By Howard Campbell/Observer writer—
Kēvens
From the Texas/Mexico border to Florida the issue of undocumented migrants flooding the United States has been a divisive issue in that country for over 20 years.
Singer/songwriter Kevens is concerned for the welfare of those who desperately want to start a new life in the US.
He makes his feelings known in Legal Dreamers, his first song in three years.
Describing his heritage as Guadeloupean, French-Canadian and Haitian, Kevens (pronounced Key-vens) has lived in the US since he was nine years-old.
He is considered a pioneer of EDM, the frenetic sound that drives Legal Dreamers.
“God Almighty gave us the freedom to be, to exist. But because of the barriers that mankind creates, this is why wars exist. We are fighting over what? A piece of land? We are all just passing through at the end of the day,” he said.
The California-based Kevens wrote and produced Legal Dreamers, with assistance from musician Danny Styles and engineer Ozzy Carmona. It is scheduled for release today.
With undocumented migrants at the centre of heated debates between Democrats and Republicans, the border crisis is a pivotal issue for the 2024 US presidential elections.
Kevens says current attitudes toward foreigners in America are the worst since he moved to South Florida as a child.
“I see it every day, immigrants coming through and not being able to eat, to live. It’s the struggle of the human condition,” he stated.
Born Kevens Celestine, Kevens grew up in Miami where he developed a passion for Jamaican culture. He listened to Bob Marley, Yellowman, Brigadier Jerry, Sugar Minott, and Dennis Brown as well as the Kilamanjaro sound system.
While working as a sound system selector in Miami, he met and befriended Anthony Booker, Marley’s brother. Eventually they became members of a band named Le Coup, which also included Booker’s brother Richard.
Kevens’ foray into what became EDM began in the late 1990s with songs such as We Play Music and Freedom For Unity.
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