Q&A: Kabwasa
VERSATILE AND ON THE GO - Kabwasa is ready to show the world what he's capable of. Rooted in R&B and Hip-Hop, Kabwasa's sound continues to evolve to try and encompass his range of interests as an artist. The artist has made tremendous efforts to balance the fun and light hearted end of being a musician with using his voice and platform to speak up on a issues that are important to him. Read on to understand how his background has shaped him, the power of his voice and more.
LUNA: Though you grew up in Watsonville, your family is from the Republic of Congo. How have both of those backgrounds shaped you as an artist?
KABWASA: Both backgrounds have definitely influenced my art and style a lot. My name Kabwasa comes from my Congolese background and I like to try to stay as close to those roots as possible. And in the same light, I was born and raised in Watsonville and that culture is all throughout my music. I talk about Watsonville in my songs more than anything else.
LUNA: You’ve put out four singles this year, with “What U Need” being released earlier this month. Do these tracks have a common thread between them?
KABWASA: This year my goal was to put out a variety of singles to display my versatility as an artist. So I guess the common thread is that they all sound different. I jumped around from R&B soul, to bay area bounce, to some Jazz Rap, to more R&B hip hop style. And now that I've kinda shown what I can do I want to start honing in on my unique style.
LUNA: What’s been your favorite track you’ve released this year? & why?
KABWASA: I had a lot of fun recording and putting out all these singles but I think my favorite so far would be Is You Is. It's the first song where I kind of displayed the sound that you're going to be hearing a lot more from me going forward. I'm excited to make more songs with a similar vibe.
LUNA: It sounds like you’ve got some new music in the works - what can we expect?
KABWASA: Definitely got some things cooking. Id say its just all positive energy and vibes. My goal is always to get people to have fun and be happy when they bump my music so I've got some singles coming out that are super high energy and fun and may be coming with some visuals to match!
LUNA: Are there any plans for a music video for any of your recent or upcoming music?
KABWASA: Yes! I'm planning on making a music video back in my hometown of Watsonville. I'm hoping to make it my best video yet. Its gonna go with a new single I'm working on all about The Ville.
LUNA: Who have you been listening to lately? Do you think they’ve played a role, sonically, in your new music?
KABWASA: I'm always listening to new artists and music every day. Big inspirations for me right now are Saba, Anderson Paak, Earthgang, Smino, JID. The music that these artists and so many more artists make inspires my sound and inspires me to keep innovating and making new sounds that challenge me.
LUNA: Last year, you performed at Empower Watsonville, a community-organized youth leadership conference & you’ve done a lot of activism when it comes to the hip-hop community. How important is it to use your platform and art for a greater political cause?
KABWASA: I think it's super important to speak on issues that matter to you. For me, there are a lot of pressing issues in politics that directly affect the people I love and the people in my hometown. To avoid speaking on these issues would be like turning my back on the people I care about. As long as I have a voice and a platform I want to use it to address the things that need to be addressed. Along with giving people joy, spreading a message is the most important thing I think music can do.
LUNA: As the year comes to a close, what do you have planned for the rest of the year + 2020?
KABWASA: I've got a lot of new exciting things coming up! New collaborations, new singles, new music videos and for next month I have a big show coming up where I'll be opening up for an artist that has always been a big inspiration for me. I'll be announcing everything on all my social media as things come closer to their release!