A Vocal Accord: Kingston: Revolution in the Making

“Don’t sleep on me.” Those are the words of self-taught musician, Kingston. Discovering his vocal ability at the age of 13, Kingston says he was not very outspoken about his talent because those around him claimed that singing was for girls. Kingston, who’s real name will not be revealed, got his stage name from a friend in high school named Denzel who he met as a freshman. Denzel crowned Kingston with this nickname and people began to think it was really his name. Halfway through his high school career, when Kingston moved to upstate New York, he decided the name would be his new identity. He tells me that ‘Kingston’ is his alter ego, “[he’s] music, entertainment, pride,” Kingston describes. This alter ego is the one that doesn’t sleep because there are songs to write and things to do, “he’s a little bit cocky but he knows what he’s doing.”

High school was when Kingston was able to truly embrace his ability to sing. People Kingston for his music at school, and finally during his senior year of high school and freshman year of college he realized, “I have something crazy.” However, vocal ability is only one of the things Kingston is able to do. At the age of seven, Kingston taught himself how to play the piano. He went on to teaching himself how to play the guitar, and drums all by simply listening. “I can’t read music,” he confesses, and so he uses his keen ear to create the melodies you hear in his songs; music for him is innate.

Kingston knows above anything that he has something to contribute to the world of music and will stop at nothing to reach his goals. If there were one thing he would change once he makes it big would be the quality of music. He wants his hard work and dedication to shine through his music. He uses meaningful words to portray messages in his songs. His first song, ‘Nightmare Girl,” was about having complications with a girl and not knowing what to do; a theme many people can relate to.

“I’m not a rapper or singer,” Kingston points out “I’m an artist” and it is this kind of self-talk that keeps his dream alive. He admires artists such as Usher, Drake, and Kendrick Lamar but no one has made an impact on Kingston the way Chris Brown has. “I watched him grow, his concepts are crazy,” he says, and he uses this admiration as the fuel to ignite the fire that is his dream. He studies Chris Brown and the way he does things and tried to take it to the next level in his own music and performance.

Kingston is ready to take the world by storm. From people memorizing his lyrics to being recognized on the streets from his videos on YouTube, this young man is slowly making his way to fame. March 25^th Kingston will be preforming at Webster Hall [details in the video below], and in April he plans to release his first music video. Also, be on the lookout for his EP coming in May called ‘Mind of a Gemini’. Determination is everything in a successful artist, “I’ll go outside in hail, [and] fire coming from the sky if it means I’m gonna get it done” he vows, and this perseverance is what will drive him to the top.