MEET KAYTRANADA
He went from remixing tracks in his parents’ basement to opening for Madonna. Now he’s the coolest artist on the planet.
Adecade ago, Louis Celestin reinvented himself as DJ and producer Kaytranada (or simply Kaytra) unleashing homemade remixes of Janet Jackson, Justin Timberlake and Rihanna to SoundCloud and YouTube. They were so good the music biz took notice and, six years later, his debut album 99% won Canada’s top music award.
Working with Mary J Blige, Snoop Dogg and, yes, Janet Jackson, he’s released the follow-up, Bubba bringing some big-name talent on board for what he calls “something dope but dancey”.
Besides Pharrell Williams (on the crowdpleasing Midsection), Estelle (the moody Oh No) and Tinashe (on The Worst In Me), Kaytra also taps new talent like Kali Uchis on the slinky, neo-soul of 10%, which might just be the coolest record you’ve heard since last summer – no matter which hemisphere you’re in!
After appearing alongside gay-inclusive boy band Brockhampton during Australia’s FOMO festival in January, Montréal-based Kaytra has definitely become one to watch this decade.
The title of the 27-year-old Haitian-Canadian’s new album comes from a strain of weed, Kush Bubba, which he used to, er, assist with his creative process. “It’s a cool name and kind of catchy,” he decrees deadpan.
There’s already another whole album ready to go, recorded at the same time as Bubba, but Kaytra’s waiting for clearance on the samples he’s used from other people’s songs. “Sampling is my main sound,” he chuckles. Working with Pharrell Williams on Bubba was, Katrya says, “just what I thought he was going to be when I was growing up. In our session, he said, ‘Put me into your world, into Kaytranada’s world… I’m just a chameleon!’ That’s why I see him as one of the best collaborators. He just gets it. I grew up seeing Pharrell with Justin Timberlake and Britney Spears, so if someone wanted to reach out to me like that I’d be down with that.”
To that end, back in 2009 at the start of his career, he tweeted, “Shout out to Madonna – you’re an inspiration.” Six years later she talentspotted him and he opened for her during the Rebel Heart tour in 2016.
“I didn’t want to do those big stadium shows because that’s, like, not cool,” he explains, “but she called me and asked me to do her shows. She brought me to Quebec City and gave me the limo and everything so I could see how the show was. I accepted because it was Madonna and I also did the show in her hometown of Detroit.”
Dropping out of school, much to his parents’ horror, and going out on the road as a DJ, Kaytra quickly found himself lonely, depressed and, worst of all, closeted.
“At the age of 21 I was on tour and every night it was the same music and it was work, work, work and not thinking about myself,” he explains. “I used to drink every night and realised that was why I was so depressed, so now I don’t drink so much. The touring got me so old quickly.”
Asked about his personal life, Kaytra insists he is “super private and I’m just quiet, minding my own business and in my own head”.
He came out as gay when he was 23. “I was sick of it, so over it. I was going through a big phase and in my mind was set to be straight because people around me made out that it’s wrong to be gay,” he recalls. “I came to the realisation that it was time to think about myself and everybody was so positive with it and people were congratulating me.”
One thing Kaytra doesn’t want to be, though, is pigeonholed as just a gay artist.
“My personal life is so different to my music,” he reveals. “People who come out always get put in a box and I don’t think it’s right. I want my music to reach everybody.”
MORE: Bubba is released through Sony Music. For more on Kaytranada visit Facebook, Twitter, Soundcloud, YouTube or kaytranada.com
I didn’t want to do those big stadium shows because that’s, like, not cool… but I accepted because it was Madonna.