Today we’d like to introduce you to Lord KraVen.
Lord, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
My journey began in 1999. I moved to Los Angeles when I was 18 years old with my baby brother, Andre, and grandmother, BJ Stanton. At the age of three years old, my brother, Andre, choked on a hotdog while at a daycare facility in Chattanooga, Tn. After serving him, the staff left him unattended and later found him unconscious with the hotdog slice lodged in his throat. As a result of the daycares negligence, Andre suffers from traumatic brain injury and now lives as a quadriplegic. When the doctors in Tennessee explained that they have done all that they could do for him, my grandmother refused to give up hope. She stepped out on faith, packed up me and my brother and moved us to Los Angeles with roughly $280 in her purse. We moved to LA in hopes of finding the best medical care and doctors that specialized in my brother’s condition. The doctors said he wouldn’t live past three years old. He is 25 years old now and has regained some of his motor skills. He currently lives in a 24hr nursing facility. My family and I were homeless when we touched down in Los Angeles. But thanks to the generosity of the Orange County “Ronald McDonald House” my family and I were invited to stay at their facility near CHOC Hospital, where Andre was being cared for.
In the midst of rebuilding and starting over with my family. I noticed that my desire to become a professional actor and singer was strong. I started out doing extra work in films, tv shows and music videos through Central Casting. I served as background talent for four years until I booked principal roles and became a SAG/AFTRA union actor. While in pursuit of my dreams to become an actor, I began producing faith-based concerts in Los Angeles and across the U.S. for six years.
In 2002, I produced my very first critically acclaimed concert production, “Gospel Divas”, featuring performances by gospel superstars Shirley Caesar, Dorinda Clark-Cole, Karen Clark-Sheard, Mary Mary, Trin-i-tee 5:7, Vickie Winans, Vanessa Bell-Armstrong and many others. Actors Kim Whitley, Flex Alexander and R&B singer Shanice served as show hosts. Three years later, in 2005, I teamed up with TBN (Trinity Broadcast Network), in an effort to support the Tsunami disaster relief in Southeast Asia, to produce my second critically acclaimed concert production, “A Song 4U: A Concert of Hope”. The broadcast special highlighted musical performances by some of gospel and r&b musics biggest names including Grammy award winners; Patti Labelle, CeCe Winans, Hezekiah Walker, Shirley Caesar, Chaka Khan and a host of others.
In 2006, I landed my first acting role in the Lionsgate feature film, “Holla”, directed by H.M. Coakley. From that moment forward, I went on to guest star on hit TV, “Moesha”, “ER”, “The Young & The Restless” and “City of Angels”. In 2010, I released my first music EP, “Tionne”. The five-track Ep became a viral sensation garnering more than 10 million streams worldwide. Two years after the release of my Ep, I went through a spiritual rebirth and adopted the stage name Lord KraVen. KraVen means “unique and artistic” and in some text, “water from heaven”.
In 2014, I released my very first dance single, “Mirror Mirror”, that was later featured in a performance segment on Fox televisions hit dance competition show, “So You Think You Can Dance” Season 10. From that moment forward, from 2014 through 2019, my songs “Kabila, “Gorilla”, and “Rebirth” from my latest Ep entitled, “Rebirth” have been featured in performance segments on the show (“So You Think You Can Dance”) In 2018, I landed my third co-starring film role. I portrayed the beloved “Genie” in the “Adventures of Aladdin” produced by Asylum (Sharknado, Z-Nation). In lieu of the troubled times we are living in and the social unrest today, I will release my first radio single, “We Are” in November to lend my voice to the cause and join stand against inequality and unfairness in our country and around the world. I believe change starts with us as individuals first. When we are united as a people, we can change the world.
Great, 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?
There have been many challenges and struggles along my journey. But I will say, being a unique artist has its pros and cons. There are those (decision-makers) who are accepting of diversity and uniqueness. But then there are those who are not and prefer what is familiar. Not “fitting the mold” has been one of my biggest challenges while navigating through this business. Not to mention, I’ve had my fair share of casting couches and rejections like so many others. But those experiences have helped me to grow and become stronger as a creative artist.
I am excited to see In today’s society that the unconventional ones are the cool ones. I feel that creative and artistic expressive energy is more of the focus today than that of having supermodel beauty.
We’d love to hear more about your work and what you are currently focused on. What else should we know?
Haus of Lord KraVen is a boutique entertainment company with a focus on all things music, film, television and fashion. I started the company back in May of 2016. We also offer photography and entertainment consulting.
What moment in your career do you look back most fondly on?
My proudest moment to date is all the letters and messages that I have received over the years from individuals from around the world, expressing their love and gratitude towards me for impacting their lives in a positive way. No role or accolade has ever brought me so much joy, gratitude and satisfaction than that of knowing I have saved or touched a life. It’s a priceless and rewarding feeling. For me, that’s why I do what I do.
Contact Info:
- Address: The Haus of Lord KraVen
644 N. Fuller Ave
Los Angeles, CA 90036 - Website: www.thehausoflordkraven.com
- Email: info@thehausoflordkraven
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/iamlordkraven
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/theelordkraven
- Twitter: www.twitter.com/iamlordkraven
Image Credit:
James Hickey, Randy Stodghill, Lord KraVen
*Suggest a story: VoyageLA is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
