JAMES BKS INTERVIEW: VIPER PRESENTS [FEATURE]
JAMES BKS INTERVIEW: James BKS is a visionary French music producer known for his genre-bending soundscapes that fuse electronic music with African rhythms and soulful melodies. Get ready to delve into his creative process, his collaborations, and his unique perspective on the global music scene.
What five words define your sound?
Fusion, Heritage, Emotion, Journey, Unity.
Tell me something unique about your creative process:
For these new songs I’ve been working on, I stripped everything back until only truth remains and traded collaborators for choirs and silence. Kind of like sculpting in the dark, no need for mask, just instinct.
Which song of yours would you like people to hear first?
Start with « ‘On My Way’ », it’s my origin story, from basement beats to realising success blooms only when you stop chasing it.
What inspired you to make that song?
The quiet rebellion of loyalty as society glorifies drama, but ‘Waka Go’ is about the daily choice to protect love’s 15-year flame over a spark that’ll burn out by morning.
What’s the most vulnerable you’ve allowed yourself to be?
This is the first time in my life with this project I’m working on that I haven’t tried to be the good guy or the moralising voice, just an eternal student sharing his homework: doubts, temptations and all.
What’s the best/worst experience you’ve had on stage?
Best, probably when I got to perform in front of 40,000 people in Cameroon for the closing Ceremony of the African Nation Cup in 2021. My worst gig, playing Lyon’s Stade Gerland during a heatwave so brutal it fried our gear mid-set — but my band turned crisis into magic, improvising a fire acoustic set while techs scrambled!
What’s your favourite song to perform?
Not one in particular but the ones when the audience becomes the choir and sing along with those African harmonies.
Which artist/song/album made you want to make music?
Kanye West’s ‘Through the Wire’ struck me instantly because he poured raw resilience and hope into unfiltered storytelling, paired with a beat that made pain sound like triumph.
What’s the meaning behind your name?
James B.K.S stands for Best Kept Secret — it’s the quiet kid in the back of the class finally finding his voice, using every beat as a confession I was too scared to say out loud [laughs].
If you weren’t making music, what would you be doing instead?
I’d still be chasing my childhood dream of becoming a pilot honoring the love for aviation my father gave me, even though math grounded me [laughs].
What’s success to you?
Success is watching my son grow into his happiest self, staying close to my family and making music that feels true to my story while lifting others up.
What moment forced you to change direction?
Even after collabs with legends like will.i.am, Carlos Santana and Little Simz, I realised fans only connected when I stepped forward — so I left the safety of big names to tell my own story, grateful but unafraid to fly solo.
