Categorising Kae Sun’s music is quite difficult. So it’s better to listen to it before try and label it. The Ghanaian-born, Montreal-living singer-songwriter, producer and artist tells us about his new single, his influences and what a night’s like in his neck of the woods.
Introduce yourself.
My name’s Kwaku. I go by Kae Sun when I make music. I was born in Accra and I regret not walking along the Atlantic at night something I intend on fixing the minute I’m back there.
Tell us about your latest single Canary. What is it about?
It’s the kinda story you’d tell if you were trying to catch an old friend up with your mishaps in love – with a lot of exaggeration, feigning a lot of hurt, dramatised for effect.
What are your musical influences?
Too many. Let’s see, anything from Sade to Bob Dylan to Dead Prez, Maxwell, Björk, Gregory Isaac, Bowie. I borrow from nearly anything I hear that resonates.
What’s it like to work in the music industry where you are?
I really couldn’t tell you, I mean what’s the music industry these days anyway? I just love making music and I’m learning more about expressing myself in other forms as well, I have a lot of fun doing this and I share it through existing but also shifting structures.
I do it with a lot of help, a great team of friends who happen to be very passionate about what they do as well. It’s just the way I’ve lived most of my creative life; it’ll be very odd for me to think about it in terms of an industry.
What’s a night out like where you live?
In the right company it doesn’t really matter where you are. I have to say the air in Montreal is intoxicating during the summer months you just get out and it’s a great time and we just tend to stay up and stay out.
What song do you listen to: (a) turn up to (b) feel sexy (c) pine over your ex
a) Batuk – Força Força
b) Smooth Cat Rider by Little Dragon
c) much easier to write a new one.