11/16/2012
22-year-old Estonian Keijo Suurkivi, aka Kaiyo [pictured], started his entertaiment career ballroom dancing [yes, really] before he was lured by the popping and krump of hip hop.
Currently under the management of American East Entertainment Group, Kaiyo is influenced by the likes of Chris Brown, Tyga, Michael Jackson and New Boyz. As an artist, Kaiyo has been writing lyrics for almost two years, during which time he has also developed his vocal and rapping skills.
Alongside his music, Kaiyo is also a teacher in dance school Black, Brownie & the Blondes, a network of dance schools in the Netherlands that has performed at the Estonian Music Awards in 2012 with Bert on Beats.
In his performances he "mixes it up with dance to keep the people entertained", apparently.
You have been warned.
SO WHAT DO YOU WANT TO ACHIEVE WITH YOUR CAREER?
I want to try to be more deep with my lyrics. There will still be some mainstream stuff and people will still be hyped at the parties while listening to my future bangers, but in the future there will also be more serious topics, things that we all should acknowledge to ourselves and understand. We should see and think out of the box that the world’s population lives in.
WHY SING IN ENGLISH?
Because I like the sound of it. For me it is the best language to sing and rap in. I love the melody you can build with English lyrics and I also aim to be successful out of my country. I want to be an international artist, not a local one.
DO ALL ESTONIANS SPEAK THE LANGUAGE SO WELL?
Most do. When I was young we started to learn English from the third grade. Now it starts from the first grade of elementary school, so we are born with the language.
HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT THE USE OF THE WORD NI**AH?
I use the ‘N’ word amongst my friends. I've a lot of African-American friends, from the Netherlands, from Finland, and I love the world of hip hop because it has helped me so much and I try to show people the magic of this amazing world. The creativity and the art you can make with the word is brilliant. The ‘N’ word for me and my friends is a word which has the same meaning to us as ‘friend’.
NOT MANY PEOPLE WOULD RAP OVER KAYNE WEST SONGS. WHY DO YOU DO IT?
I have nothing to lose, and nor does anyone. My belief is, don't quit on your dreams because you are frightened of something, just keep believing in yourself and work on your dreams. I took Kanye's beat to test myself and to see what I could make out of the beat and I was happy with the result. I don't care about the opinion of others. We all have haters, we all have supporters, I do my thing, you do yours. That's life.
LIVE OR STUDIO?
Live - then you can hear the real you; also for the adrenaline you get from entertaining the crowd.
AND HOW MUCH DO YOU THINK YOUR LOOKS AFFECT YOUR FAN BASE?
Well, it affects me a lot. A little advice for every entertainer: have a swag, look great and be humble!
HOW PROUD WAS ESTONIA ABOUT ITS 2001 EUROVISION WIN?
We were very proud, because it was a big accomplishment for us. For me personally, I was happy too. It also gave me the inspiration to think big, because we are a small country and it's harder for us to succeed. We don't have many good opportunities so we have to grab every chance we get.
AND WHERE ARE YOU WITH THE WHOLE SINGER/SONGWRITER/DANCER/CHOREOGRAPHER/ACTOR/ENTERTAINER THING?
Overall, I want to be an entertainer with many skills. I will use them all to show people that it doesn't matter where you come from. Everything is possible if you work enough. I'm from a small village in the countryside, and look at me.
HOW WILL YOU KNOW YOU HAVE MADE IT?
Success for me is when I accomplish the tasks I've placed for myself. Never quit and keep going forward while analysing the past to learn from it. Also, when I've influenced somebody in a positive way, then I know I have succeeded.
OK KAIYO, TELL US A SECRET?
All I can say is, read The Secret. t:s
written by Mr Alistair Beech
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