Conversations with Kimoy Graham

Today we’d like to introduce you to Kimoy Graham.

Hi Kimoy, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
I was born in St Mary, a small city on the island of Jamaica. Growing up, I was surrounded by lots of family – alllll the time; three brothers, many many cousins, plus several aunts and uncles. While we did not have many riches, our time together was all that we needed to be happy. As a young boy, I loved sports and thought that I would be a rockstar professional soccer player one day. However, as I got older, I started to become inspired by one of my older brothers (Tydal Kamau) who was a musician. While I enjoyed soccer, I quickly realized that I was happiest when I spent time in the recording studio with my brother. I fell in love with songwriting and stage performance. I’d tag along with my brother to every show he had and take on any opportunity to show my talent.

With positive feedback from my local community, at the age of 23, I entered into a major televised singing/performance competition known as Magnum Kings and Queens where unsigned artists would compete over the course of several weeks – for a chance to win a prize. Much like America’s Got Talent, each week the audience/viewers would vote on which artists would move on to the next round. Though I was not the winner (highway robbery if you ask me!); I came in third place. This third-place trophy catapulted my music career to another level. I began working with top Jamaican record producers and had the chance to open shows for well-known Reggae and Dancehall artists – like Busy Signal.

The more time I spent trying to navigate the complex music industry as an independent artist, the more I realized that I had a lot to learn. I moved to the United States with my mind set on getting a formal education in music production. It was at Los Angeles Film/Recording School in West Hollywood, where I was exposed to courses that introduced me to audio engineering and post-production for both Film/TV and music. Post-graduation (after an internship or two!) I founded JALA Entertainment – an entertainment company that provides audio, production and marketing services for music, film, and television. So essentially, I create dope music and capture + cleans audio for film.

Starting an entertainment business in the midst of the pandemic has been tricky for sure. However, we have been pushing hard with a focus on providing a high-quality product/service experience in every instance.

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?
My team and I have definitely met our fair amount of challenges along the way. We have been learning a lot – and sometimes, our mistakes have been costly from an economic standpoint. As a small business owner, your budget is finite so it’s important to use it wisely. As CEO, I’ve had to learn the hard way – how to identify a truly promising business opportunity vs. fluff. I’ve also learned the hard way – how to price my creative services to ensure that I am valued and fair and profitable.

Like most small business owners, I’ve also had to learn about A LOT of things outside of my wheelhouse. From marketing to financial accounting to product development, I wear many many hats and it’s certainly not easy… especially when as a Creative, all I want to do is sit in a studio and write a song or make a beat!

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I’ve found that being a music producer or beat-maker is much like being a songwriter. I approach my productions with a vision or concept in mind. It sounds a bit strange but I hear the beat before I make it. Thus, when I sit down to find the right instruments, it’s like searching for the missing pieces of a puzzle, of which in my mind, I have the complete picture.

As a songwriter, my approach is similar; I am inspired by a vision or thought – and draft my song’s lyrics based on that vision. I also get a ton of inspiration from the beat, as I let it guide my writing.

My work is majorly influenced by the world around me – and/or what I am personally feeling at the time. As an example, for my single Murderer (which I wrote and produced), I was saddened by a lot of senseless killing taking place in Jamaica – this lead me to write and produce the song as my way of coping/dealing with the horrific things happening in the country.

Networking and finding a mentor can have such a positive impact on one’s life and career. Any advice?
It’s important to note that you can gain mentorship and guidance from people who are not in your field. For me, some of my best advice and push has come from other small business owners and/or young people who understand my basic challenges.

I would also say that mentors sometimes find you – it’s just important to seize the moment. For example, I was putting air in my tires in North Hollywood, where I randomly met a master producer and engineer.. While I was not proactively seeking him out, we happened to be at the same place at the same time. Introducing myself to this random person resulted in a massive influx of industry knowledge that I did not realize I was missing.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.jkapitalmusic.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jkapitalmusic/?hl=en
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JKapitalmusic/about
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCVb-ZrwV1rm-wYqx0ZjdeKQ