Born in Montgomery, Alabama, up and coming R&B/Alternative Hip-Pop recording artist Keyz Vango moved to New York State with his family. Now based in Bushwick, Brooklyn, Keyz Vango learned to play the trumpet and classical piano by his early teens. With his father being a pastor, there were some genres of music that Keyz Vango was unable to listen to, but through trials and tribulations, he found himself secretly making beats and honing his craft in his bedroom. Inspired by a wide range of artists spanning from Kanye West to Nirvana, Keyz Vengo brings a unique new wave sound to the music industry today.
“My goal is to continue to break molds through music, culturally and hopefully socially, as well as breakthrough my own barriers and fears” - Keyz Vango
Featuring a smooth beat and a softly soulful delivery, “French Toa$t” is a track with a mildly Caribbean-like flavor and bounce to it. A light and summer-time-suited riff contrast with a heavy yet slow-paced bass-line, and meanwhile a series of alternating, dynamic-building vocal parts help hold tight to your interest. The lyrics within “French Toa$t” focus on the frustrations of a one-sided relationship, where the person being pursued only offers what’s on the surface but demands everything in return. The recent sounds of artists like Post Malone make for a welcoming arena for this type of track. The professionalism and even the subtle confidence all work brilliantly here to craft something that easily fits within the current climate for the genre. As he continues to develop his sound and his voice, it’s likely we’ll be hearing plenty more from Keyz Vango.
Listen to “French Toa$t” here
Hey Keyz Vango! How has the music world been treating you so far throughout 2019?
2019 has been full of highs so far! I dropped my debut EP "LATE, Vol. 1" at the end of 2018 and spent most of 2019 vibing with that project and building the "LATE," foundation with fans. Still riding the high of getting to perform for Afropunk Battle of the Bands (Brooklyn) which I'm grateful to have had the opportunity to elevate my live show presence. That was an incredible night and a long time personal dream come true. Gearing up for a strong 4th quarter and an even bigger 2020 with a lot of dope new singles on the way!
We immediately found that “French Toa$t” captured an alluring melody with so many different elements! It's what caught, and ultimately kept our attention! What was the overall mood you wanted to set for listeners in this particular track?
We wanted to keep an open mind from start to finish and not bound ourselves to "rules" and keep it sort of Jazz in that sense, hence the random blend of Sax and Dembow vibes.
How did the songwriting and recording process execute for “French Toa$t”? Did you fall into any creative slumps while initially writing the track, or does the curation process flow naturally for you?
The beautiful thing about "French Toa$t" is that the record completely came together by accident sort of. I and the homie Beetstreet Groove randomly linked up in the studio for the first time and built the entire record on the spot with the help of our mutual talented friend/guitarist Juan Arrango. One moment we were on the rooftop of the studio for a smoke, talking about French Toast, and the next we were locked into an intense writing session. It all came together so quick until at some point we were like "yo we gotta save this session, what's the song title?" We ended up calling it "French Toast" because we didn't wanna take up too much time overthinking and losing the "magic" in the room. Again, we wanted to keep the vibe relatively open and allow the Jazz to live, which is a concept we stayed true to all the way to the end of finalizing the song title for release.
Tell us more about the meaning of the lyrics within your new release “French Toa$t”!
At the core of the subject matter, the song really explores the situation of helplessly falling for someone who only gives what's on the surface but demands everything in return. Like the ultimate tease with no promise.
Thank you so much for chatting with us! Tell our readers more about your definitive aspirations as an artist! What would you say is the ultimate goal, artistic wise?
Although I'm 2000% a New Yorker, I was originally being born in Montgomery Alabama before moving at age 6. There's a lot of history there, we all know that history. So for me making music serves as an outlet of self-expression as well as breaking free of some of those old historical chains creatively & spiritually. My goal is to break molds through music, culturally and hopefully socially, as well as breakthrough my own barriers and fears.