Today we’d like to introduce you to Kris KeyZ.
Kris, before we jump into specific questions, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
Before working in the music industry, I loved playing basketball. I wasn’t heavily recruited coming out of high school, so I quit my summer job to play pick up ball and get better. A small junior college offered me my only scholarship. By my sophomore season I competed in the state all-star game and won the dunk contest. That elevated me as a top 40 recruit in the country and a full athletic scholarship to Tarleton State University. There I won three Conference Championships, Final four appearance, and won Defensive Player of The Year my senior year. I didn’t get drafted, but ended my career playing a few years semi-pro around the ABA and Mexico.
My dad was a pastor and started the first black owned music store in town. He would order a brandnew piano and teach me church songs on it until somebody bought what was now a used piano. Looking back, that was a great way of investing into me. I learned music instruments, but more importantly I got to learn business by watching my dad.
In 2009, those childhood lessons helped me launch my own Production Company called Kris KeyZ Productions LLC. I quickly rallied the community and started releasing music independently. “The Genesis”, “This Christmas”, “Austin Christmas”, and “Be The Change” are some of my most popular projects featuring top local talent.
Grammy Award winning Producer Sidney “Omen” Brown was introduced to me. We instantly began sharing ideas and working on beats thru email. It’s crazy we literally have hundreds of beats and songs together now. Some projects we collaborated on featured Philippines pop star Julie Anne San Jose EP which hit #1 on Philippines iTunes charts. NBA All-Star Damian Lillard aka D.A.M.E. Dolla “The Letter O” album peaked #119 on US Billboard Charts with production credits. The album featured Lil Wayne, Jamie Foxx, Raphael Saadiq, Juvenile, Marsha Ambrosius, and Adrian Marcel. Our latest collab is call “My Summer Time” featuring Stella Santana. Daughter of Hall of Fame legend Carlos Santana. Other music released thru Kris KeyZ Productions catalog have been licensed to, several Independent films, OWN network, MTV, and FOX television.
Staying active in the studio brings challenge at times. The best way I cope is getting out and playing live. There’s still no replaceable feeling for me like live music. I started out playing keyboards at local clubs and with wedding bands. I eventually played stage theatres and shared the same bill with several grammy award winning artists such as John Legend, Baby Face, Anthony Hamilton, Miguel, and Prince Royce. The City of Austin commemorated my efforts with a proclamation from the Mayor of Austin and a custom painted piano.
My platform is now being used to form community events, as well as help up and coming artist perform on stages such as Official South by Southwest artist, Atlantic Records, MTV Woodie Awards, and with perform with major acts such as The Chainsmokers.
I’m currently sharing decades of experience and resources to music creators, artist, and producers all around the world looking to elevate the music career, money, and mindset. I release a podcast called #TheKeyZMethod and free music tutorials each week on YouTube, Fall 2020 I will start offering online piano and production courses to individuals looking for that extra support.
For Merch Visit: www.thekeyzmethod.com
YouTube: www.youtube.com/kriskeyz
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
I’ve found that once I started enjoying the process those same challenges didn’t seem like challenges anymore. Unfortunately, there’s no real rule book or application to being successful in the music industry. It’s truly one of those industries where its survival of the fittest and you got to earn your 10k hours.
To help the next generation get from point A to Z faster I started my podcast called #TheKeyZMethod. I have a series called 14 KeyZ of thinking like a pro. I ask 14 different friends in the music industry the tough questions and package the answers it in a way any up and coming artist, producer, or engineer can get professional information all in one place. The value is coming straight from grammy award winners, platinum recording artist, and rising stars in the industry who managed to quit their 9-5 to do music.
Kris KeyZ Productions – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
I run a production company that creates music for Major and Independent artist, Labels, Film, and content creators. My team and I specialize on creating for major artist while being an on ramp for rising up and coming talent. We complement the artist needs and sound by directly focusing on producing their next timeless hit record.
So, what’s next? Any big plans?
The KeyZ Method! I’ve found early on in my career that giving back is way more fun that receiving. I’m still grinding to put platinum plaques and grammys in my trophy room, but I’ve noticed a great response from the YouTube videos I’ve been posting. Apart of good business is following where the interest is coming from. There’s still a lot of people who wouldn’t mind taking a piano course or two from me. Maybe more kid wants to learn how to produce hip hop beats using my tricks and hacks.
I plan to continue growing my team of producers, writers, and artist. I want to grow with them and feature them as some of the best working in the game. As I enjoy the process of building that I will continue showing the world a behind the scene look of Kris KeyZ Productions through my YouTube channel and online tutorials.
Pricing:
- Zoom Consultation $20 for 20 min.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.thekeyzmethod.com
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/kriskeyz2.0
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/kriskeyz
- Twitter: www.twitter.com/kriskeyz
- Other: www.kriskeyz.com
Image Credit:
Louie Ayuma
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