HIS VOICE, BOTH SOUL AND ROCK, SERVES INTUITIVE AND SPELLBINDING MELODIES IN A PERSONAL STYLE THAT ISN?T STUCK IN ANY SPECIFIC MUSIC STYLE. AT TIMES RESTRAINED AND INTIMATE AND AT TIMES POWERFUL AND EXTRAVAGANT, THE GENEROSITY AND STRENGTH OF HIS COMPOSITIONS AND OF HIS INTERPRETATIONS AIM TO UNITE AND SHARE.
FEW BARRIERS SLOW KESIENA DOWN. THIS SINGER SONGWRITER COMPO- SER WITH EXCEPTIONAL MAGNETISM EXPLORES ALL AREAS OF MUSIC.
BORN IN NIGERIA, NEAR WARRI IN THE DELTA STATE, HIS GIVEN NAME COMES FROM THE URHOBO PEOPLE AND MEANS ? FINALLY ?. HE HAD AN EVENTFUL CHILDHOOD. HIS PARENTS SEPARATED WHEN HE WAS ONLY 5. HIS MOTHER ENTRUSTED HIM TO HIS GRANDMOTHER?S CARE WHILE SHE TRIED TO MAKE ENDS MEET FOR HER CHILDREN. AFTER THAT, HE MOVED HOUSE SEVERAL TIMES. HE CAME TO FRANCE AT THE AGE OF 13.
HIS MOTHER GAVE HIM A SYNTHESISER AS HE STARTED TO WRITE POEMS IN FRENCH AND IN ENGLISH. DISCOVERING THE WOODSTOCK FESTIVAL ON TELEVISION WAS THE REVELATION FOR HIM AND AT 18 YEARS OLD; HE WENT ON STAGE AND SANG REPEATS. AT THE SAME TIME, HE CREATED MUSIC FOR HIS TEXTS BY COMPOSING ON THE PIANO OR ON THE GUITAR. TRAVELLING BETWEEN PARIS, STOCKHOLM AND NIGERIA, AFTER BRIEF MUSICOLOGY STUDIES, HE PARTICIPATED IN COLLEC- TIVE IMPROVISATION WITHIN THE JAZZ FUSION GROUP, THE SOUNDCHASERS.BACKED-UP BY TALENTED MUSICIANS, HE TAKES OFF, SINGS, DOES SLAM, DANCES, MAKES EXPERIMENTS, PLAYS WITH THE PUBLIC WHICH HE TRANSCENDS. HE TAKES THE TIME TO POLISH OFF HIS COMPOSITIONS, WORKING WITH HIS FRIEND AND MUSICAL COMPANION,GUNNAR ELLWANGER.
THIS IS WHEN THE CONCERTS STARTED, ACCOMPANIED BY HIS GROUP IN AN ACOUSTIC OR ELECTRIC VERSION DEPENDING ON THE VENUE. AT THE END OF 2008, HE WON THE ? TREMPLIN ILE DE FRANCE ? AWARD FROM THE ASSOCIATION W? LA METISSE ? AT THE NEW MORNING AND THIS ENABLED HIM TO SET THE PUBLIC ON FIRE AT THE SOLIDAYS FESTIVAL.
IN MAY/JUNE OF 2011, KESIENA RECORDED HIS FIRST ALBUM PRODUCED BY ADRIEN BERGERAT (LEOCAS RECORDS) AT THE DAVOUT STUDIO : IT WAS ALL WRITTEN : 11 POP, ROCK OR SOUL TITLES IN WHICH THE ARTIST IS EXCELLENT AND HAS A SURPRISING MASTERY IN ALL MUSIC GENRES, SURROUNDED BY A TEAM OF MUSICIANS WITH PERFECT GROOVE AND TECHNIQUE.
LE COEUR AU NORD, LES RACINES PRO- FONDEMENT ANCREES AU SUD. LA MUSIQUE DE KESIENA EST A L?IMAGE DE L?ARTISTE: MULTIPLE, INTUI- TIVE ET METISSEE.
TANTOT POP/ROCK, TANTOT SOUL EPI- CEE, DANS LA RETENUE OU DEBRIDEES, SES COMPOSITIONS DELIVRENT DES MELODIES ENVOUTANTES, SERVIES PAR UNE VOIX CHAUDE ET MAGNETIQUE. MAGNETIQUE, COMME LA PRESENCE DE KESIENA SUR SCENE, SUBTILE ET GENEREUSE.
UNE ENFANCE MOUVEMENTEE ENTRE LE NIGERIA, OU IL NAIT, ET LA FRANCE, OU IL S?INSTALLE A 13 ANS, INSPIRE A KESIENA SES PREMIERS POEMES, QU?IL MET RAPIDEMENT EN MUSIQUE AVEC LE SYNTHETISEUR QUE SA MERE LUI OFFRE ALORS QU?IL EST ADOLESCENT. QUELQUES ANNEES PLUS TARD, UNE REDIFFUSION TELEVISEE DU FESTIVAL DE WOODSTOCK AGIT SUR LUI COMME UNE REVELATION: KESIENA MONTE SUR SCENE; IL A 18 ANS.
DE BREVES ETUDES DE MUSICOLOGIE ET UNE VIE PARTAGEE ENTRE PARIS, STOCKHOLM ET SON PAYS NATAL NOURRISSENT SES PREMIERES COMPOSITIONS. TRES VITE, KESIENA S?ENTOURE DE MUSICIENS TALENTUEUX ET FAIT SES ARMES AU SEIN DU GROUPE DE JAZZ FUSION THE SOUNDCHASERS. LA SCENE DEVIENT ALORS LE LABORATOIRE OU EXPERIMENTER DE NOU- VELLES SONORITES, UN TERRAIN DE JEU OU IL DANSE, SLAME ET S?EPANOUIT. MAIS C?EST AUSSI ET SURTOUT LE LIEU QUI LUI PERMET DE FAIRE LA RENCONTRE DE SA VIE: CELLE AVEC LE PUBLIC, QU?IL TRANSCENDE A CHAQUE FOIS.
KESIENA PREND ALORS LE TEMPS DE PEAUFINER SES COMPOSITIONS ET D?AFFIRMER SON STYLE, ET C?EST AUX COTES DE SON COMPAGNON DE ROUTE MUSICAL GUNNAR ELLWANGER QU?IL REMONTE SUR SCENE. FIN 2008, IL REMPORTE AU NEW MORNING LE TREMPLIN ILE DE FRANCE DE L?ASSOCIATION LA METISSE, QUI LUI PERMET DE CONQUERIR LE PUBLIC DU FESTIVAL SOLIDAYS.
FORT DE CET ACCUEIL CHALEUREUX, KESIENA POUSSE LES PORTES DES STUDIOS DAVOUT EN MAI 2011. IL Y ENREGISTRE IT WAS ALL WRITTEN, SON PREMIER ALBUM, PRODUIT PAR ADRIEN BERGERAT. C?EST UNE POP/ROCK SOUL ET METISSEE QUE NOUS DISTILLENT CES 11 TITRES PROMETTEURS, APPUYEE PAR LA TECH- NIQUE IMPLACABLE ET GROOVY DES MUSICIENS DESQUELS IL A SU S?ENTOURER. S?Y MELENT HABILEMENT LES INFLUENCES MULTIPLES QUE KESIENA A SU GLANER AU FIL DE SES VOYAGES SUR LES DEUX CONTINENTS. ET QUE L?ARTISTE NOUS RESTI- TUE AVEC UNE GRANDE GENEROSITE.
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