represent?

KRYS: First of all, it's a style of soca, of power, of jab. It's a particular style in soca that I had been wanting to explore for a long time. This very fast, very energetic instrumental that you want to listen to behind a truck will make everyone jump around and rub against each other too, of course. I wanted to touch that style. I was very inspired by the instrumental. It's a composer I hadn't worked with before. It's a duo called The Legist. It was my first time working with them. I really liked this instrumental and the energy. I just had to do something that would go with people on this music and it's an inspiration that came by itself and it actually appeals to the energy that I had in my younger years when I was a big fan of chaotic parties (laughs). It's kind of the same energy, yeah. Definitely.

MAËLLA: Then, we’re reaching the end of the album. We’ll say that the energy goes down but the intensity, I find, continues to rise. We move on to "Hangova". There too, it’s a song that had already been released. A music video is available. There, we find the KRYS lover with a sensual vibe. But what I appreciate, you remain nevertheless quite straightforward. It’s in this song that you say "you ain’t a Tyrese-like lover"? I said to myself "oh man, but..." I imagine that younger listeners don't know, but Tyrese, it was the epitome of the R&B singer in the late 90s - early 2000s. All the girls were into Tyrese, so when you say you don't want to be like Tyrese, I say "I mean, I get it but .... At the same time, that’s the type we like?" (laughs) It's okay. I appreciate the straightforwardness, the frankness, and yet you remain sensual. As for writing lyrics, was it easy to write in terms of rhymes, metaphors? 

KRYS: it was less easy than for "Tou Sa Ou Ka Fè"... "Hangova" is the sound that kinda marked the new intention to go with this love vibe, with slower beats. I don't know if you noticed but it's the only track in French on the album. I'm very proud of "Hangova", the music video is a killer. It sucks that it didn't get more views. I think our promo was lacking. I don't buy views. The numbers you see, those are real numbers. I think our promo for "Hangova" was lacking because I even had people who discovered it with the album in 2021 telling me "I love it, you should shoot a music video for it". One guy told me so and I told him the music video has been out since 2019. I think there wasn't enough promotion. It's a track that is strong, the instrumental, the gimmick, I think my flow was quite creative so I'm very happy with "Hangova".

MAËLLA: Then, maybe, I think people have an image of you as the guy who parties and you come up with a song that says "Hangova". Maybe they just think it's going to be this big party guy and they didn’t pay attention. But you're right, it's all about storytelling and how to present a song. Now we move on to the second to last song. It's "On Pa." It's a collaboration with Méthi'S. First of all, the saxophone intro? Excellent! The saxophone is my favorite instrument. I always say, as soon as you put int the saxophone, the song can only be good because for me it is the instrument that makes any melody sexy but in a sensual and solid way at the same time. It ain’t mushy. Again in the lyrics, I said to myself “this is what we want, a man who tells you clearly what he wants in love and he expresses it”. We understand everything. There is no doubt, there is no hesitation. You can’t go "oh, is this what he wants?". I really like the image of taking a step. The fact of saying we're going to move forward together. Honestly, the lyrics are great.

KRYS: Thank you very much. Again, it's all about the vibe. It all starts with an instrumental by Unik, a composer who also did the bouyon "Chak Moun On Moun". I met him on this album. He came to the studio with me to listen to the bouyon song I had just finished. I tell him "let me listen to other beats". So he does, but among those he makes me listen to, there is the one of "On Pa". I go crazy, I say "this is beautiful, I want it". I see that he is a little... He says "yeah but in fact I already started working on it with Méthi'S". I tell him "but Methi'S, it's just perfect. She’s my sister". Moreover, he hums the melody from what he has done with Méthi'S and it sounds great. I call her up right away. From the DEBS studio in Pointe-à-Pitre. I call Méthi'S. She says to me "ah I’m in Pointe-à-Pitre right now". I tell her "come". And she comes directly to the studio. The same day, she lays down the chorus and that's how the song was born. It's really a vibe thing.

MAËLLA: So you stole her song?

KRYS: Noooo, she gifted me the song (rires) and it became our song. She gave me the chorus. I wrote down the verses. There’s a bunch of talented people on this track. I added the sax parts afterwards with saxophonist Alex Deaz.

MAËLLA: AH ! I LOVE HIM ! I went to his concert last month. Anyway, sorry, fangirl moment.

KRYS: He’s the one who plays the sax her. The backup vocals are done by Krysstal. She’s an artist who writes her own songs and has a huge, beautiful hit "Feyaj a Lanmou". So, yeah, Krysstal who does the beautiful backup vocals. This song is really a big collab of several passionate and talented people.

MAËLLA: You can feel it in the result, so it's normal. So here comes the last song. "Inspirasyon". My song. Number 1 of my Spotify top tracks for the last 6 months, the last 4 weeks. It's a song that gives me courage so I'm not going to say more, I'm going to let you introduce it so people can hear what you had in mind when you created it.

KRYS: I'm very happy that you have this feeling about this song because this song is very important to me. Often, we say in the tracklisting of the albums "choose carefully the first and the last song". It ain’t there for nothing. Women have inspired me throughout my career. In different ways, but women have always been an inspiration to me. When I was in my mid-thirties, I had a lot of conversations with my friends who are women about the social pressure once you reach a certain age to get married, to have children. At the same time, the difficulty to find a good partner... I’ve been wanting to talk about this theme for a long time, but for me it was important to get the feeling, to have the right words to address this theme. In this song "Inspirasyon", I had the deep feeling that I had finally found the words I wanted to say to all these young women and this is the result.

MAËLLA: Beautiful. You really managed to condense what women feel... Actually, I’m one of these women, so that's why I say it. It's the fact that you, as a man, are able to express it without being... How do you say... I forgot the word, it's the word in English that comes to me. But you see, you're not trying to lecture, to be...

KRYS: Moralizing. I'm not trying to be moralizing. I hate it in general. I don't like moralizing music. I hate it (laughs). I really looked for the right words. I had this theme in mind for a long time, but for me, it was important to be in the right feeling. I got a result that satisfied me. Obviously, I have a lot of very good feedback from young women on this song.

MAËLLA: Men need to go and listen to it as well, too so they understand. They need to understand how women feel. And this kind of song explains it... Moreover, it's a man who speaks to them, so they’ll listen. They’ll pay more attention than if it was a woman.

In this 4th and final part, he talks about his goals for Step Out Productions, his indie label, and the issues surrounding the Guadeloupean music industry. To be honest, I was a bit chatty about a question he asked me so I ran out of time in the end for him to elaborate on his point of view on the Guadeloupean music industry. Having said that, we had already discussed it a little bit off the record. He and I don’t have the same definition of the industry, but we agree on the purpose to which the Guadeloupean music industry must head to. And that's the most important thing, right? #streamcaribbean. Hope you will enjoy it.

MAËLLA: The concept of #streamcaribbean is to encourage people to stream albums because when you look at streaming platforms algorithms... And that's my analysis. I don't know if you can tell me if I'm right or if I'm wrong, but for Caribbean artists, it's easier to gain visibility when people stream albums than when they stream single tracks. Why do I say that? Because I spent a year and a half changing my Spotify algorithm. It took me a year and a half to get my algorithm to understand that it should give me suggestions for everything soca, everything from Guadeloupe, Martinique. A year and a half. And it happens that one of the first releases, and this was when I said to myself that the algorithm understood, is when you released "Koulè", the track showed up in my latest releases playlist. I think it appeared the same day it was released. Sometimes there’s a 2-or-3-day delay, but it appeared on the first day. And that's when I said to myself "the algorithm has figured it out so now I can really understand how it works".  Actually, it's the albums. When I stream an album, the artist goes up very quickly in my algorithm. I see it on my stats over the 4-week chart, over the 6-month chart. Even in my most listened tracks since the beginning. For example, you, I streamed you only between the end of October, all of November, December, all of January. You are already my number 2 since I have Spotify. Number 1 is Lorenz (laughs).

KRYS: We can agree on that. I like Lorenz a lot. Every time I see him, I tell him that. "I love your music, dude." (laughs) I think he's very talented. I really like what he does. We’ll get along for that, we agree (laughs).

MAËLLA : My mission is that everyone likes Lorenz. I'm tired because when I talk to people, they always talk about his songs from ten years ago. I”m like "Come on now, y’all need to get some updates".

KRYS: Plus, he did a feat with another artist that I really like, who I also think is a bit "underrated". I don't like that term but... Sayz's.

MAËLLA: Yeah, the song is “Sékélé”.

KRYS: Right!

MAËLLA: Listen, I have the Lorenz master degree. I have the Gage phD. I know everything about them.

KRYS: Okay (laughs).

MAËLLA: Anyway, we're not going to talk about Lorenz. This ain’t Lorenz’s interview. I was talking about my algorithm. I was saying that when I stream albums, Guadeloupean artists - I listen to mostly Guadeloupean artists - go up very easily in my algorithm. On the other hand, let’s take Daly as an example. I don't stream Daly. I stream only one single, the one released last year called "Djen Djen". I love it. And I streamed it a lot, so it's been in my top track for the last 4 weeks, for the last 6 months. Daly is nowhere among my top artists.

KRYS: Oh yeah, hence your album orientation. Okay, you're probably right. Your user experience is much more advanced than mine. I think you're right.

MAËLLA: Thank you.

KRYS: If you have experimented with it this way, yes.

MAËLLA: When I'm on Twitter commenting on my Spotify stats, it's because I think that someone might be interested... It's not enough to tell people to go stream albums or go stream music. You have to collect the data, then analyze the data and see how to use it to your advantage. What I don't understand, is when I hear Guadeloupean artists, I talk about Guadeloupeans because they are the ones I follow, but I don't understand when I hear them speak, they never bring up this aspect. So I say to myself "is this something that they think should only be discussed between artists and not talked about in front of the public?” Which I think is a pity, but then, it's a choice. Or I wonder if that it's something that nobody talks about and...

KRYS: Nobody talks about it. You're right to point it out, it's very interesting. 

MAËLLA: That's why the show is called #streamcaribbean. It’s in order for the algorithm to pick up the hashtag and if people use it, then it gives the artists visibility. Looking back, did you have all the resources you needed to reach your goals as a singer and/or producer?

KRYS: Wow... When I started my career, I was just a kid who was passionate about music. I didn't know it was going to be my job. I think at that point, everything that happened to me was just beautiful. First album “Limé Mic La”. “K-Rysmatik” etc. I think I really felt the difficulties, the lack of resources and framework when I became a producer myself, I saw how complicated it was, especially for West Indian music. So I would say that at my level, I still had resources. I wouldn’t say all the resources, but I’d say that I was able to make a career, but these resources are hard to find. There are a lot of people who deserve to have as many or more resources to be able to develop but who won’t find them because there’s a big lack of structure.

MAËLLA: In that case, does that mean that if there had been a structure in Guadeloupe, you wouldn’t have signed with Universal?

KRYS: Already, as an indie label, Step Out Productions, if I were a Caribbean artist today, I would have wanted to work with Step Out. I ain’t saying this because it’s me, it's because it's a label that knows how to develop local artists with success. I think in particular of Misié Sadik. And our label also managed a national and international commercial success with Colonel Réyèl, so that would mean that we figured out how to develop these skills. I think that's what we need. Artists need to develop their full potential. If you’re here to be a local artist who sings in Creole but who wants to go as far as possible with his Creole, you need to find a professional structure that can walk you through this process. And if we have the means to be a summer hit like “Celui” by Colonel Réyèl or his hit "Aurélie", we need people who are capable of managing such an exposure. 

MAËLLA: So your vision for Step Out is to have local artists being successful...

KRYS: Beyond our borders. That's why it's called Step Out.  What I want is exactly that. Our local music being exported because of its artistic and managerial excellence. 

MAËLLA: In this case, where do you place the Caribbean market in this vision? Is it, for you, an opportunity to be interested in, and in this case, when you create... Well, it's more in terms of marketing strategy because after you create your piece, you're the one who sells it, so it doesn't matter what you created, how you sell it, that's what's important. Is it interesting to look at the Caribbean market today? Or should artists focus more on the French national market or try to go beyond that?

KRYS: For me, there are two steps in music. And you said it at the beginning of your question. Step 1 is the creation. Step 2 is the sale, media play, and distribution. I don't think an artist should make music according to a market. This is my vision because beyond being a producer, I am first of all an artist. And I think that artists must continue to write with their guts, with their inspiration, with their soul. And then the marketing work, the marketing, comes later. So I can't say that an artist has to target this or that market. I think they have to make their music and according to the music they produce, they have to explore which market can be relevant for their style. So now the Caribbean market exists. It is simply less well structured than the French market, for example. In France, there are highways. There are media. We know that urban music is this or that media. We know by heart the concert halls where we have to go. We know La Cigale, we know the Olympia, we know the Bataclan. We know the Elysée-Montmartre, we know the Zenith, we know Bercy. We know the U Arena. We know it all by heart. Why do we do that? Because there is a platform that exists. It is this platform that doesn’t exist yet on the Caribbean market, but this doesn’t mean that we must direct our creation to serve a market commercially. I think that it happens in step 2 and that the Caribbean platform is to be created.

MAËLLA: I have an opinion on that but we don't have time. It's okay, but in any case, your vision is very interesting. So my last question in relation to that would be: for you, right now in 2022, what are the priorities to develop the Guadeloupean music industry? 

KRYS: We need to structure ourselves in the sense that we do produce music right now. The music is there, we are on streaming platforms, music gets released all the time. But I think we need companies, real production labels that have the commercial, financial, marketing and media power to develop careers and create value around the artists. So it wouldn’t just be music that comes out, that comes out. This is the discussion we had off the record. The industry is there, in fact. There is music production. Every day, there's music coming out. Somewhere, there is something going on. There’s a creation of value. It's just not valued, not organized, not optimized. I think that's what's needed. And that's why it's no coincidence that, for example, to give an image that people understand, even countries are organizing themselves into confederations. For example, they have created Europe [European Union]. Why do independent countries like France, Germany, Spain, or Portugal join together in a conglomerate? Because the bigger you are, the stronger you are. And I think that's what's missing in the Caribbean. They lack big players in the chain, especially in the chain of production and music publishing. This is the ambition of Step Out. Unfortunately, for many reasons, I had to redefine, especially because the music industry itself is changing, but right now I'm rethinking the model of Step Out, but basically, that's my goal.  It's to have a structure that can compete with the national structures so that our music is properly managed, and properly marketed and that we can be a respectable and respected player in the French music market... and worldwide.

MAËLLA: (laughs) Good thing that you added "and worldwide" because I was going to come right after saying "and the international market". 

KRYS: Of course.

MAËLLA: Of course. I'm on the team, we only care about the international market. France isn’t worth it because our artists have been trying for years, for decades. There have been plenty of opportunities. For X reasons, it didn't work. Well, it's not that it didn't work. But at the same time, we don't get to a level where you see other artists reach much faster and much further. You say to yourself "yeah, come on now, if you make efforts, might as well..." Well, that's my opinion. Anyway (laughs) One last thing, thank you very much for this discussion.

KRYS: Thank you. It was my pleasure. 

Thank you for listening to this episode. Subscribe to my newsletter to follow my news. To listen to my other Caribbean cinema and literature podcasts, go to karukerament.com. You can also read my cultural chronicles there. You can also follow me on social media @streamcaribbean or @karukerament on Twitter. Like, share and especially use the #streamcaribbean to give more visibility to our artists. See you adan on dot soléy. Tchenbé rèd.