Today we’d like to introduce you to Jean-Philippe Kaya.
Hi Jean-Philippe, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
Born and raised in Bordeaux, France, with Cameroonian and Congolese parents I grew up with a profound passion for music. My parents tell me I wasn’t even 4 years old when I said in a very serious manner that if I didn’t go to music school, I wouldn’t go to school at all. My parents had no other choice than to beg the director of a nearby music school to accept me in their program, and I was their youngest student. I studied classical piano and composition.
At 8 years old my family moved to America in Philadelphia and later upstate New York for a new future. My parents sought a better life, to live the “American Dream”, and so here I was in 4th grade thrusted into a new world, a new language, and a new future. I would be lying if I said it was easy, getting accustomed to a new culture and language was extremely challenging at a young age, often feeling alienated (and quite literally being called one by the government) – music was my great escape. I often practiced 8 or more hours a day. Fast forward to senior year of high school, I got accepted into my dream university, Berklee College of Music but sadly, the offer came with a hefty tuition bill we could not afford. I had to come up with a new trajectory. I went to a small college in upstate New York for a year but ultimately transferred to Concordia University in Montreal where I graduated with a bachelor of fine arts in piano performance and composition.
Montreal was an adventure. I was 19 years old when I moved there, and felt a similar energy when we immigrated to the US, this excitement about the future, about a new country and new opportunity. This time would also be much easier too since I didn’t have to learn a new language, and I was older and wiser. I adored the city. Started clubbing, and discovered house music, and the feeling it brings on the dance floor. I was hooked! This was the birth of KAYA. I felt I was living two lives, going to school studying classical music, but then spending the weekends with my friends going out , staying up late and enjoying Montreal’s nightlife. At that time I also got very interested in film scoring , listening to John Williams, Hans Zimmer, and many other composers. I found a job assisting a canadian film composer writing additional music while doing my studies. Bringing up my passion of film scoring to some college friends, one connected me to their extended family member who was a big film composer at Hans Zimmer’s studio! I couldn’t believe it. Several months later, I traveled to LA for the first time to meet him for coffee and he helped me land an internship at the studio. This was my intro to Hollywood.
Summer 2016, I graduated but actually missed my graduation because my internship at Hans Zimmer’s studio started the week prior, and I was not about to miss any days or pay for a roundtrip flight!! My new thrilling chapter had begun in Los Angeles, I was 22 years old and ready for this adventure.
Los Angeles is quite magical, especially when you work for your biggest idol. I’ll never forget the day I met Hans Zimmer, and his kindness. As interns we were in charge of making sure the studio operated smoothly – refilling water stations, cleaning the multiple kitchens, and most exciting of all – making Hans’ Coffee. Yes, we had very strict instructions how to make his coffee and bring it to him when he got in the studio. The internship was only 5 weeks long and I secured a couple other ones with composers on site and eventually got an offer to work as receptionist. The biggest highlight was probably having dinner with Hans and talking about being immigrants and citizens of the world! While it was an amazing experience, I ran into a similar roadblock I had experienced wanting to go to Berklee – the lack of finances. LA is an expensive city and unfortunately, I was not making enough money to pay rent – I had to find another way to stay.
Summer 2017, I got a life changing offer to work in the music department at William Morris Endeavor, one of the top talent agencies in the world, and I never looked back. Hans Zimmer was actually a client at the time and I had the chance to meet his music agent who I was super interested to work with. While that opportunity didn’t happen, I got a chance to become Pete Tong’s assistant. It’s hard to put into words how much that job changed my life, and the places it brought me. That job was my artist pass to the industry, and to all the festivals and concerts. Coachella, EDC, Miami Music Week, Ibiza you name it. For the next year and a half, I learned from the best of the best. By that point, I was not playing as much piano anymore but I knew I wanted to figure out a way to still be creative, and I still wanted to be a film composer. Netflix came around to offer me a job to work in their music department and I took it. It was sad leaving WME but I was ready for a new opportunity after spending 2 years there. Unbeknownst to me, Netflix ended up being a very small chapter, I got let go after 6 months and the pandemic hit a couple weeks later with no jobs in sight! Where did it all go wrong??
After a 2 year high at WME, Netflix and covid were some of my lowest lows. I really had to soul search to figure out what was next for me. Over the summer of 2020, I missed what I was best at – being around people, and celebrating music. Stemming back from working with Pete Tong, and my early Montreal days, I’ve always enjoyed listening to electronic music and the many subgenres. Slowly the world started dancing again. I would get on the aux chord and activate covid parties with my friends to the point they demanded I get on the decks to spin a proper set. Funny enough I had never considered DJing despite having worked with one of the biggest DJs in the world. What did I have to lose? It was covid, I wasn’t working, and I had stimulus money. So I bought some decks, and once again, my life changed forever.
Today, since learning how to DJ during the pandemic, I have gone to play hundreds of gigs throughout the US, Canada and Europe, sharing the decks with icons like Diplo, Hugel, Joel Corey, Deadmau5, Meduza, Kaleena Zanders, KREAM, SNBRN, Todd Edwards, A-Track, Habstrakt and more. A full circle moment was opening for Pete Tong at Spotlight last year, and also winning one of his Future Talent Awards in Ibiza this past spring. I’ve also been producing and releasing music with my top tracks playing on radio stations including Diplo’s Revolution on SiriusXM, and Miami’s Revolution 93.5FM. Some of my favorite DJs have played my music at festivals like Glastonbury, Coachella, EDC Las Vegas, Beyond Wonderland, and Electric Forest.
Life is a wild journey, and somehow it all feels like the beginning. I’m KAYA, and we’re just getting started.
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?
To be honest, life is chaotic! We all have hardships, that’s what makes it special. I’ve once been scammed by a landlord and evicted losing all my belongings in college, I’ve been fired multiple times, and I’ve applied to hundreds of jobs that I didn’t get. I’ve had to live days with a negative bank account before my next paycheck. I don’t think anyone has it easy. but it’s the attitude that matters. No matter what, I wake up to seize the day and never give up.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I am a DJ / Producer, pianist and composer. I mainly spin and produce house music, but I also produce in different genres and write music for Film / TV. I’m most proud of staying in music, it’s definitely not an easy career path and there has been a lot of sacrifices along the way, but it’s exciting to see where this journey is taking me. What sets me apart from others is my profound passion for music – I’ve been playing since I was 4 years old, and I will never quit.
How do you think about luck?
In the grand scheme of things, everything happens for a reason, and it’s all about the checks and balances. I don’t really consider good luck or bad luck, but rather I enjoy life to the fullest, and stay positive with what I do no matter what comes my way. For example, I’ve once accepted a top job offer that everyone considered lucky, but then had an awful experience there with high levels of stress. Evidently, I was fired from that job feeling very unlucky, upset and embarrassed, but the rebound is what pushed my career forward exponentially. Perspective and attitude is what it’s all about, and people who can turn around the most unlucky situations into the most valuable lessons learned are the ones who will be the happiest and most successful in life.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.kayamusique.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kaya.musique/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@KAYA.musique
- Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/kayamusique
- Other: https://scenenoise.com/Sets/Select-334-Mixed-by-KAYA
Image Credits
Brian Dao
2WNTY4
