Meet Christian Kalpee.

Christian Kalpee is a Trinidadian based artiste whose name has been buzzing for the past few months considering he signed a deal with Sony Music and had his first hit single "No One" gain over 5 million views on his Vevo page on Youtube. Kalpee has been working very hard to create great music and his hard work is paying off. He is one of the many local artiste that are trying to change the way people look at music in Trinidad and Tobago and show what we as a country have to offer to the world.

Kalpee has been creating music for a few years now and I found out about him when I stumbled across his cover of "See You Again." It was a fairly big cover and managed to get over 200,000 views back in 2015. Kalpee was hard at work ever since then and eventually dropped his single "No One" in 2016 and I'm sure he is back at work creating new music for all of us to enjoy.

I got the opportunity to interview Kalpee and find out more about him so I hope you guys enjoy the article and share it so others can also enjoy it.

1. Could you tell us about yourself, such as where you went to school and where you grew up and with who?

My name is Christian Kalpee and I'm 24 years old and I went to school at Presentation College San Fernando. I kinda consider myself a south boy because going to school in a particular area for 7 years, sort of guides your cultural background to an extent, at least in my opinion. However, I lived in Chaguanas, in a very friendly neighbourhood, everybody basically knew each other and were all friends. Till this day my neighbours still feel like family and I absolutely love that.

2. How old were you when you started music?

I've been singing since primary school, since the age of about 6. I got involved in singing calypso for my class in St. Xavier's, as well as participating in music festival and continued till my years in Pres.

3. Is anybody else in your family involved in music?

My dad, who also attended Presentation College San Fernando, was part of the choir there. I'm not too sure how good he actually was, since everyone who attended Presentation didn't really have a choice but to be apart of the choir. Ask Mr. Lee Mack Hahahah.

4. When did you realize you wanted to take music seriously and make a career out of it?

I'd say I knew I seriously wanted to be a musician around form 4. I was a part of a band called "The Entourage" and we'd perform any kind of event. At the time we only performed cover music, but for almost every genre of music. Most of the members attended Presentation and they were probably some of the most talented guys I've worked with. They were also my best friends.

5. Does anybody not support your dreams and try to make you shift your focus? If yes, how do you deal with people like that?

I feel like in anything, once you're aiming to do something that hasn't been achieved yet, you're going to have people telling you that you're dreaming too big and sometimes that's their way of having your best interest at heart, because who wants to see someone they love fail? I remember being told that I had to have done Soca before I could have done any other genre and that was pretty demotivating to hear, because to me, good music is good music. I think the best way to deal with people who try to shift your focus is just to be you. No one has the power to say what you're capable of and I actually think It is pretty selfish to tell someone they can't do something. That doesn't make sense to me.

6. Do you look up to anybody in the music industry?

I look up to anyone who promotes the right message, people who wants to show the youths about what love can actually do and how important it is to have the right energy in life. These people help in a massive way and I'll be honest, I think we need more people like that. Music is a tool that can help unite and that's why artiste especially have such a big responsibility when it comes to removing the hate from a system. The vibe and the energy of a nation depends on the music we listen to, because we believe it or not, music is what helps guides our emotions. Imagine a movie without music.

7. What do you like to do outside of music that rejuvenates your creativity?

I soul gaze a lot, what I mean by that is, I spend most of my free time on a beach or up in Paramin just chilling listening to music that makes me feel good. That definitely helps the creativity flow.

8. Could you describe your creative process for writing new music?

The creative process is always different depending on who you are working with at the time, but for me it usually starts with a guitar and my voice only. That's how we get the best songs in my opinion.

9. I don't know if you're entitled to speak about this but could you tell us about new projects you're working on?

There's definitely new music but that's all I'd say because I love to surprise people haha.

10. Some people have said that you have been able to prove that individuals can do more than soca and still become a huge success as a citizen of Trinidad and Tobago. What are your thoughts on that statement?

As I said before, I believe in being yourself and if that means you're going to rap and you're from Trinidad and Tobago, well then you're a Trini rapper. Just because does something outside of the norm doesn't mean that they're fighting culture. Calypso evolved into soca and who knows what soca can evolve into. I've seen some of the talent in Trinidad and Tobago and it's absolutely mind blowing to see what we can do, but we need to stop making it seem as if all Trinbagonians are allowed to do is sing soca. I love good soca music, but we are capable of so much more than just that, so if I inspire people to do what they want to do, well then we're on the right track.

11. How did you manage to get a distribution deal with Sony?

We put out a song we believed in and it got their attention. "Links" don't matter much after a while. Once the quality is there then people will show interest. So it is simple, make good music.

12. What are your plans for the rest of the year?

I've got so much writing to do, so I'm going to be working on new music for the rest of the year.

13. I've been following you for quite a while now and you seem to be a really positive individual, have you ever experienced something that made you feel like giving up with your music? If the answer is yes then how did you overcome this?

Things get really tough sometimes especially when you're going through the investment stage and putting out way more than you're gaining, but stars don't shine without darkness. You need to go through rough patches in life, that's what makes you grow. Nothing ever comes easy, but when the people who are around you are people who believe in you, it feels like a force pushing forward and that helps you overcome the heavy times in life.

14. Do you have any advice for individuals that also want to get into the music industry?

I say go do it! But do it for the right reasons. Go inspire someone in the right way, change the game and raise the standard and remember that your growth never stops. Music is not a competition, it's a means of expression. So go "do you" and use your music to benefit society in a positive way.

Kalpee's new single "What About Us" is available on all major streaming services. You guys can also check out his videos for "No One" and "What About Us" on his Vevo page on Youtube.