Akilah Baptiste aims for power in music industry

Soul/R&B singer Akilah “KillaBee” Baptiste wants to show people that Trinidadians don’t only produce soca and calypso music, but can excel in other genres.

She said she came into music in a haphazard way in that most people would have studied music and have a proper background and training in music.

“I loved music, I listened to a lot of music and I used to write poetry and music as a hobby, as my own little thing I enjoyed doing, and I would share it with my friend group but it wasn’t something I did on a big scale, but it wasn’t something I viewed as a career choice.

“My iPhone had Garage Band and it allowed me to mix songs, so I started to record songs, and I made full songs for fun. I would share them with my friends and they used to tell me I should do it for real.”

While doing a degree in Electrical and Computer Engineering at UWI St Augustine, Baptiste attempted to do a minor in something artistic/theatrical, but this fell through. She was able to join the UWI African Society as an outlet for her creativity.

“I got a lot of experience dancing and performing. It wasn’t by myself as an artiste, but it put me in a space to meet people and work with people who actually see creativity as a serious thing.”

She said she was planning to do something with music after she graduated, but as with many people, the covid19 pandemic gave her the impetus to try to live her dream.

“Covid hit and I was like, what if I die? What would I have done for myself? So I decided to put a song out there. I uploaded it to my Instagram stories for whoever would listen and people were asking when they would get another one. I was really surprised.

“Then I did a better mix of a song called Eclipse and uploaded it on YouTube and SoundCloud only, but I pushed it as Akilah KillaBee is releasing a song. A lot of people liked it and I got plays on online radio shows, so it seemed like people are enjoying it.”

She then officially released her first song, Gyal Apology, on streaming services in 2020, on her birthday, August 12.

“It was pretty popular, and to date is my most popular song. It played on our local radio stations and people reached out about it, I did interviews, and it played on international radio as well. I got a lot of positive feedback and I was like, I guess I’m a hit now.”

Baptiste said she thought she had always been preparing to be an artist subconsciously as she had been in a band with her cousins as a child while growing up in Lower Santa Cruz, before her family moved to Arima.

She grew up listening to Luther Vandross, Whitney Houston, Barry White and Aretha Franklin, as her parents listened to them constantly, and her sister also used to sing 90s/early 2000’s soul and R&B at home.

“I do try to bring Caribbean elements into it, because I’m from home. Not necessarily soca, but I have one line in the song that is slightly more Trini or reference something Trini. I still have an international feel to the song, but if you’re from here, that line will make you say, that person isn’t from abroad. I try to find a different way to express myself.”

The 26-year-old singer said she considered any music sung by local artistes as local, although many people around her seem to feel otherwise.

“I know people say soca and calypso are the main genres, but we are a whole people and we have multiple experiences outside of party and jam. We go through emotions, we go through things, and yes those can be expressed in those genres but it can also be expressed in other genres, so I don’t mind letting others see we can do this too, once you do it from a place of pride.”

Baptiste said she’s often been advised to sing soca, as “it would be easier to make it big.

“Every time someone tells me that, I tell them the same thing. I love socal too much to do that, because I feel it’s kind of disrespectful to use soca as some kind of get big quick genre. If I’m going to sing a soca it will be because I really woke up a day with a good idea and I want to put respect and time behind it.

“That’s what I feel our thing deserves, and that the people who put forward the energy to do that should be celebrated. I wouldn’t want to put myself forward as a soca artiste knowing that if I make it big, I wouldn’t be the one to carry soca to the world like that when there are people who put the time and energy towards that.”

The musician said one of her inspirations when it came to work ethic, attention to detail and performance standard was Beyonce, even if her music wasn’t everyone’s cup of tea. Another inspiration is Janet Jackson, who Baptiste admired for her willingness to be open about her sensuality.

She said she tries to show the public she respects what she’s doing with her music.

“Doing this genre is difficult. It’s not the most heavily pushed here, and as I’m getting older I want to have things, I want to have a house, etc. Thus far, no matter what I do, I do it in a way that shows I respect what I’m doing, so if you were to stumble across my page, it wouldn’t give too much upcoming artist who isn’t taking it seriously.

“I’d rather take more time and spend more dust to get a proper quality mix and visuals, as much as I could afford at the time, even though it’s stressing me out, because I want it to be seen that I’m trying, and that I can fulfill any opportunities I’m given.”

Baptiste’s plans for 2024 are to release more music. She released a four song EP album in 2022, and has written and produced ten songs, as well as being featured with other artists. She also wants to begin doing live shows where she is the headliner.

“I want to connect to the people who have shown support for me more directly. They would have seen me perform in many places, but it would not have been hosted by me. I want to begin that process with the people who have been making it easier, looking forward to what’s coming next and asking me about it, giving me that glimmer of maybe I can do this, making the people who have been there feel seen.”

Her extended goal is to be able to be in a position of power via music.

“I would like to be able to alleviate people’s struggles in some way, even if it’s just mentally or socially, or get people interested in certain things. I feel I have a middle ground point of view where I would have done the complete academic route, and so I know what it’s like from both sides.

“I don’t think artists necessarily need to be social activists. I want to be in a position where even if I don’t know what to say about a particular situation, my role could be finding the person who’s educated about that and give them a platform.

“Musically, I want to build my brand and reach a performance pinnacle. I’m trying to

KillaBee’s music can be found on all streaming platforms, including Apple Music, Spotify, and YouTube.