Meshing smooth R&B with pop-friendly club bangers, British-born Kay B. is on the verge of releasing his second album, Better Than Before. The Ghanaian singer/songwriter first drew attention with "Call Cupid" and "Cheater’s Dilemma" from his independently released Look No Further, produced by Stevie Hoang. He talks with Justin Kantor about his surprise breakthrough in Japan; the process of writing tunes over the Internet; and what it’s like to be an independent artist with an international career. (You can hear the interview in its entirety on BlogTalkRadio.)
Tell me about your background. Where did you grow up?
I was born in South London. My parents are from Ghana, so I also grew up in there; then I came back to London and did my university degree in marketing and business/IT.
During the course of your studies, did you want to pursue a career in music?
I had actually been doing music all along. My brother, Sean Kuaye, and I were in a group that performed in talent competitions. When I was at university, I joined up with a friend in the choir, Santi, and Mr. Max. We formed a group called Pack of Three. We started recording stuff in the studio. With the talent shows, I had only been performing stuff from other artists, like Usher, R. Kelly, and Dru Hill.
Do you remember the first time that music had a big effect on your life?
When I was in primary school, Sean used to rap — but it wasn’t for me. I sang in the choirs. My brother and his friends would rap in between drumming on the tables. I was about 11. Lost Boyz were out at the time. The music was quite influential.
You and Sean write most of the songs you record. What was the first song you ever wrote?
Sean used to write poetry; but he started writing music before me. The first was "Adore You" when we were in high school. We broke it up into parts, like the way Boyz II Men do.
Your first single, "Call Cupid," broke out in 2006 on YouTube and MTV’s Basechart. What was the story behind that song and video coming together?
That was the first song I wrote as a solo artist. At the time, I was in a relationship. Things were getting a little bit shaky. We had had some time apart, and that’s when I wrote it. I felt like the relationship was slipping away, and if I had another chance, I would do things properly. I recorded it with producer Stevie Hoang. For the video, we wanted to depict me being alone, reminiscing. We shot it in East London at Canary Wharf.
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