Q&A: Keznamdi discusses hopes for JazzReggae, music career

On Monday – 4/20 – Keznamdi released the music video for his song “10 Pound,” which depicts the singer-songwriter lying in a field of cannabis in his home country of Jamaica.

Although originally from Jamaica, the musician spent his teenage years in Tanzania and Ethiopia before eventually moving to California to play Division I soccer for Saint Mary’s College of California. He will be returning to Los Angeles once again on Saturday to perform in the 29th annual JazzReggae Festival as one of the only reggae acts in the lineup.

The Daily Bruin’s Salus Kim spoke with Keznamdi about his hopes for the festival, his upcoming albums and the messages conveyed in his songs.

Daily Bruin: How would you describe your music style?

Keznamdi: I don’t like the titles. I don’t like to put a genre to it because that would limit it. So there’s no title for my music. It has the foundation, the root of reggae, but it has that hip-hop flavor. It still has that R&B flavor, that rhythmic African style to it. So it’s a mixture of different genres of music. It’s world music.

DB: What made you want to pursue a career in music?

K: Well I don’t think I wanted to. I think music chose me. I grew up seeing my parents in a professional, international band that traveled all over Europe and (did) lots of tours over Africa. That was normal for me. I grew up seeing my mother find harmonies and my father play the guitar so it was always there in the subconscious part of the brain.

After a while, this music moved from a hobby to a passion to a profession. I would say that it’s definitely my lifestyle right now. Also, I love to inspire people with my music. When I’m performing live and seeing people being inspired, it’s motivating for me.

DB: What is your favorite song to perform and why?

K: Every song of mine plays an important role. It’s like when you’re cooking food and you’re putting your seasoning in – when you put in your scallions, your onions and your tomatoes – everything is important. So it’s like a pot of food so everything is played to give that flavor off.

But if I were to choose my favorite song right now, it would be a song that I just released, “10 Pound.” It’s talking about the legalization of marijuana and how important it is to the universe right now. But the great thing is that this is my favorite song now, but tomorrow it can change.

DB: How do you feel about performing at UCLA’s 29th annual JazzReggae Festival?

K: It’s an honor, man. I remember when I used to go to college in California and I always wanted to perform on a platform like this. Also, the title is “JazzReggae Festival” and “reggae” is in that title and for me to be representing my culture and Jamaica is an honor, not only for me as an artist, but for my country. I really love performing in California because they really love reggae music and appreciate the music that we create.

DB: What can people expect from your performance?

K: What people can expect from Keznamdi is limitless – expect the unexpected and expect positive music, constructive and progressive music, soul music. This is spiritual food, just like how you get up every day and you feed your body – you have to feed your soul and feed your mind and that’s what my music’s going to do. So hopefully I can achieve that when I perform.

DB: You recently finished the Dread and Terrible West Coast Tour. Could you tell me what that was like?

K: That was really beautiful because it was like history in the making. Being on tour with Chronixx and my sister Kelissa was a wonderful experience for me. It was fun going city to city playing reggae music for all these fans. It was eye-opening for me because I didn’t know how big reggae really was in America and in California and the West Coast.

There were a lot of patrons out there coming and singing each song word for word and I’m here on my little island just making music, knowing that music is traveling so far. I really give thanks for that opportunity and the Dread and Terrible was very special to me, especially knowing that it was out on the West Coast. I was going back to a place where I spent a lot of my time too.

DB: Is an album or new release in the works?

K: We have a lot of special projects coming up. I just flew to Los Angeles a month back to work with Grammy-nominated artist Zhu. I went there to record for his album.

I’m always writing music. I’m writing music 24-7. Since a young age, I’ve been recording music, so I have a lot of material. But I’m very precise and picky when it comes to my music because once I release that song, it’s not mine anymore – it’s the people’s music. I have one chance to say what I want to say so I want to make sure that it’s done right.

Compiled by Salus Kim, A&E Contributor.