Q&A Interview with James Kennedy front man of the Welsh alternative music band Kyshera

Each one of us has a story to tell and everyone we meet is fighting a battle we know nothing about. This section “The Q & A Interview with inspiring people” is dedicated to exceptional personalities, who either have something to educate us or to inspire us.
 

Today I want you to meet James Kennedy, Label Owner, singer and front man of the Welsh alternative music band Kyshera.

James is one of the few international artists that expressed his feelings and empathy for the refugees in summer 2015 publicly.

Apart from that James Kennedy is not afraid of using his voice when it comes to his political views and opinion which is rare and applaudable these days where our superficial society is more self-centered and selfish than ever before.
 

Kyshera (pronounced K-eye-she-ra) The Alternative Rock band is an example of the great alternative rock coming out of the UK. The Welsh rockers Kyshera consists of vocalist/guitarist James Kennedy, bassist Matt Warr, and drummer Glyn Bateman.

Track listing for the Album “Circle” 

01. Napoleon
02. Behind These Lies
03. Demon
04. Gone
05. The Wrong Size
06. Break This
07. Endgame
08. Coma
09. Inertia
10. Helen
11. Full Circle
12. The End

My Q & A Interview with James Kennedy

“I would personally welcome as many Immigrants & Asylum seekers in to my home town as we could physically accommodate!”
James Kennedy

James, you are one of those talented artists that I have discovered through Socialmedia (Twitter). What is your opinion about the Socialmedia as an artist? Do you think it is a blessing or a curse because people expect you to be online 24/7?

 

I LOVE Social Media! And I love how modern technology has empowered all of us to bypass the traditional means of operation. I am a very passionate ambassador for Social Media & the DiY independent ethic across the board. Where the money comes from though is a different issue...

When did you know that Music (especially Rock Music) is your passion and decided to do it professionally?

I've always known really. As a child I was always obsessively recording things from the Radio, making my own albums that way and drawing my own inlay cards and stuff! There was never any question really that I would end up doing music! In terms of doing it professionally, that just kind of happened gradually over time. It started out as fun & then inevitably over the years turned into 'business' so I try to keep my focus on the important part, which is the music!  

How come that you are not a signed Solo artist or band by a major British record company and have decided to establish your own record company Konic Records?

Well when I first started out I was actually approached by most of the Major Record Labels, including Sony & Warner Bros so my initiation into the mindless beaurocracy of the music business started pretty much right away. Since then I have signed with labels and its never worked out well - we always ended up getting better results by ourselves, so I decided that in order to stay active as an artist (and not just be a great idea 'on the shelf') that going Independent was the best avenue for myself & the band. Konic Records is now a global company with partner companies in almost every country worldwide!

Does your Label Konic Records sign other talented and aspiring artists too? If so, how do you discover new talents?

We do! But as a Publisher, not as a label because I really don’t think that artists need a label anymore until they're at a certain level. In terms of discovering artists, we get sent submissions regularly and I am also a Band camp addict, so I've discovered a great amount of talent on there, some of whom we've worked with to great result.

As the front man of the music band Kyshera you travel the world and meet allot of different people from all kinds of nationalities, cultures, religions and mentalities. What was the most exciting experience you had on tour? Which city was your favourite place and why?

 

Ah there's so many! I love seeing different cultures. In Europe the contrast between countries is so stark because you can be in 2 different countries in one day, so you get an immediate comparison. I think one of our best records of ours was having breakfast in Italy, doing a show in Switzerland & having evening beers in Germany all in the same day ha ha!

You are one of the few artists that expressed his feelings and empathy for the refugees in summer 2015 publicly via Twitter @JamesKennedyUK, for which I’m very grateful for.  As a British artist living in Cardiff what is your opinion about the refugees, who have the desire and wish to leave war behind and start a new Life in safety in Europe?

My opinion on that is simple - everybody seeking Asylum or fleeing poverty, war, torture or disaster, should have free & assisted movement to a safer country without question. It's what I would want if I was in that situation, I would want to flee to somewhere safer with my family as fast as I could. Immigration causes NO harm of ANY kind to the host country, infact it has been proven an endless amount of times that Immigration actually has a large net benefit to the host countries’ economy & culture.

The leaders of all nations know that Capitalism isn't a durable system without a steady influx of borderline slave labour, which is why Immigration is allowed to continue but they also use the issue to gain the added perk of spreading fear, division & confusion among their population so that we focus our anger on the poor & desperate and not on the powerful. I would personally welcome as many Immigrants & Asylum seekers in to my home town as we could physically accommodate! Anyone believing the opposite should then stop mindlessly supporting policies which exacerbate war & poverty around the world so that people wouldn't have the need to flee in the first place.

For me music is the universal language that not only brings joy and happiness but also reunites all kinds of people around the world, while Politics and Religion divides us. What is your goal as a performer except entertaining people with your voice and music?

I totally agree. For me, I've always used whatever platform I may have to try and speak for those who don't have a platform - and also to share information and a perspective that's not given by the mainstream media. However, lately I've been more engaged in exploring more personal, emotional & spiritual issues, such as on the last Kyshera album 'Circle' and that's probably something which will continue for the next album. 

The 61. Eurovision Song Contest (for me THE musical highlight every year, because it reunites EUROPE) will take place from May 10,- May 14, 2016 in Stockholm with the slogan: "Come Together". Will you watch the show and what is your favourite Eurovision Song of all time and why?

Ha ha I've never watched an entire Eurovision Song Contest, it's not really for me. I've seen bits of it but to be honest, I don't really consume any mainstream culture at all - I don't read the newspapers and I have never owned a Television in my life. It's highly doubtful that I will watch the Eurovision song Contest this year, unless I'm locked in a hotel room somewhere  & there's alcohol ha ha. As for a favourite song on there, I couldn't name a single song, let alone a favourite! I appreciate that it's good fun for people that like it though, so I'm not knocking it, it's just not for me.
 

Do you see yourself as a solo artist or with your band Kyshera ever participating in an international contest like the ESC or the Songwriting Contest? If yes, when? If NO, why?

Nah, I can't see that ever happening for us ha ha! We exist outside of the mainstream spectrum - thats where we like it & thats the demographic that we speak for.

You have financed your previous album 'Circle' in March 2015 exclusively through Crowd Funding. How was that experience? What are you working on right now? When can your fans see you and your band members Glyn Bateman and Matt Warr live on stage?

We did! And we're still so thankful to everyone who Pledged so generously and made the 'Circle' album possible! It was a great experience, having no label interference and just a direct trust between ourselves & our fanbase - another great testament to Social Media and the new model for artists. At the moment we're working on new material and there's a few other things in the works too - videos and some other cool things - as for touring, we've got a European tour as well as potential dates in the USA and Japan still being organised but things are never an exact science in this business so at the moment, timeframes etc are changing frequently so we're reluctant to say too much yet incase it changes again! But there will definitely be a lot of shows far & wide soon! ;)

One last question. What is your Definition of Love in three words and in one sentence?

Love is Empathy, Acceptance & Thankfulness

And Love is ultimately the only thing that will save us all.

James thank you very much for taking the time to answer my ten questions. I hope your courage for having the voice for people in need will be an inspiration for many other musicians to speak out and use their voice for the voiceless.  I wish you as a solo-Artist as well as with your band Kyshera the best of luck for the future. I hope I can see you live on stage on your next tour. :-) Keep up the good work. God bless you and your loved ones..

 

Follow James Kennedy
On Twitter  @JamesKennedyUK
Facebook James: www.facebook.com/james.kennedy.5686 

Facebook the band: www.facebook.com/kyshera
Web: www.Kyshera.com
 

If you know any inspiring personality like James, who should be discovered and promoted on my BLOG, please contact me and I will decide whether I will do a “Question and Answer Interview” and promote their work or not! Many thanks in advance and God bless. Lily

Pictures sources: Thanks @ James Kennedy