Daily Inspiration: Meet Young Keta

Today we’d like to introduce you to Young Keta.

Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
Yeah, most definitely. So my story started back in a city called Rancho Cucamonga, CA. I’m not sure if you’re familiar with the movie “Friday,” but in the movie, Craig lived in Rancho Cucamonga so a lot of people recognize the name, just based off of the movie but most people still think it’s a fake place. But it’s very real. Both of my parents are from Nigeria, so I grew up different from the typical American. Education is the priority, I’m talking straight A’s, doctors, lawyers, and engineer-type standards, so you can already see how doing music was going to be a problem. They are very traditional but that’s what they came from. Most people would look at that as a negative, but when you come from a place where you walk miles on end to go to school, get water, fend for your life, and use generators for power just to change the outcome of your life, athletics entertainment and music don’t sound too appealing to someone with that background.

My love for music began when I first saw music groups like B2K and NSYNC and artists like Chris Brown, Ne-Yo, Wizkid and Davido on TV. I used to watch American Idol as well, and that stirred my passion for music. That led me to record covers of people’s songs and post them on YouTube. My mom had a Panasonic Lumix camera because she always wanted pictures of herself taken, I mean who doesn’t? And I was the photographer of the house, always willing to take pictures, so I decided to use it for my own use as well. At the time, a popular song was “Do You Remember” by Jay Sean, and I was like, “This is it. This is my shot right here to show to the world I am the next big thing.” I was the next big thing alright. In 2011, I uploaded my first ever Youtube video of me singing the song and I remember reaching 20k views in like a week. I was so ecstatic, only to know that when I got back to school on Monday, I walked into class and everyone was telling me about the video how I couldn’t sing and I got clowned at school for years on end. On top of that, the YouTube comment section tore me to shreds, but that just fueled the tank to get me to where I am today.

Growing up in Rancho Cucamonga, I was also a profound track and field athlete. In 2015, I earned a full-ride track and field scholarship to Brigham Young University (BYU), and when I got to the university, the drive for music increased drastically. I rented a Mac from the school and spent all my scholarship money on studio equipment so that I could make music and record out of my dorm. In college, I did whatever job I could to make money so I that I could pay for music. I remember working as a janitor for the school, working from 2am to 7am, I worked as a manager for a bowling alley called FatCats, which was right across the street from BYU, on Fridays after track practice, I worked the football games, anything to get money to fund my music I would do, anything legal of course. I had ProTools, got a studio bundle off Amazon, and it was time to start recording these records. It was 3 days until I dropped my first record and I didn’t have a stage name yet. I never wanted to use my real name, Babatomiwa Adegoke (Tomi Adegoke), just because that name was already known for my athletic achievements. I needed a new sense of being, a different persona so I created “Young Keta.” My mom always called my “Keta” which in Yoruba, a Nigerian dialect, means “third born.” Out of four boys, I am the third born so “Young Keta” fit perfectly and I stuck with it ever since.

I recorded my first record, “R.A.F.” in 2018 and from there, I started making a name for myself in Utah. There wasn’t a music scene in Utah since it a Mormon-based state, but I created a new lane for artists and creatives to express themselves in a place where R&B/Hip-Hop or Afrobeat music wasn’t necessarily appreciated just yet. In 2019, I released my popular song “Bussdown” which caught the eye of Utah natives and people back home in California. I would go to class from 9am-1pm, track practice from 1pm to 5pm, work from 5pm to 12am, and studio from 12am til I fall asleep at the mic. The days I didn’t have work, I would perform, do interviews, modeling, anything music related. Rinse and repeat was the motto. I started receiving more bookings and performed in a crowd of 1000+ right after winning a track meet in Colorado. I hopped right off the plane with my teammates and had to head to the show right after and it’s been up ever since. In 2022, I released my first ever Afrobeat record “Henny,” which really skyrocketed my career as an Afrobeat singer.

Fast forward to 2023, I’ve released over 50 songs, I dropped my debut album “Desires” with grammy nominated producers, I’ve performed with Eric Bellinger, Steven G and Oxlade, I performed at the 2023 NBA All-Star Weekend in Salt Lake City, Utah and my most proud acknowledgment was probably receiving a co-sign from Ne-Yo on Instagram. The story has just begun and I am so thankful to God for giving me the courage and endurance to not give up my fire-filled passion for music. And the best part of it all, my parents are overly supportive over their “Young Keta.”

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
The road is never smooth right. Even when you drive to work, you drive over bumpy roads or dodge potholes or have to drive around someone to get to your destination. The road is never smooth but what isn’t?

A struggle that I have to this day is finding quality beats. I call it “Beat Searching.” Just like I tell the ladies, I am a man of quality. It has to sound right and feel right and I won’t settle for anything else. I think that’s the Nigerian in me. Plus, my father was a very successful man so he was someone that set the standard very high.

I’m no different from anyone else, I find ALL of my beats on YouTube. Every single last one of my songs are YouTube beats but you wouldn’t be able to tell because of how precise my ear is for quality beats. If you’re lucky, you’ll find a good quality beat to make a song to within 5 to 10 minutes of beat searching. Most times it’s anywhere from weeks to months. On average, my experience has led me to find about 1-4 good quality beats every month, which isn’t a lot. When I first started recording, I had more free time so I was beat search, so I would spend the whole day, hours on end, doing that. Now I have created a system that I incorporate to get rid of the beats that I won’t want to hear and hear more of what I do want to hear. Basically, lead to me to quality beats frequently and not get lost in the sea of YouTube beats.

Another struggle, I would say is finding a good engineer. I am a student of the game, so if there is something I need to do to elevate myself to the next level, I will learn it to the best of my ability. I know how to record at a high level but I can only engineer at a decent level, but it still sounds good. I just know it can always be better. Personally, I believe an artist can record themselves but when it comes to engineering a song, like mixing and mastering, leave that in the hands of an engineer. They went to school; they took courses and programs, really dedicated their music journey to doing that. You don’t want to take away from someone who can give you a better quality sound just because you like doing things your way. It wasn’t until 2020 that I was approached by an engineer to start mixing my records. After he mixed my first record, I never engineered my own song again because that’s not my lane nor my responsibility. Now in 2023, I’ve transitioned and found my amazing engineer, Brian Cabanatuan, who’s mixed records for G Herbo, Mariah Carey, Lil Durk, Tink and more.

Another struggle I had was finding my “sound.” Everybody has a specific style of music that they sound best with but it is difficult to reach that point when you are making music that you initially love. You really have to find yourself to make the best music that speaks to you and your internal self. If you shy away from that person, you won’t be recognized for your true talents because you are protecting them with a shadow, if that makes sense.

The biggest struggle that most artists might not talk about is monetizing off music. You’re not going to make any money in music for a while, so you better be working that 9-5 until this dream of yours blows up. I’m still working 50 hours a week at my 9-5 and still make time for music because that’s what I love to do. That type of sacrifice, that type of investment is what people are looking for so that you can start monetizing off music. In this world of music, any world, you have to show value first. You have to show people that you are worth being an investment, which means you have to invest in yourself first. I’ve bought all my own studio equipment, paid for quality music videos, paid for vocal lessons, etc. When people see your unending efforts and self-investments, they want to invest in you.

The list could go on. I think we all have similar struggles that we encounter on the road but if we never have these experiences, we probably would be been doing something else right now.

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
My name is Young Keta, pronounced like “Ketta.” I am an Afrobeat/R&B artist from Rancho Cucamonga, CA. I’m the first Afrobeat artist in California ever and I want to spread good music across the world. Growing up, I heard good music on the radio, there was BET countdown, I mean music award shows used to actually be good and entertaining but that art has been lost. We still have a few veterans holding it down such as Beyonce, Chris Brown, Janet Jackson, etc. but the new cats are a totally different ball game.

I’m young, I’m only 26 but I have a lot to offer that people are missing out on. When was the last time you heard a song that made you get up out of your seat and made you start dancing? I’m talking about your body was taken over by good music. That’s why the club is dying because you don’t hear “club music” anymore. The DJs also don’t play music that people can dance to, drill music and killing music, which is why NO ONE dances in the club. It’s impossible to dance to a song with no rhythm and beat, it’s literally music talking about murder. Sorry not sorry, but I won’t indulge in that.

When was the last time you heard some T-Pain in the club? He has a song for the bartender, for the strippers, for the dancers, but his music doesn’t get played, instead it’s TikTok and trap music, which you can’t dance to.

When making music, I believe Afrobeat/R&B music is the best when it has little to no curse words so most of my music is clean music, but still hits that sweet spot for everyone to catch a vibe to. I’m not a fan of murder music, I’m not a fan of drug music. I’m known for being the artist to bring everyone out of their darkest moments and bring them into a space of safety and peace, in a space of good vibes where they can let loose and be their true self. What’s life when you’re hiding behind a mask?

Where we are in life is often partly because of others. Who/what else deserves credit for how your story turned out?
God. God, and…..God.

God is the only reason why I am here today. He leads me in the direction that I need. God is with me in the studio, when I’m on stage, everywhere. Literally, when I make music, that’s God doing it. He is so powerful and I am so grateful and so blessed to be a son of God. My parents, both my mom and dad played a huge role in my success. I wouldn’t be here without them. My brothers, Demi, Ore and Tobi are my forever supporters and sometimes put my music career before their own life, passions and priorities. I am so grateful. My late grandmother, who is always with me in spirit, she would inspire me and teach me lessons about her life in Nigeria. She taught me valuable lessons that I apply to my life, especially in music. Also, my late vocal coach, Mr. James Slaughter, he was such a great spirit and kind soul. He was my vocal coach but also a mentor. He aspired to help me to reach the pinnacle of success as a music artist because he saw the same vision I do. It was deeper than being a vocal coach, he was a friend, an OG. Mr. Slaughter taught me lessons about life and the music industry that I will cherish forever.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/youngketaofficial/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCiAzyrMDiw1ik3YVfficr7w
• SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/youngketa
• Other: https://linktr.ee/youngketaofficial