Hey, thanks for connecting! I sure can, I’m a Multi-Instrumentalilst, Producer, Singer/Songwriter, Composer and Engineer, always learning as I continue my musical quest. I’m self-taught navigating extended periods of creative isolation and mental health. I was releasing music under my name (Seb Stone) as a solo artist but felt restricted in terms of expression, identity and expectations. The last album I released under that name was one called ‘Alchemy’ which I realised upon completion that it was a marker for great change and energetic shifts in my life. Fast forward to the present and as I discovered more about my deeper personal and artistic self, the name Kaysien emerged. It’s an iteration of a family name and is both a vehicle for expressive freedoms along with being a tribute to amazingly talented and beautiful people that have passed on and who didn’t have the same opportunities in life as present times offer.
– How would you describe your music?
It’s always changing, the description I give today might not be so accurate when the next release emerges! I would say that my intention with writing and producing music is to uplift and energise listeners and to connect with the deeper aspects of self in a kind of motivational and empowering way. As bass and the acoustic drums were my first instruments, a strong groove, sense of rhythm and pulse underpins most of my work. I’m now adapting that primal energy to my piano playing and vocal expressions. I’m genre fluid and allow the emotive content of my ideas to dictate the shape of the music.
– Who are your main musical influences?
Ben Harper and Bjork. Two authentic artists with integrity and strong spirits.
– You’ve just released your new EP ‘Elements’. Can you take us through the creative process behind it?
Having a strong root for the ideas was key. For this release it was the central theme of self-identity in relation to my mixed race heritage which is Afro/Indo Caribbean and British. Within this description, my ancestry crosses so many lines, Carib Indian, Celtic, Nigerian, Spanish and more of which I’m currently examining. Being a philosophically minded person, you can imagine the inner discourse across years with the conflict between different races and seeing them still being played out in the modern age. Lyrically there are no words that could fully describe the emotional impact of this history that ripples through us, so expression through music/sound alone seemed the right direction. I used a form of vocal expression to incorporate the human voice but without a concrete definition, leaving the feeling free and open. I experimented with composing the tracks in my Aural Imagination before committing anything to instruments, sounds or recordings. I also shaped the mix internally as I can visualise sonic textures and frequencies. Drawing upon inspiration from nature (as the song titles suggest) assisted this process by offering a perspective outside of myself, releasing ego to access a deeper level of expression.
– Any plan(s) in the next few months? (new release, gig, etc)
Many plans! Rehearsing for live shows with my new band (still looking for a keyboard player!), beginning the groundwork for a new album and improving upon my musicianship and mixing skills!
Listen here: https://open.spotify.com/album/1p0QlwDa9fEaBuoNljzTwS?si=ESjYB1zSTGaHJqRFnV81hQ
