Citizen Kay has just kicked off his national tour in support of his debut album With the people. Tomatrax caught up with Citizen Kay to ask a few questions.
You've just released your debut album, what's it like to have it out?
The biggest possible relief! Means now that it's out, I can just let it do whatever its got to do in this world and move on to my next time.
How does the album compare with your previous EP?
As the first full album, I was really conscious of it being a complete work - for things to connect, flow and be able to be made sense as a story or journey whereas with my other releases it was more so just "yo, here's some tracks"
Was it hard to pick what made it onto the album?
Not really actually, once I knew the direction it was going in and the story I was trying to tell, picking the songs was easy - the hard part was the flow and order that they would be put in.
Where did the name 'With the people' come from?
The name of the album plays off the same idea/concept as my stage monika (CITIZEN Kay). That at the end of the day, I really am just another person like anyone else simply following their specific path - among the people/community, and never above, y'know?
Where was the video for 'Life gives you lemons' filmed?
Director and filmer, Dale Alexander Bremner was behind that one - as a creative person I get it's important to feel free with your ideas so I left it completely in his hands as to what the clip would; really put my trust in him and he nailed it! He's a Sydney duder so I can only assume it was filmed in his hood haha
You're touring the country in support of your album, what can fans expect from your show?
Energy for one, I'm on the road with my drummer so that's also there, but most importantly it's a chance to really convey the songs in their truest and honest forms. I have to opportunity to talk, discuss and tell stories about songs if need be. It's just a very free and fun experience
What was it like to play along side Public Enemy?
WHAT WAS IT LIKEK TO PLAY ALONG SIDE PUBLIC ENEMY???? FIRST OF ALL: GOOD ENOUGH TO MERIT ME PUTTING ON CAPS LOCK RIGHT NOW. SECOND OF ALL: ABSOLUTELY INCREDIBLE!!!
The thing I always talk about with that tour was simply how humble and grounded Chuck D and the rest of the band were - that was the most inspirational part about it all for sure!
You've previously worked as a dup with your brother Genesis Owusu, are there any plans for future releases from the Ansah Brothers?
Absolutely!! Genesis and I have really different styles in our solo releases, he's generally pretty dark and jazz-inspired while I'm generally very positive and funk-inspired, so the project really lets us bring in both of those elements and meet in the middle. For me, it's also a chance to show my more 'true hip hop' & lyrical side as well as for me to practice my more raw hip hop production which I usually don't get to do unless working on Ansah Bros.
What is it like performing with your brother?
SO MUCH GROOVE HAPPENS ON THE STAGE haha. We're both people who absolutely love being on stage and I think that really translates; plus Genesis and I are hella tight & it's just easy!
How does being in a duo compare to performing solo?
Collaboration in any sense changes how you approach tracks and projects. The part I love the most about it is simply having a different perspective - the amount of times I made a beat thinking it was the greatest jam ever and then when I showed Genesis, he's been less than impressed has been surprisingly good for me haha. Also we push each other - if one of us writes a verse or records in a way that isn't at our best, the other will let em know!
When writing what comes first, the music or the words?
For me it's always music! Always found it way easier to have the music first.
I occasionally write verses without music but that's just more to practice my writing - I rarely ever use those verses in songs at the end of the day
What do you plan on doing after your tour?
MORE MUSIC! I've been recording, producing and mixing for a few local MCs in Canberra, which is another side of music that I really enjoy doing (actually the side of it that I thought I'd be doing much more), so plenty of that will be going on after the tour. Also been dabbling in some beats for the next potential Ansah Bros project but nothing solid or confirmed with that just yet, at the moment, just ideas!
FRI 06 NOV - CATS, ADELAIDE
Supports: CODA CONDUCT + Special Guests
Tix avail on the door
WED 11 NOV - SOSUEME@ BEACH ROAD HOTEL, BONDI
Supports: CODA CONDUCT + Special Guests
Free entry
FRI 13 NOV - BLACK BEAR LODGE, BRISBANE
Supports: CODA CONDUCT + B-SYDE
Tix avail via http://www.oztix.com.au
SAT 14 NOV - SOL BAR, MAROOCHYDORE
Supports: CODA CONDUCT + B-SYDE
Tix avail via http://www.oztix.com.au
THU 26 NOV - GOODGOD SMALL CLUB, SYDNEY
Supports: CODA CONDUCT + X & HYPE
Tix avail via http://www.moshtix.com.au
SAT 05 DEC - JACK RABBIT SLIMS, PERTH
Supports: CODA CONDUCT+ Special Guests
Tix avail on the door