Meet Kenz | Rapper/Singer, Producer, & Visual Director

We had the good fortune of connecting with Kenz and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Kenz, how do you think about risk?
Although risk-taking may not be ideal in certain situations, I think throughout my journey as a musician I always accepted the gamble. The reason for that could be because I would not be able to sleep at night knowing that I don’t know what “could’ve been”. In my experience, risk-taking was never a negative thing because even if things did not happen the way I expected them to, I can always learn from them and strategically plan my next move.

An example of a risk I took was when I moved to Jakarta, Indonesia alone back in early 2020 to pursue my career there. Only having a few connections to people in the music industry, it may not sound logical and sustainable. And to be honest, I would agree that it wasn’t. My stay in Indonesia lasted two-and-a-half months. The reason is that this was during the rise of the COVID-19 pandemic and stress all over the world was at a high. The meetings I had was canceled, and I was left alone in a studio apartment depressed and lonely,

I came back home to Bothell, Washington feeling defeated. I was humbled like never before. This experience almost made me quit and rethink my life, but I decided to give it one more shot. I produced and shot a video for a single entitled “Sulawesi” and sent emails to many Indonesian news outlets, and people with influence. This resulted in the video going viral on my home island in Indonesia.

Today, about ninety percent of my listeners reside in Indonesia. This past summer, I came back after two and a half years and was able to do a sold-out show with a very local talented group of musicians called “Negatif Satu”

Risk-taking is necessary. It changed my life.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
Trying to describe my sound using “music” or “genre” terms is difficult so I would rather give you a visual and a setting of what I imagine my music is the soundtrack to..

If there was a scene in a film with palm trees burning on an island accompanied by dark blue skies as a backdrop, an approaching tropical storm in the distance, and a tiger on a hill watching its home turn into ashes, my music is the soundtrack of that scene. The flames represent the aggressive tones I deliver, and the burning tree is represented in my music with themes of nostalgia, love, and loss. The tiger must migrate and find a new home as means of survival.

I know that many people grow up with their family introducing them to different artists, and genres of music which led them to have a vast taste. But in my case, my parents was always out working so they did not really take time to enjoy music. Being alone at home growing up, all I could do was surf the internet. With no initial introduction to a genre, I was open-minded to all music as long as it pleased my ears. YouTube is where I discovered Hip Hop, Rock, R&B, Gospel, Pop, etc. All of those genres has bled into the music I create now.

If you listen to my whole discography, the music and styles are diverse. When I was trying to figure out one specific sound getting into music, I would overthink it. But as time went on, I realized that artists don’t need to restrict themselves to one sound, as long as you package and brand the product well. And that is when I created this imaginary world I described earlier as “Hotel Mega.” So no matter what sounds I dive into, they all feel cohesive because of the visual aspects and overall branding.

I was able to sharpen my skill-set in many aspects such as producing, mixing, video directing, and editing throughout the years and it rooted from curiosity and not having money. I would much rather learn to do a skill myself than wait around for somebody to help me, have to pay lots of money, and work with their schedule, And I think this very reason is what separates me from other artists. Since I was sixteen, I’ve pretty much handled every step of being an artist outside of the music process like booking shows, location scouting for videos, writing video treatments, dancing, and the music marketing. I experiment with different structures, vocal delivery, sounds, and rhyme schemes.

And as far as myself visually, I try to incorporate fashion, color palletes, and cinematic visuals to go along with the music. I feel that branding is what holds artists back although the music is great. It’s either their branding is not clear, or they swim with the currents of trends. I hope this changes, and possibly inspire them to do so! I spent a lot of time figuring out what my brand was, but I realized that embracing and elevating myself and culture works best. The past couple of years, I make it known that i’m Indonesian and the feedback has never been better. And it all feels natural and second nature at this point. If you’re favorite color is red, then maybe you’re social media accounts has a lot of red themed content.

Everything was a learning process and I took a lot of losses along the way, but it was all worth it. I’ve thought of quitting so many times but I can’t imagine doing anything else because this is what I am passionate about. And now that I am trying to represent a country, I need to put my all into this.

I am excited for what the future holds.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Ever since I moved to Los Angeles, all I have really been doing is work, school, and an internship so I would not be the best tour guide as far as LA but in Manado, Indonesia..

I would take them to historic and cultural spots throughout the island to let them understand how the Island came to be such as; temples, waterfalls, old villages, and statues.

We would try authentic Indonesian food in the Kawasan area. Dishes you can’t find anywhere else or is difficult to replicate. Or better yet, I would ask my family to cook for us.

And the second half of the trip would be filled with nightlife. The bars, clubs, and lounges are definitely a must, especially if they are coming from the U.S. The currency exchange rate allows you to not have to watch your spending. But sometimes, that could be dangerous because you spend money like it’s nothing until eventually you’re left with nothing. I’ll admit, this has happened to me too many times.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I have to give this shoutout to my father who believed and supported me throughout every step of my career. As a kid, I was not one to buy a bunch of unnecessary things, but once in a while, I would ask for “pricey-but-worth-it” items. When I was twelve, he bought me my first studio setup because he could tell I really enjoyed music from a young age. That investment led to me spending countless hours for a decade working on my craft. Until this day, I still use some of the equipment he bought me. I made my first two projects on that same microphone, laptop, etc. Instead of caging me into the typical Indonesian career path of being a nurse, or a doctor, he embraced my skills and that is something I could never thank him enough for. I love that man so much,

The list of shoutouts goes on so I’ll make this quick..

Thank you Elan Wright for helping me navigate through the music industry and teaching me the basics of music creation at an early age. Our first studio session seven years ago changed my life and made me take this career seriously.

Thank you Marissa Charawell and Christy Kioko for continuing to cheer me on and being hard supporters. Our group chat filled with words of affirmation (and jokes) throughout the past eight years meant, and still means a lot to me. More than you know.

Thank you to my collective “Death in Absentia” for having my back and helping me be the best artist I can be. You guys continue to inspire me.

Seth, Atreal, Mary, Mourisa, Julia, Jessica, Keanon, Brayden, Emery..

the list goes on but if I did that, it would take all day. You know who you are. I am blessed to have loyal and supportive people around me.

This question is probably the hardest one for me to answer.

Instagram: @hotelmega

Twitter: @glitterboykenz

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCjtPNHK-82i159SL040cjDg

Image Credits
Emery Lemos (@emerylemos) Brayden Mccollum (@luminescentcolors)