Singer and songwriter Kelvin Frazier Ph.D is definitely not your typical artist. After graduating from M.I.T. (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) with a PhD in Physical Chemistry and deciding to teach Organic Chemistry as an Adjunct Professor Kelvin could never ignore his first love which is music. This would explain why Kelvin decided to double major in Science and Music while attending Savannah State University. So Kelvin Frazier, Ph.D is not just his stage name; it’s his real name with a real title. Rolling Out recently caught up with Kelvin to find out how he successfully created an EP titled “Conquered All” that peaked in 25th position on the Billboard Adult R&B Charts and received FM Broadcast and Satellite Radio airplay across 29 stations nationally. Check out our conversation:
The “Still Marked and Scarred” song is so passionate. Was the video based on a real situation?
The lyrics were actually based off of the death of my grandmother. I was expressing me being in the hospital with my grandmother and how I felt when we hugged and I knew she was hugging me for the last time. The next day she went on life support and she pretty much stayed on it until she passed away. I didn’t really know it was going to be the last time but it was something about the way she hugged me. However, when they were doing the treatment for the video, they weren’t going to depict her the way I remembered her, so that’s how we came up with the concept of a breakup.
How did you manage to become a chemist as your secular career and a successful artist?
Everything I invest my time in, I do it to the best of my ability because I feel like if I give it a half effort, then you get half the results. It’s the same thing for both worlds. Like when I was getting my Ph.D., you have to be very detail-oriented for you to increase your skills. If you try and present a paper and all those details aren’t there, the paper gets thrown out. They will tear you down like, “You don’t even know the basics? Get out of my face. You are not even worth my time.” That’s just how how society is. Once you get up to the level where you are trying to get your Ph.D., you have to be very precise. Same difference in the music world when you are creating a song. You must be detailed and precise for it to be acceptable and successful. That’s also exactly how I treated putting my EP together.
So which one is your first love?
Definitely my first love would be the music. It actually happened in high school. I was a senior in high school. It was time for me to graduate. I had to start thinking about college. So, I was like I am going to major in music. All of my friends were like are you crazy. You are too smart to go to college to major in music. I was like it’s not about that it’s about my passion. So when I went to Savannah State, I double majored in chemistry and music. You definitely have to be disciplined and focused.
So how do you balance the two on a daily?
I would say it’s like a seasonal thing. Sometimes there’s a lot of science going on and sometimes there is a lot of music going on. Then there are times when there is a lot of both of them going on at the same time. During those time periods, I’m not getting more than four hours of sleep per day.
How did it make you feel when your album peaked in 25th position on the Billboard Adult R&B chart?
I was literally in shock. It happened the day before my 30th birthday. It’s like you put your mind to it and then when it really happens it’s like I can’t believe it happened. I’m totally grateful; it’s truly a blessing and in my mind I’m like ok, what’s next? I don’t know what’s next but I am going to keep pushing until I figure it out. This is all a blessing. I’m going to continue on with this blessing and keep sharing my story. Anyone that hears about my story I hope they understand I’m literally like a normal guy that has a dream accompanied by hard work and motivation. Pretty much, my top three things that taught me to be successful: the first is God, second is family and third is hard work. If I can have those three combinations together, then I’m like a force. I have my family and they are here like “We are here to support you,” and that means a lot. There were many a night when I was at M.I.T. where I felt like walking away and saying y’all can have all this. But prayer kept me there. Sometimes, people don’t want to put the work in because they are afraid of failing. When you put doubt in your head, you are like defeating yourself.
Follow Kelvin on social media @KelvinMusicLLC and check out his website at https://kelvinfrazier.com. Check out his “Marked and Scarred” video:
