Stephen Keise – Q&A: Most Asked Community Questions
Community Edition – May 2025
Lately, I’ve been getting a lot of questions about my journey, my music, and my creative process – so I thought it was time to sit down and answer some of the most frequently asked ones. Thank you for your love, your curiosity, and your support. Here’s a deeper look into my story:
⸻
🎶 How did you get started with music?
I’m completely self-taught – a true autodidact. I never took formal lessons in guitar, singing, or trumpet. Everything I do comes from instinct, deep listening, and years of personal practice. Later on, I refined my skills through YouTube tutorials and daily discipline.
Even as a kid, melodies were always around me. I used to hum my own songs all day, inspired by everything – birdsong, TV commercials, even the Nike ad that used “Instant Karma!” by John Lennon. That moment shaped my musical intuition early on.
To this day, when I play mouth trumpet, it feels like a divine presence is guiding me. I just follow the melody that’s already inside. Music is my way of connecting to something greater – it brings me into the now.
⸻
✍🏽 When did you start writing your own songs?
I recorded my first demo, The Green Sessions, at around 14 years old – on MiniDisc at a friend’s house. That’s also when I began writing lyrics. I still have those old notebooks.
People used to say my lyrics were “too deep” or “too complex” and told me to simplify – but I stayed true to myself. Over the years, I refined that voice, and it’s what you hear in my music today.
⸻
🎤 What inspired your shift from rap to singing?
I started out with rap – that was my first big love. But when I heard Mos Def singing on “The Love Song” by Bush Babees, it blew my mind. I realized I didn’t have to choose between rapping and singing – I could do both. That blend became my signature.
⸻
🎸 How did your sound evolve over time?
At some point, I picked up the guitar and started beatboxing and playing mouth trumpet. In 2017, during a beatbox workshop with Syrian refugee kids, I reconnected with the mouth trumpet – and it never left me again.
I’m hugely inspired by Miles Davis, but I developed my own unique trumpet style – something raw, soulful, and new. For me, the combination of voice, guitar, and mouth trumpet creates a sound that mirrors the soul.
⸻
📀 What are you working on now?
Right now, I’m doing daily live sessions on YouTube: Stephen Keise – Live Reggae Daily. I perform full sets from my latest album Jah Vibes Only, including my single Victory Dance* which I love performing live.
These sets also include reimagined versions of roots reggae classics. For example, I built my live intro around “Tenement Yard” by Jacob Miller, and I always reinterpret songs like Bob Marley’s with my own message and energy.
⸻
🎵 What was it like working with House of Riddim?
Incredible. Since 2015, I’ve had a deep connection with House of Riddim – the legendary backing band for Anthony B. We toured and recorded together, and what struck me most was their humility and integrity.
Every time I release a new album, I send it to them for feedback and blessings – including Jah Vibes Only. I’m proud to say I perform both solo and with them as my official live band when bookings come in. Being part of their circle is an honor.
⸻
🌿 What’s your heritage and musical legacy?
I’m part Jamaican, and that spirit runs deep in my sound. I’m not here to imitate – I’m here to continue the light. I also had the honor of opening for Alpha Blondy – a true milestone.
And there’s family history, too: I’m related to Debra Keese (aka Debbie Defire), who released the legendary roots track “Travelling” with the Black Five in 1977, produced by Lee “Scratch” Perry. That legacy lives on in me.
⸻
💫 Final words?
Music, for me, is a mirror of the soul. Through guitar, mouth trumpet, voice, and lyrics, I reflect the infinite love that lives in all of us.
Thank you for walking this path with me. More to come – always.
Blessings & Love Stephen Keise
*I’m honored that my single Victory Dance has reached the Top 3 of the weekly charts on RFI 102.1 FM — a moment I’ll never forget.
RFI 102.1 FM, known as Radio Free Iyanola, is more than just a station. Founded in 1975 in Soufrière, Saint Lucia, it stands as a cultural cornerstone in the Caribbean – a voice of roots, resistance, and rhythm.
Back in the 1970s, RFI was among the stations that helped carry the fire of reggae to the world, playing the music of legends like Bob Marley, Peter Tosh, and Burning Spear at a time when their messages were just beginning to reach global ears. RFI was — and still is — part of that golden era of radio that amplified voices of truth, liberation, and spirit.
Today, that same spirit lives on as RFI continues to support conscious artists and uplift the next generation of reggae music. To be featured on their charts is not just an honor — it feels like joining a legacy.
by Stephen Keise
Stephen Keise – Q&A: Most Asked Community Questions
Community Edition – May 2025
Lately, I’ve been getting a lot of questions about my journey, my music, and my creative process – so I thought it was time to sit down and answer some of the most frequently asked ones. Thank you for your love, your curiosity, and your support. Here’s a deeper look into my story:
⸻
🎶 How did you get started with music?
I’m completely self-taught – a true autodidact. I never took formal lessons in guitar, singing, or trumpet. Everything I do comes from instinct, deep listening, and years of personal practice. Later on, I refined my skills through YouTube tutorials and daily discipline.
Even as a kid, melodies were always around me. I used to hum my own songs all day, inspired by everything – birdsong, TV commercials, even the Nike ad that used “Instant Karma!” by John Lennon. That moment shaped my musical intuition early on.
To this day, when I play mouth trumpet, it feels like a divine presence is guiding me. I just follow the melody that’s already inside. Music is my way of connecting to something greater – it brings me into the now.
⸻
✍🏽 When did you start writing your own songs?
I recorded my first demo, The Green Sessions, at around 14 years old – on MiniDisc at a friend’s house. That’s also when I began writing lyrics. I still have those old notebooks.
People used to say my lyrics were “too deep” or “too complex” and told me to simplify – but I stayed true to myself. Over the years, I refined that voice, and it’s what you hear in my music today.
⸻
🎤 What inspired your shift from rap to singing?
I started out with rap – that was my first big love. But when I heard Mos Def singing on “The Love Song” by Bush Babees, it blew my mind. I realized I didn’t have to choose between rapping and singing – I could do both. That blend became my signature.
⸻
🎸 How did your sound evolve over time?
At some point, I picked up the guitar and started beatboxing and playing mouth trumpet. In 2017, during a beatbox workshop with Syrian refugee kids, I reconnected with the mouth trumpet – and it never left me again.
I’m hugely inspired by Miles Davis, but I developed my own unique trumpet style – something raw, soulful, and new. For me, the combination of voice, guitar, and mouth trumpet creates a sound that mirrors the soul.
⸻
📀 What are you working on now?
Right now, I’m doing daily live sessions on YouTube: Stephen Keise – Live Reggae Daily. I perform full sets from my latest album Jah Vibes Only, including my single Victory Dance* which I love performing live.
These sets also include reimagined versions of roots reggae classics. For example, I built my live intro around “Tenement Yard” by Jacob Miller, and I always reinterpret songs like Bob Marley’s with my own message and energy.
⸻
🎵 What was it like working with House of Riddim?
Incredible. Since 2015, I’ve had a deep connection with House of Riddim – the legendary backing band for Anthony B. We toured and recorded together, and what struck me most was their humility and integrity.
Every time I release a new album, I send it to them for feedback and blessings – including Jah Vibes Only. I’m proud to say I perform both solo and with them as my official live band when bookings come in. Being part of their circle is an honor.
⸻
🌿 What’s your heritage and musical legacy?
I’m part Jamaican, and that spirit runs deep in my sound. I’m not here to imitate – I’m here to continue the light. I also had the honor of opening for Alpha Blondy – a true milestone.
And there’s family history, too: I’m related to Debra Keese (aka Debbie Defire), who released the legendary roots track “Travelling” with the Black Five in 1977, produced by Lee “Scratch” Perry. That legacy lives on in me.
⸻
💫 Final words?
Music, for me, is a mirror of the soul. Through guitar, mouth trumpet, voice, and lyrics, I reflect the infinite love that lives in all of us.
Thank you for walking this path with me. More to come – always.
Blessings & Love
Stephen Keise
*I’m honored that my single Victory Dance has reached the Top 3 of the weekly charts on RFI 102.1 FM — a moment I’ll never forget.
RFI 102.1 FM, known as Radio Free Iyanola, is more than just a station. Founded in 1975 in Soufrière, Saint Lucia, it stands as a cultural cornerstone in the Caribbean – a voice of roots, resistance, and rhythm.
Back in the 1970s, RFI was among the stations that helped carry the fire of reggae to the world, playing the music of legends like Bob Marley, Peter Tosh, and Burning Spear at a time when their messages were just beginning to reach global ears. RFI was — and still is — part of that golden era of radio that amplified voices of truth, liberation, and spirit.
Today, that same spirit lives on as RFI continues to support conscious artists and uplift the next generation of reggae music. To be featured on their charts is not just an honor — it feels like joining a legacy.
3 months ago | [YT] | 4