[FEATURE] VIPER PRESENTS: JEFFREY THE KIDDD

UK R&B star and K-pop songwriter Jeffrey the KiDDD follows up his stunning debut single ‘Stop It!’ with this VIPER interview. Get to know the man behind the music…

What five words define your sound?

Vibe, Old-school, Sick, Loud and Dope!

Tell me something unique about your creative process.

Well I’m heavily inspired by the beat when it comes to creating. Being a street dancer I hear and can resinate with certain feelings and emotions whether it be a fast or slow instrumental, or even just samples or parts of a drum pattern. I also love melodies, melodies that are easy to remember as well as flows. I grew up on Busta Rhymes and Ludacris, those two artists are vital inspirations for me as they took melodies and pockets to a whole new level for me.

Which song of yours would you like people to hear first?

I would say my current song ‘Stop It!’. It’s the introduction to me and my artistry. I have many other songs that are completely different but you always want something that represents you in a way that you’re showcasing something that’s unique; and I feel this is the perfect song to do so.

What inspired you to make that song?

A lot of things [laughs]! I love storytelling in music, I don’t think its a done a lot of the time; especially as drastic as how this song is. My EP is called ‘Diary of a Fxck Boy’, I narrate stories of ‘situationships’ as well as love stories that are sometimes society points out as a bad thing. My whole thing is that although ‘non exclusive’ relationships are frowned upon by some, I’m making it very clear as to what you’re
getting yourself into before we take things further, it’s also stories that my friends have told me about from their personal experiences as well as mine.

What’s the most vulnerable you’ve allowed yourself to be when writing/making music?

There’s a song on the project called ‘Did It Over’. It’s about a time where I knew I messed up, I let someone who was so honest and real with me go, it’s that saying ‘you never know what you have until it’s gone’. It’s my letter of apology and being brave to say lets start again and this time I’ll be better and do better. I think that’s the most vulnerable I have been so far, a lot of pride and ego had to be let go [laughs]!

What’s the best/worst experience you’ve had on stage?

Erm… well I’m yet to do my first performance however I’m no stranger when it comes to the stage. So I will say when ‘sound engineers’ can’t get your sound right! As a singer it’s so hard to hear yourself without in ear-monitors or wedges, especially playing in big spaces. I’ve had some shocking experiences where the sound in my in ears are completely gone and the sound tech doesn’t know how to fix the issue, yet there’s thousands of people watching and not understanding why you can’t hear the music. It sounds easy but it’s very technical from both sides, it’s just annoying when it happens but that’s the worst experience I’ve had.

What is your favourite song to perform?

I’m yet to perform my stuff but I’m super excited, it’s going to be wavvyyy.. I think people are going to be in for a treat especially when they see it live. There’s a performance video of my song ‘Stop It!’ on YouTube to give you an idea of what to kinda expect.

Which artist/song/album made you want to make music?

I say this all the time, Michael Jackson is the beginning, middle and end of music for me. That ‘BAD’ album! Yeah there must have been something in the water in 1987 because that album is by far the reason I’m in this. Michael is my biggest inspiration in music. I’m probs lowkey the biggest MJ fan [laughs].

What’s the meaning behind your name?

Good question! So I never liked my first name ‘Jeffrey’. I always would shorten it to Jeff or J, it just didn’t sound like it fit me (no disrespect mum!). I said to myself my name is my name and I’m just gonna own it but add some personality to it. So because I see myself and my peeps who know me know I am a big kid, I just added the kid but with three d’s at the end. Just because the number three is my fave number, I’m the third born in my family and I think it looked cool to me.

If you weren’t making music, what would you be doing instead?

I’d deffo be doing something music related, whether that be writing treatments for music videos or directing music shows or even films. Over the years I’ve found a love for the art in a different way, its almost like I’ve been reborn or something. Another love of mine is fashion and trainers, my poor bank account! I only ever wear Nike trainers and my collection is mad, deffo need to see a doctor [laughs] because the obsession isn’t right.

What’s success to you?

Success to me is getting it done. There’s no level of gratitude or numbers or likes that can take away from you seeing the vision in your head and completing it. It took me a while to understand that value and concept but over the years I have been so lucky to sit down with myself and understand the blessings God has given me. I think its definitely a conversation everyone needs to have and understand because we live in a world where its not talked about enough. Success comes with a lot of hard work,
sacrifice, risk, pain, working with others and joy and I’m claiming more success for all I do.

What moment in your life/career forced you to change direction?

I’ve always been music based, I’ve always worked in music so I’ve never changed my direction. If anything I’d say I’ve deffo implemented more of what I bring to the table in terms of what you hear in my music. I love to sing rap which is a style that was made popular by people like Lauryn Hill, Craig David and Destiny’s Child. So I’d say I’m bringing more of that into the mix of what I do as I know its something I don’t really hear a lot of.

Where can people keep in touch with you?

Hit me up on everything @jeffreythekiddd