Kevin Lester – The Lion City’s Radical Soul
PUBLISHED January 18th, 2013 01:29 am | UPDATED January 21st, 2016 08:06 am
Kevin Lester: pioneer, dreamer, lyricist, teacher, rebel, soul-child, skilled rhymer…the Lion City Boy.
Kevin Lester is Singapore’s wayward, slightly rebellious son. A rising star here, and doing big things on the international scene making strong but soulful Hip Hop as a solo artist. If Singapore’s music scene was looking for an ambassador, it has found its hero in Kevin Lester who is destined to go far with his winning combination of slightly geeky good looks, eloquent intelligent rhymes and an inimitable swagger.
You may know of him through his 9-piece band Sixx -which is where I first saw him going all out with infectious jazzy, funky beats. His energy and drive was palpable and had me whooping and bouncing in a crowd of gentle, subdued swayers. If the restrained politeness of the crowd bothered him, it certainly didn’t show, he gave everything, heart and soul. And it’s that passion and total commitment, combined with honest and smart lyrics that is making Hip Hop’s global movers and shakers look up and pay attention. The Singapore Hip Hop scene may be small, but Kevin Lester is going big.
Having honed his skills in the underground Singapore scene, paying his dues, working up through the ranks, Kevin developed a melodic, uplifting flow which he sets to big beats and usually some melodic hook, revealing his innate musicality. But there’s also something quite charming about him, like Common, Lupe, Talib Kweli, Mos Def, those kinds of intelligent rap artists, he’s presenting a slice of life that’s not about bitches and hoes, cash money and the number of Lambos you own, but rather the personal complexities of life’s journey. We LOVE his video Rockstar, which shows him interacting with strangers on Orchard Road, asking them to listen to his track, and right at the end, successfully managing to get the headphones on a food cart auntie to…hear him go!
We wanted to get to know the man behind the Hip Hop (and thought you should too!), so put a few personal questions to him:
What’s your earliest memory?
You know.. I think about this all the time.. It’s a memory of my 4th birthday. I only remember it because of the cake and the candle that was shaped in the number 4. We celebrated it in the house I grew up in Ang Mo Kio. It was a spacious 4 room flat, as were the layouts of all the old HDB houses. Whenever it came to celebrations my family always went all out…I mean…everyone would get the invite!
What is your biggest fear?
Other than my irrational fear of bees, I’m afraid of failing. As common as that sounds it haunts me every day. That all the sacrifices I’ve made will come to nothing. There’s a little mantra I live by that is.. “the minute you sleep someone will take over you”. It’s a little thing I’ve learnt from fatty bella herself, Erykah Badu. In my mind there’s no other options but this life of music I’ve built myself. To see it all come to nothing someday will be heart breaking.
Relaxation is…?
a glass of Glenfiddich whiskey 18 years on the rocks.
What are you best at?
Beer Pong. I’ve got a mean throw.. let’s rack up a couple of cups and put that to the test!
Tell us something that will shock us…
I make an awesome tray of corn beef cutlet. It’s something i’ve picked up from Aarika. We had to make it for a friends Christmas pot luck party last year. I’ve made it 4 times since. Haha. I’ve been told it’s legendary.. Okay, only Aarika said that.
What is your favourite food?
I’m a big fan of my mums home cooked food. She really puts on her masterchef hat when she’s cooking up the classic Eurasian dishes. Curry devil is my absolute favorite. It’s a spicy curry that’s got chicken, sausages, carrots and potatoes. From what I’ve been told, back in the day people used to whip it up from the remaining ingredients they had left over that’s why every Eurasian house has their own version of the dish.
When was the last time you were happy?
The team and I have been working tirelessly to finish the album and the promo tour for its March 2013 release. Every day there’s new milestones broken for us and though that already puts a smile to my face, to be surrounded by the most amazing team in the business, always leaves me delighted but more importantly grateful for their support. Shoutout to the Bedsty team, Syaheed – my manager, MC BOO and Adam Tha Artist. Also.. the boys DJ Ko Flow, TryToPlay and FlightSch for joining me on this journey.
Who is your musical role model/inspiration?
Kanye West. Not just for his music but what he’s done with the music. The way he’s interconnected fashion, art and Hip Hop is inspirational. I hope to do that for the scene in Singapore as well. To give Hip Hop a bigger voice within our little Lion City. Kanye’s appetite to constantly push and mature his craft in his recordings and on stage always amazes me. I’ve tried to study him and his accomplishment. There’s so much to learn but I’m willing to try to mirror his success.
What’s the one thing you would change about yourself or your life?
In 2013 I’m gonna try to be more frugal. That’s something that my mother will probably really happy to find out!
So there you have it, talented, ambitious, with a flair for beer pong and maker of a mean corn beef cutlet, yup, just like we said, Kevin Lester is going big.
Kevin Lester’s first single from the album is out now, “Hear Me Go”, on iTunes here and all major digital music stores and services. The album “Everything You Love You Hate” just dropped and is available
here
To find out more about Kevin Lester, check out the official Kevin Lester site www.thelioncityboy.com or check him out on @thelioncityboy on twitter and instagram
