Sean Kiez took a break from music. Now, he is ready to tell people about his past, present, and future with his latest EP, The Journey. His lead single, “On Ya Bullshyt,” examines Black love in today’s society. Kiez has a unique sound that shows he can touch an array of different listeners while staying true to himself.
Kiez spoke with rolling out about the EP, where his love for music stems from, and advice he would give to other artists.
Tell us about the EP, The Journey.
[The album is about] records that I have valued and appreciated over the span of my career because I was on the management side, as well as the artist side. So, I took a break from management and said I needed to focus on Sean Kiez. Before the pandemic, I started working on my craft. These records come from 10 to 12 years ago up until now, so it’s just a timeline of different songs, and they are true stories.
What did you learn about yourself while taking a break?
Personally, I learned to have patience and that timing is key. We want to fast-track and speed stuff up, but I learned that taking the stairs is the best route because I plan on being here for a while. … So you go through a lot of different challenges in your personal life that help you create beautiful art. I learned to just use those experiences in my music, which keeps it authentic to who I really am.
What does success look like for Sean Kiez?
Have your health intact because, in our community, we deal with so much from diabetes, high cholesterol, and all types of stuff. [Success looks like] being physically in shape and mentally stable, [having] proper mental health, a good diet, [some] money in the bank, [taking] care of your kids and family, and being able to do what you need to do. A lot of people are going through so many different scenarios.
Some people’s success might just be [being] able to keep the lights on next month. Some people might have to pay a phone bill, or they might need a bus pass or some gas money. I don’t gauge success just on monetary stuff anymore. I gauge it on a lot more because I lost a lot.
What tips and advice would you give to aspiring artists?
The best thing that you could do is fail forward as much as you can. Keep failing until you get it right because it’s all learning. You might want to give up, but don’t give up. You want to make sure that whatever you do is coming from a genuine place. You’re going to get a lot of people to close doors and they are going to say no, and this is the best part of the process because it makes you go back and work on your craft. Keep going, and just don’t stop. Keep people close to you who really believe in you and love you; don’t let [anybody] put a battery in your back to hype you up. Think about it, calm down, look at it, and work as hard as you can.
