In Kreyolicious’ relentless efforts to acquaint you with up-and-coming artists, we’d like to present you today with BaskerBen, a musical artist who’s based in Jacksonville.
K. St. Fort: Tell us about yourself.
My name is Kervens B. Bastien. I was born and raised in Haiti. Moved to the USA in 2006, and I’ve been living here since.
K. St. Fort: How long have you been doing music?
I’ve been doing music for as long as I can remember, but it was just for fun. It wasn’t until around 2010 that I decided to let it be public.
K. St. Fort: How did you get the name Baskerben?
I came up with the name when I was creating my very first email address. It’s a combination of my full name. Last, first and middle name: Bastien Kervens Benjamin
K. St. Fort: Can you recall your first performance?
The first time I ever performed in front of a big crowd was at my older brother’s wedding back in 2006. I got so nervous, I forgot the words. But I was creative enough to come up with my own words. The downside of that is the song was a popular song which everyone knew. So they knew I was messing up.
It was quite embarrassing.
K. St. Fort: What’s it like in the studio?
The studio is my favorite spot. I mostly work with my main producer who’s also my cousin, Spencer Brutus. Whenever we’re in the lab, it’s like magic. He’s really good with melodies and I do my thing with words. So together, we just make magic.
K. St. Fort: Who are your main inspirations?
Growing up, R.Kelly used to be my favorite singer. I’ve always wanted to sing instead of rap, but rap just kind of grew on me and once I started doing it, I fell in love with it. To answer your question I love music, I listen to all type of music but I don’t have anyone that I consider my main inspiration.
K. St. Fort: What is the music scene like right now in Jacksonville?
Jacksonville is where I live, so music scene over here still on rise as far as Haitians are concerned. If I’m not mistaken, I think it’s only two of us doing it publicly—myself and another talented konpa singer. But if we’re talking about the US in general, I’ve only performed in a few other cities thus far; such as Orlando, Miami and Fort Lauderdale. People seems to love what I do and they always ask for more.
K. St. Fort: What are your musical plans for the future?
I love making music and I will continue to do so regardless for as long as I can. Right now we’re still at the start. I have my debut album Different Approach. It’s a blend of zouk, rap and konpa. I also have the album release concert on July 26th 2014 in Jacksonville, FL. For the future, I’m just looking forward to see how far I can push this movement.
BaskerBen’s On Soundcloud | Buy His Music On iTunes | Connect With the Artist On Facebook |
