Meet Ky La’Vey

Today we’d like to introduce you to Ky La’Vey.

Hi Ky, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstories with our readers?
I was born on November 1st, 1991 at about 6:55 am as my mom tells it. My mother raised my brother and me in a two-bedroom apartment that we made the best out of. My family discovered as I could sing me wanting to share songs that I liked as a kid. I would sing the A*Teens version of ABBA’s “Dancing Queen” so my grandmother knew what the song sounded like.

My “number one” cover hit among my family and friends was “Hit Me Baby One More Time”. I would be asked to see it all the time and for everyone! My dream of chasing music really starts there. I would sing and dance everywhere I went from then on. I actually started writing music in middle school thanks to a friend who was just as obsessed with being a singer as I was.

She said, “Why don’t you start writing songs now?” That simple question was the catalyst to me not wanting to wait for someone to do it for me (Although Ne-Yo, Sean Garret, Brian Michael Cox, and Johnta Austin if you see this, you’re more than welcome to lend your pen). Later on, I would luck upon a copy of a PlayStation called “MTV Music Generator”.

You could use sounds and loops to create “beats”. MY brother and I never had the money for memory cards so I would create my beat and then notate it in a journal I had so I could easily recreate it if I wanted to write to it. 2009 would see me move from dreaming of making music to fulling producing and recording music thanks to an international trip that fall through and $200 that was meant to be spending money for said trip.

I at the time had started to learn about how people were recording and producing music in the comforts of their homes and that $200 was the seed that created music under my full name “Kyree Harris”. I brought a USB condenser mic and software called Mixcraft 4. That setup created many singles, EPS, and a mixtape under my full name. At the time, I was focused on the POP/R&B vibe but in an electronic dance genre.

Fast forward to 2014, I was in college at Western Carolina University studying Electronic and Commercial Music. My time in school really improved my production skills as a producer and an engineer. I created a mixtape series based on my feelings, the first came out in 2013 called L.A.M.M.E. (Love And Music Mean Everything) which you could probably still find on datpiff.com. The second came out in 2016 called S.A.M.M.E. (Same Angry Mind Mending Everything). These mixtapes/EPs would see me start to use beats produced by others instead of myself.

My sound always move as my vibe and emotions did. SO how did we get to “Ky La’Vey”? Honestly, one of my middle names is La’Vey. I always hated it because I thought it was too feminine. I at some point in my childhood felt the same way about my first name Kyree. I created the name for a sim I created in The Sims 3 as I played one of the stardom packs and thought the name was a great stage name.

After going through a tough time with family things, my personal battle with health and HIV, and depression, I went on a search to rediscover myself. That search leads me to fall true into who I am as a bisexual man. I am not truly a very masculine or feminine man. I exist on either end of the spectrum as a lot of us do. I’ve taken on the stage name of Ky La’Vey to express and accept this part of who I am.

Now having a single “Here” and two EPs “Snack” and “3.0”(all streaming wherever you like to listen) under my belt as Ky La’Vey, I’m moving forward in creating music that not only is authentic and true to my being but music that people who have not been seen can be seen, heard, and felt. This is the era of Ky La’Vey.

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Only new roads are smooth and even that’s not guaranteed. The first big hurdle for any artist is finding your voice. Of course, I was already writing and producing by the time I started to release music but I also not I was starting to really just copy what I heard others do. You have to really hone in on what you want to say not just about yourself but to the world.

I was blessed with this while creating my L.A.M.M.E mixtape because I allowed myself to sing and write over all kinds of beats I liked. I remember doing a song I felt was Ke$ha inspired and even a song I thought was giving Frank Ocean vibes. That experimenting allowed me to see what sounds I like the best and what truly spoke to me, my story, and even my voice itself. Another challenge for some would be supported. You think that the music is great and everyone is gonna just flock to it then BOOM you’re on stage in from 50,000. Slow down, cowboy!

When I debuted in 2009, my music was heard but some online thanks to Myspace and Facebook but truly the only people who heard it was my family and friends. Their support meant the world is what kept me going. I’m still even now over 10 years later growing a solid fan base. This is not to say that this is how it will work for you but it is to say that it may not happen overnight and that’s okay.

If you really want something to happen, you’ll stick with it to make sure it does. Don’t quit on yourself! Understand you may have times when you’re down and that’s okay. Acknowledge those feelings and live in them. Those feelings could be the thing you need for that first or next hit record!

Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I debuted as “Kyree Harris” in 2009 with an EP trilogy based on the story of an android coming into the world and figuring it out. I would go on to study at Western Carolina University for 4.5 years earning a Bachelor’s of Music in Commercial and Electronic Music. I have released 6 EPs and 4 mixtapes under my full name before moving on to “Ky La’Vey” in 2020.

One of my mixtapes L.A.M.M.E. was heard by Grammy-nominated producer AnonXmous and Grammy-nominated songwriter Drew Scott via DM who both commented by saying “You got it” or “This sounds really good”. Those moments of affirmation meant so much to me as they have helped me not to quit even now. My biggest accomplishment is never quitting on myself. I make music that’s based in the Pop and R&B realm which was bigger in the 2000s than it is now.

My lyrics can touch on the typical subjects but I don’t shy away from the things people are afraid to talk about. I have a song called “DeCember” which stands for Depression December as I have fought with depression for sometimes and as we all should know, depression increases in the winter months as we receive less vitamin D and the holidays causes people to feel lonely.

I think a big signature in my songs whether it’s Kyree or Ky, is my vocal layering. I love harmonies and a good stack!

Who else deserves credit in your story?
I think each person in my life deserves credit. I want to give a big shout-out to Hannah Payne who inspired and encouraged me to write songs.

Wherever you are, thank you! I’m thankful for my band teachers in middle school and high school, and my professors in college. My fraternity brothers in Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Incorporated especially the Nu Zeta Chapter at Western Carolina. My friends and family!

My life has inspired me in every way and the people who have been in my life and are in my life have influenced a story. I’m thankful even for the heartbreak I experienced. Also want to thank my Uncle Willie whose $200 really started the official debut of my artistry.

Contact Info:

• Email: kyreemusic@yahoo.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kylaveymusic/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kylaveymusic
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/KyLaveyMusic
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCxnnW3iJjIttPa0KWP_f_Qg

Image Credits
Kyree Harris and Areon Media