Profiled is a look at the people behind the music industry, those who are supporting artists and pushing them to greater heights. Promoters, journalists, managers, label managers, photographers and more. This week we speak to Kay Richmond.
Where are you from?
I was actually born in Maritzburg in South Africa, and moved over to the UK when I was little, now I live in South West London.
What do you do?
I do quite a few things. I make music, I sing, I love composing, I run live music events, and I recently founded a record label, which is definitely what I spend most of my time doing lately.
What are you currently working on?
My main project now is K-Rich Records, my baby. I’ve got the launch party this Sunday the 8th September and I’ve been working really hard on it
How did you start in music?
I actually got one of those small kids keyboards, it was a Roland or something when I was about 5, and I just fell in love with it, I would constantly be you know, playing on it and a few years later when I turned 7 or 8 I started piano lessons, and really from there it became my passion – I was really connected to music, I was in all of the choirs and bands at school and I started singing lessons at one point, and I would be writing songs all the time. Then when I got a little older, I got into using DAWs and then I was like okay this is definitely what I want to be doing. Then, in terms of the label and events, I think I’ve always been a little entrepreneurial, so I decided why don’t I just go for it and create my own vibe, and my own thing, so I began a weekly showcase in Clapham in January / February. I didn’t have any experience, and I to be honest I had no idea what I was doing, but I just went for it and 6 months later here I am, starting a record label.
Who or what inspires you to do what you do?
I have a lot of sources for my inspiration. I think it comes a lot from just standing in a crowd at an event and just feeling inspired by all of the creatives and talent I am surrounded by, I love watching my friends perform and have fun and I love feeling part of something special where everyone is constantly progressing. Since I was young, I’ve loved music so naturally, I feel buzzed if I’m around it. I also think I find inspiration in a motivational sense from listening to content by people like Gary Vee and Tony Robins because they open my mind to ideas of ambition, and chasing your dreams and . It’s kind of hard to explain, but a lot of the time and on my better days, I just feel inspired to actually be alive and in a city like London.
Do you have a day job?
I really don’t like working for other people so I always try to find ways to make money myself, when I’m not running events or creating I’m flipping clothing, shoes and accessories in my spare time, so I’ll go to charity shops or thift stores and sell the clothes on which I find really theraputic. I’m also at uni in London, going into third year next month.
What’s the goal for the next year?
I love this question because I have so many goals, and it makes me excited thinking about them. My main goal is always creating more music and trying to paint out what I can see in my mind, but 2019 so far, has really been a year of experimenting with the business side of the industry, I began running events and now I am launching my record label, so for the rest of this year and into next I’ll be really pushing K-Rich Records, and creating my brand. I’m trying to navigate what it takes to run a creative platform, but I’m also just having so much fun doing it.
Who should people be excited about at the moment?
There are so many people to be excited about in the London scene. You’ve got collectives like House of Pharoahs, I’ve seen them live and I like what they’re doing, Ammi Boys- Omari and P, both of them are performing at my event! Keko, Tax who are both managed by one of my close friends, Chris APL -he’s one guy I know will go far. Skinny Malone aswell, and his DJ, Javvy Lu who’s also a super talented videographer, and Paris, who’s one of the best photographers in the scene. There’s people like Seshi who runs the I am Next Platform and I think he’s really going to make his mark in the industr. I love GLOWE who is Georgia Lowe. Jamal Woon is another, we go way back but I’ve always really admired his music and work ethic. Connect House, they’ve got Links and Yezzi- I really love Yezzi’s energy and she’s a really strong willed lady.
You can find tickets for the K-rich records launch party here