Born Fafi Kenesuomei Kennedy, Tropical Kenny is a 22-year-old Chemical Engineering graduate. The music producer formerly made afro-pop music but got into electronic music through Sigag Lauren.
Speaking with Netng, he chronicles his journey in the face of all odds, and his thoughts on the future of EDM in Nigeria.
Who put you on to electronic music?
“I started making electronic music after hearing Sigag Lauren’s Smile For Me Remix, it opened my eyes that electronic music wasn’t rocket science and could be done. What caught my attention about it was the fact that it was a really broad genre of music, so I could make whatever I felt like making and could still be accepted. I used to be an Afrobeat producer, I still produce Afrobeats from time to time, but I decided to do electronic music because that’s just what I love making. I’m happier and more focused when I make electronic music and to me, my happiness comes first before what any other person thinks or feels.”
And your first experience with EDM? How did it make you feel?
“The first time I heard EDM, I collected some couple of songs from my elder brother and while listening through, there was this particular song that caught my attention and I kept it on repeat. It was Kygo and Selena Gomez ‘It Ain’t Me’. I honestly didn’t even know that was EDM at the time. Out of curiosity, I made some research on who he is and the kind of music he makes, and that was how I was introduced to Edm music.”
Was it difficult to switch from Afro-Pop to EDM?
“It was extremely difficult, though I had help from Sigag Lauren, it still wasn’t easy. Growing up, I listened to more of Nigerian music than foreign music because that’s what was available to us at the time. I think there was a period when I listened to country music, but it didn’t have any effect on me, so it was difficult. It got better when I started listening to more different sub-genres of EDM and watching YouTube Tutorials.”
What has kept you going as a Nigerian EDM artiste?
“What has kept me, hmmmmm, I think it’s because of the kind of person I am. I am not easily influenced. I can’t count the number of times I’ve been told to make the normal ‘Afrobeat’, that there’s no future in EDM, that Nigerians don’t listen to EDM, but I’ve always had the hope that if I could love it, there’s someone also out there that loves it, I think that’s what keeps me going. I believe most people love EDM but because they don’t want to feel left out don’t want to identify with the genre, but creating a place or a platform would make others know that there’s a community here and they can safely and openly identify with what they love. Also, I’m not a quitter. When I put my mind to something, I see it through to the end.”
What do you think can be done to push the EDM culture in Nigeria?
“What can be done to promote EDM culture in Nigeria? More collaborations with mainstream artistes, promotions and shows. No one has ever been great without help, and it would be wrong of us not to ask for it. Music has been and will always be a collective effort, more industry players need to come in. Personally, my vision for EDM in Nigeria is extremely wide and we need more people with the same mindset. I see EDM in Nigeria as a very big deal in years to come, we are setting the foundation and it’s a solid one.”
