We are pleased to introduce Carter Kaya, a talented musical artist from the Congo who has made his way through Italy and Paris to become a music producer, concert organizer, and book and magazine publisher.
During this interview, we will explore the influences of his childhood in the Congo, his experience as a lone child in Italy, his evolution as an artist in Paris, and his evolution in publishing and promoting music. We will also discuss his professional journey, the challenges he has faced, and his future projects.
Get ready to hear an inspiring story and discover how music has been a central element for Carter Kaya at every stage of his life Discovering the Inspiring Resilience of Carter Kaya: How Music has Fueled his Journey from Congo to Paris
INTERVIEW: Your beginning: I was born in Congo, a small country in central Africa, and my childhood was quite tumultuous. I lived in several cities in Congo Brazzaville, the first one I remember was in Kissoundi, where I started at a young age to associate with the sports community in order to establish myself as a football player and acrobat. But every time we were always on the move, like wanderers, because my father had a job that did not allow him to stay in the same place for several years. Being in a broken family and having divorced parents, we were often separated from my brothers, as some went to live with cousins in distant cities. How were you influenced by the war in your childhood in Congo? My first musical experience took place during the war in the country, in my room. I was listening to RFI Radio and heard the song “Caroline” by rapper MC Solaar and suddenly, I was carried away by the rhythms of his song that were:
“Claude MC takes the microphone, like a love story raggamuffin To talk to you about a friend we call Caroline She was my lady, she was my came She was my vitamin She was my drug, my dope, my coke, my crack My amphetamine, Caroline”.
And from there, I said to myself, “Carter, you can do it too! Become an artist”,
and I started re-writing the lyrics of MC Solaar’s songs that played on the radio and memorizing them by heart. Then, I participated in some contests in the neighborhood where people were asked to go on stage and sing. For me, it was MC Solaar, because I had learned all of his songs by heart in a few months. Along the same lines, I started buying tapes of other artists like Alliance Ethnik and out of curiosity, I also started to get interested in other types of music, such as Michael Jackson, Karyn White, Stevie Wonder, and Claude Francois (my mother’s favorite artist). At the age of 15, I started working weekends with a carpenter as an apprentice in order to be able to buy better quality reading material. Every weekend, I took out my equipment in front of my house and turned the music up, attracting all of my friends and neighborhood children who came to enjoy the music and dance in front of my house. I can say that at that time I was also a DJ, as I made sound transitions on my two-track mixer.
How has your parents’ divorce and your relationship with your brothers and sisters affected your childhood and your musical journey?
As a kid, the impact wasn’t very big because we would spend our vacations with my mother in Ouenzé, another city in Brazzaville. That’s when we would see my brothers because I lived with my father, the brother who follows me lived in another big city in Congo, Pointe-Noire, the economic capital of Congo, and the last two lived with my mother. On the musical side, it was more during the vacations with my mother that my artistic talent was more fulfilled because when I returned to my father’s, there were more constraints. However, this was normal for a Congolese because at that time, the patriarchal side of a family was focused on ancestral values that they considered perfect. However, they did not realize at any moment that the world was changing and that some values no longer corresponded to our time. They did not realize that music could also become a more lucrative profession than being a civil servant or a minister.
How did music become a source of comfort for you during this difficult time of your childhood? In life, there’s a moment when you realize that you have something within you that’s waiting to be revealed. For me, that was the case. Very early on, I understood that I could learn and do activities that suited me and made me happy. Music was the first of them.
How have these experiences from your childhood shaped your perspective on life and music? When you start to love your achievements, you will find a great sense of satisfaction and realize that you are made for this profession. No matter the obstacles, you will persist because this is what allows you to feel in your place in this world and to be happy.How did you experience being sent to Italy at such a young age?
At the age of 15, you might think it’s normal because you’re under your parents’ responsibility. Being also curious by nature, I always consider it a new life experience. It’s like a leaf that falls off a branch and into a river, traveling along the course and telling itself that one day, it will end up somewhere, either on the shore of a beach, or in a river that will take it to the sea, or another river, but with the hope of eventually ending up on a beautiful beach. Life is hope because without hope, a human being’s existence is only despair and emptiness.
How did you deal with the loneliness when you arrived in Italy?
Loneliness is not a word that suits me because I am someone who creates situations and especially goes after what I want. I don’t like to wait for things to come to me, I prefer to go after them. This keeps me from being lonely.
How did you use music to connect with people and feel more comfortable in your new environment in Italy, and what did you achieve?
As an author, composer and producer, I then had an easier time receiving project proposals and especially participating, sometimes as an artist, in group hip-hop shows known as Articolo 31. It was also a time when I received many requests for shows in night clubs in Rome, Milan, Padua, Vicenza, Bassano, and Padua. We also opened for Joe https://open.spotify.com/track/1m2xMsxbtxv21Brome189p
How did these experiences from your youth in Italy shape your personality and musical style?
Actually, my arrival in Italy allowed me to notice that there were few black singers in music. So, for me, it was easy to show the Italians another facet of the blacks living in Italy, either in the musical aspect or in the attire aspect.
What led you to move to Paris to pursue your musical career? Actually, my arrival in Italy allowed me rather to realize that there were few black singers in music, so for me, it was easy to show the Italians another aspect of Blacks living in Italy, whether in the musical or clothing aspect. Two people in my entourage: The first was the director of the company where I worked as a forklift driver. It was while watching me in a full interview on the evening news program that the next day he stopped me and said, “What are you doing in my company with this talent? Pursue your path, it will take you further than working for me.” The second was a fellow countryman who had lived 50 years in Italy and who told me, “Son, Italy is not made for you, go to France instead, because you will have more opportunities at first, and then you can make your artistic talent known in other major cities, such as Canada, the United States, England.” After hearing, in one day, two people with their experiences, I said to myself, “Come on, Carter, it’s time to set bigger goals and go even further.
How did you find your place in the Parisian music scene?
I went about it in the same way as I did in Italy, by creating a home studio with the equipment I brought from Italy, then a musical association called “DMG Records,” which allowed me to make my first production with my ex-wife singer, “Lise.” I also participated in some musical shows.
How has your musical style evolved living in Paris? It evolved by meeting more and more artists, producers, tour organizers, and production labels.
How did you meet other important artists and collaborators in your career in Paris?
It was during the production of my Hip Hop/RnB compilation “The 2K Studio” that I had the chance to make several encounters with artists and perform collaborations such as Dorsey Sick Joker, Aneessa, Krime Mind, Tyron, B-La, Kaya, Tracy, Alison, Express Omega, Lise…
How has the Parisian music scene influenced your music and career?
It was working on collaboration projects with artists such as Lady Aneessa (now her artist name is Aneessa )and Dorsey Sick Joker. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rkF-b12S5xw
How has your move from Italy to Paris contributed to your growth as an artist, party organizer, and music producer, and later as a book and magazine publisher?
I have always wanted to evolve in my career, and this move allowed me to discover other musical influences and meet artists who shared the same vision of music as me. It also allowed me to experiment with new things, especially when the production budget is restricted. As for book and magazine publishing, it’s a goal I’ve been pursuing since my first musical productions in France. At that time, I contacted several publishers to publish the works of my artists, but the prices were “mama mia” very, very, very expensive! That’s why I decided to learn how… My experience as a music producer has allowed me to understand the details of the music industry. Through my recording studio “2K Studio”, I have also been in close contact with independent artists and have been able to see what they lack to evolve musically and artistically.
Can you talk about the inspiration behind creating your music book edition to help independent artists?
The book “The Essential of Music” is aimed at musical artists, whether they are hobbyists, semi-professionals or professionals, who are looking to succeed in the music industry. It provides several necessary tools for the success of a project or artistic career. This book ends the anxieties by providing tailored solutions and direct contacts to evolve and know what to do, how to do it, when to do it and with whom to do it.What prompted you to create the Delit Music Mag and Infomusic.fr magazine?
The large number of requests and collaborations prompted me to highlight some projects that I found very interesting. What better than a magazine to showcase them. That’s why each branch of my structure has a music magazine that reflects the image of the published artists.
How did your family and friends support your professional journey?
My family didn’t provide support because they weren’t interested in music. Only my brother Kaya, who is also involved in the artistic field, supported me from the beginning. I was lucky to have friends who were either artists or who liked listening to what I was producing.
Have you faced any challenges as an artist and music producer and how have you overcome them?
Yes, I have faced challenges such as creating websites, CDs, music videos, radios, magazines, books, and mobile applications. To overcome them, I gave myself time, motivation and bounced back from each disappointment.
What advice would you give to independent artists looking to break into the world of music?
My advice to independent artists would be: Be passionate and determined about what you want to do. Be unique and develop your own musical style. Create a strong and consistent brand image. Work hard and always be learning and improving. Surround yourself with competent and reliable people who can help you in your journey. Don’t get discouraged by challenges and rejections, it’s part of the process. Be open-minded and adaptable to the evolution of the music industry. Finally, be patient, persistent and never lose sight of your goals.
What are your future plans for your musical career and your magazine?
Important Lesson Learned During Professional Journey:
– CONGO:
“That time was very anxiety-inducing for me. Sometimes, at checkpoints, I had to wait for two hours to be checked and during that time, I saw corpses and people killed right in front of me because they belonged to another tribe. Once, I was checked and I had forgotten my papers. I could have been killed on the spot if a man who knew me had not intervened to tell the militants that “I know this kid, he’s the child of the colonel’s friend.” Hearing this, I saw fear in the militants’ eyes…”
“As a child at that time, I did not realize death until it happened to me. I also experienced what I consider to be a special experience. We were at a checkpoint when we realized that people were shooting at us from a mountain. The checkpoint militants asked us to run into a forest to avoid being killed. Dressed in our school uniforms, we ran and detoured through the forest. There were about twenty of us and I arrived at school with my uniform all dirty. I explained to my history teacher what had happened to me. He looked at me and said “If you didn’t wash your uniform yesterday, it’s not useful to stay in my class today.” He sent me to the principal who punished me by asking me to clean the school yard.”
———————————————————————————————————————————— ———————————————————————————————————————————– FRANCAIS: Le Congo, un petit pays d’Afrique centrale, et mon enfance a été assez mouvementée. J’ai vécu dans plusieurs villes du Congo Brazzaville, dont la première dont je me souviens était à Kissoundi, d’où j’ai commencé dès mon enfance à fréquenter le milieu du sport dans le but de me faire une place en tant que joueur de football et acrobate. Mais à chaque fois, nous étions toujours en déplacement, comme des vagabonds, car mon père avait un travail qui ne lui permettait pas de rester au même endroit pendant plusieurs années. Etant dans une famille décomposée et ayant des parents divorcés, nous étions souvent séparés de mes frères, car certains allaient vivre chez des cousins dans des villes éloignées. Ma première expérience musicale a eu lieu en pleine guerre dans le pays, dans ma chambre. J’écoutais la Radio RFI et j’ai entendu la chanson “Caroline” du rappeur MC Solaar et tout à coup, je me suis senti emporté par les rythmes de sa chanson qui étaient: “Claude MC prend le microphone, genre love story raggamuffin Pour te parler d’une amie qu’on appelle Caroline Elle était ma dame, elle était ma came Elle était ma vitamine Elle était ma drogue, ma dope, ma coke, mon crack Mon amphétamine, Caroline”. Et à partir de là, je me suis dit, “Carter, tu peux aussi le faire ! Devenir un artiste et je me suis mis à réécrire les textes des chansons de MC Solaar qui passaient à la radio et à les mémoriser par cœur. Puis, j’ai participé à quelques concours dans le quartier où on demandait aux personnes de monter sur scène et de chanter. Pour moi, c’était MC Solaar, car j’avais en quelques mois appris toutes ses chansons par cœur. Dans la même veine, j’ai commencé à acheter les cassettes d’autres artistes comme Alliance Ethnik et par curiosité, j’ai aussi commencé à m’intéresser à d’autres genres de musique, tels que Michael Jackson, Karyn White, Stevie Wonder et Claude François (l’artiste préféré de ma mère). À l’âge de 15 ans, j’ai commencé à travailler les week-ends chez un menuisier en tant qu’apprenti pour pouvoir m’offrir du matériel de lecture de meilleure qualité. Tous les week-ends, je sortais mon matériel devant ma maison et mettais de la musique à fond, attirant ainsi tous mes amis et les enfants du quartier qui venaient profiter de la musique et danser devant chez moi. Je peux dire que c’était déjà à cette époque que j’étais aussi DJ, car je faisais des transitions de sons sur mon mixer à deux pistes
BIOGRAPHIE: CONGO: Carter, un artiste talentueux originaire du Congo, a vécu une enfance mouvementée dans plusieurs villes de Congo Brazzaville.
“Cette époque était très anxiogène pour moi. Parfois, aux barrages, je devais attendre pendant deux heures avant d’être contrôlé et pendant ce temps, j’ai vu des cadavres et des gens tués juste devant moi parce qu’ils appartenaient à une autre tribu. Une fois, j’ai été contrôlé et j’avais oublié mes papiers. J’aurais pu être tué sur place si un homme qui me connaissait n’était pas intervenu pour dire aux miliciens que “Je connais ce gamin, c’est l’enfant de l’ami du colonel.” En entendant cela, j’ai vu de la peur dans les yeux des miliciens…” “En tant qu’enfant à cette époque, je ne réalisais pas la mort jusqu’à ce qu’elle m’arrive. J’ai également vécu une expérience que je considère comme spéciale. Nous étions dans un barrage lorsque nous avons réalisé que des gens tiraient sur nous depuis une montagne. Les miliciens du barrage nous ont demandé de courir dans une forêt pour éviter d’être tués. Avec nos uniformes scolaires, nous avons couru et fait un détour dans la forêt. Nous étions une vingtaine de personnes et je suis arrivé à l’école avec mon uniforme tout sale. J’ai expliqué à mon professeur d’histoire ce qui m’était arrivé. Il m’a regardé et m’a dit “Si tu n’as pas lavé ton uniforme hier, il n’est pas utile de rester dans ma classe aujourd’hui.” Il m’a envoyé chez le proviseur qui m’a puni en me demandant de nettoyer la cour de l’école.”
“En tant qu’enfant à cette époque, je ne réalisais pas la mort jusqu’à ce qu’elle m’arrive. J’ai également vécu une expérience que je considère comme spéciale. Nous étions dans un barrage lorsque nous avons réalisé que des gens tiraient sur nous depuis une montagne. Les miliciens du barrage nous ont demandé de courir dans une forêt pour éviter d’être tués. Avec nos uniformes scolaires, nous avons couru et fait un détour dans la forêt. Nous étions une vingtaine de personnes et je suis arrivé à l’école avec mon uniforme tout sale. J’ai expliqué à mon professeur d’histoire ce qui m’était arrivé. Il m’a regardé et m’a dit “Si tu n’as pas lavé ton uniforme hier, il n’est pas utile de rester dans ma classe aujourd’hui.” Il m’a envoyé chez le proviseur qui m’a puni en me demandant de nettoyer la cour de l’école.”
Issu d’une famille décomposée et ayant des parents divorcés, il a grandi en fréquentant le monde du sport et en jouant au football et en faisant de l’acrobatie. Cependant, à cause de son père qui devait souvent déménager pour son travail, Carter a souvent dû se déplacer, comme un vagabond. Sa première rencontre avec la musique a eu lieu pendant la guerre dans le pays, alors qu’il écoutait la radio RFI. Il a été immédiatement captivé par les rythmes de la chanson “Caroline” de MC Solaar et cela l’a inspiré à devenir un artiste à son tour. Il a commencé à réécrire les textes des chansons de MC Solaar qu’il entendait à la radio et à les mémoriser par cœur, puis il a participé à des concours de chant dans son quartier. Au fil des années, il a commencé à s’intéresser à d’autres genres de musique, comme Michael Jackson, Karyn White, Stevie Wonder et Claude François. À l’âge de 15 ans, Carter a commencé à travailler chez un menuisier pour pouvoir se payer du matériel de lecture de meilleure qualité. Les week-ends, il mettait de la musique à fond devant sa maison et attirait tous ses amis et les enfants du quartier pour danser et profiter de la musique. C’est à ce moment-là qu’il s’est également découvert un talent de DJ, en faisant des transitions de sons sur son mixer à deux pistes. La guerre a également eu une influence sur l’enfance de Carter. Il a grandi en entendant les sons des tirs de fusils, des tirs de canon et des explosions de la guerre tous les jours. Il devait passer par au moins six barrages routiers tenus par des milices pour aller à l’école, ce qui était très anxiogène pour lui. Cependant, malgré toutes les difficultés, Carter a réussi à poursuivre ses rêves et à devenir un artiste talentueux. ITALIE: Il a été envoyé en Italie par ses parents a l’age de 15 ans, mais au lieu de voir cela comme une source de solitude, Carter considère cela comme une nouvelle expérience de la vie. Il est de nature curieuse et aime aller chercher ce qu’il veut, ce qui l’a aidé à éviter la solitude. En tant que musicien, Carter a rapidement trouvé sa place en Italie. Il a reçu des propositions de projets et a participé à des spectacles de groupe de hip-hop italien, comme Articolo 31. Il a également été sollicité pour donner des spectacles dans des boîtes de nuit à Rome, Milan, Padoue, Vicence, Bassano et Padoue. Ces expériences de jeunesse en Italie ont eu un impact significatif sur la personnalité et le style musical de Carter. Il a constaté qu’il y avait peu de chanteurs noirs dans la musique en Italie et cela lui a donné l’opportunité de montrer aux Italiens une autre facette des Noirs vivant en Italie, à la fois musicalement et vestimentairement. PARIS: Carter ensuite déménage à Paris pour poursuivre sa carrière musicale. Inspiré par la carence de chanteurs noirs en Italie, Carter a voulu montrer une autre facette de la vie des Noirs en Italie en termes de musique et de mode. L’encouragement de son directeur d’entreprise et d’un compatriote expérimenté l’ont incité à poursuivre ses rêves musicaux et à se fixer de plus grands objectifs. En arrivant à Paris, Carter a créé un home studio avec le matériel apporté de l’Italie et une association musicale appelée “DMG Records”, qui lui a permis de produire sa première œuvre avec sa première femme, la chanteuse Lise. Il a également participé à plusieurs spectacles musicaux pour se faire connaître dans la scène musicale parisienne. Au fil des rencontres avec des artistes, producteurs, tourneurs et labels de production, Carter a évolué son style musical. Il a également eu l’occasion de faire des collaborations avec des artistes tels que Aneessa, Dorsey Sick Joker, Krime Mind, Tyron, B-La, Kaya, Tracy, Alison, Express Omega et Lise lors de la production de sa compilation Hip Hop/RnB “The 2K Studio”. L’influence de la scène musicale de Paris sur la musique et la carrière de Carter s’est manifestée lors de ses collaborations avec des artistes tels que Aneessa et Dorsey Sick Joker. Ce déménagement de l’Italie à Paris lui a permis de découvr