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St. Maarten singer Kenyo brings a 'message of unity' to opening of Reflecting on Covid expo in Brabant Friday
By Marvin Hokstam
AMSTERDAM -- When Dutch king Willem Alexander officiates the opening of the roving memorial “Reflecting on Covid” on Friday September 29, 2023, in the province of Brabant, one face will stand out on stage: that of St. Maarten singer Kenyo Baly. The charismatic 27-year-old performer with the velvet baritone will be singing the song “Hometown Glory by Adele” to a kingdom-wide audience.
"I feel a sense of pride to be asked and to be able to contribute to such an honourable event,” Kenyo said in an exclusive interview over the weekend. “Being a representative of St. Maarten and the wider Caribbean … it fills me with a sense of happiness that I can do that with my gift. I am going to sing and project, and show that sense of patriotism that we share here in St. Maarten. In the spirit of unity that this event stands for. In the spirit of healing through music. Music Is universal.”
In the roving exposition “Reflecting on Covid” that opens on Friday at the provinciehuis of Noord-Brabant, 40 Kingdom residents look back on people who left an impression on them during the pandemic.
A Kingdom Information Service a press release explained that the expo is an initiative by the cabinet to look back on the consequences that the corona crisis has had on society. The exhibition is organized by the National Committee to reflect on corona, chaired by Arno Brok, the King's Commissioner in the Province of Fryslân. Event organizer Bee-Agency is in charge of the programming.
“The corona pandemic was the greatest crisis in the Kingdom of the past 75 years. Corona affected everyone in a different way. There was solidarity, gratitude and love, but also loneliness, fear and anger. The 40 stories listed in the exhibition are accompanied by photos from the corona years. Each person interviewed is asked one central question: who do you think about in relation to covid?” the press release stated.
The opening ceremony on Friday is framed with stories, music, dance and an official moment of reflection. Dutch broadcaster NOS will stream the program live nationally, including in the Dutch Caribbean islands.
After opening on Friday, the exhibition will travel to various provinces. The intention is for the memorial to also travel to the Caribbean islands, in a version made specifically to appeal to the region. The opening of that expo will be conducted by the Chairman of the National Committee when he travels to the islands later this year.
St. Maarten singer Kenyo was approached to be part of the program of the opening ceremony, as the exhibition explicitly set out to be as inclusive as possible. The 40 stories in the expo include stories from stories from several ethnic communities.
AFRO Magazine delivered several stories from the Black community. Journalists from the islands contributed with stories from the Dutch Caribbean. Including a singer in the line-up fit seamlessly in the goal for inclusivity.
A singer from jump
Kenyo considers it an honor. “I have been singing as long as I can remember. Music was always prominent in our house. Apostle Romney from Chirstian assembly in La Savane in Saint Martin is my great uncle. My grandmother and everybody in my family were always singing in church. My mom sang in a choir and my dad was a musician. So basically, I started right out of kindergarten. That’s when I fell in love with singing. It was inevitable that I would make music my profession,” he said.
Born on the Dutch side and raised on French side, he is fluent in both languages that are predominantly spoken on the islands. He took part in singing competitions from a young age, but it was when he relocated to New York in 2011 at age 15 to live with his aunt that he started winning. “I attended Uniondale high school in Long Island, where they have a good music program. After I sang for the director, he included me in the school choir; within three months we made national news when FOX 5 news came to interview us.”
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Kenyo returned to St. Maarten in 2013, enrolled at Learning Unlimited high school, where he started and directed the school choir that won the local “Interscholastic Idols” singing competition, while he also won as a single performance act. Prior to that he won the Teen Times talent competition and the Telcel breakthrough competition. Then he returned to New York in 2014 to finish high school and become the first black male lead vocalist to win FAME Showchoir competition at Lincoln centre in Manhattan.
"After I graduated in 2014, I went professional. I worked with the producer Jus D from Barbados, created my first few Soca songs with which I entered the Soca Rumble Carnival Competition in St. Maarten in 2017. In won in the groovy category with the song “Who yuf fuh”. That is my biggest single to date.”
Kenyo went on to win the carnival title the following year again, with the song “In frontah me” and in 2019 he competed in the Soca competition for the last time, ending as first runner up in the groovy category. “Then I started diving into other genres. I was kind of over the Soca genre. I wanted to broaden my horizon, so I tried out different producers. I went back to Barbados, travelled throughout the world, went through different hurdles to come back to where I am now, in a good scene that I am confident with.”
He said that he is dabbling in different styles, perfecting and honing his songwriting skills. “I am now into a genre that I call Afrosoul. That sound of the Caribbean and soul music that is undoubtedly influenced by Africa, has always been out there. But I am making it mine, as I am influenced by Caribbean music influenced and soul is in my voice. I put those two genres together. Afrosoul is out there and I am owning it,” he said.
He added that he will show how much he owns it, when his next single comes out in the next month, entitled IBD1. “It’s on an EP that I have been working on for the past two years. It will contain 6 to 7 songs, all with a mature sound. It’s different from what people are used to from me. I have had experiences in life, in love, with family. This EP is me telling my story, about finding myself. It’s almost like a journal.”
And, he said, being in the line-up of the opening ceremony of the “Reflecting on Covid” expo, is in line with the evolution of his artistry. When he was approached, the initial intention was for him to be streamed life, singing from St. Maarten, but he took the initiative to be present at the opening.
“That felt so much better to share my gift at this event that has such an honourable concept. It is also why I chose to sing “Hometown glory” by Adele. It fits in the theme of reflecting in the life experiences we have all had during covid., It’s a song about coming back, about that sentiment of missing a part of you. Touches a lot of topics.”
Unity
Kenyo had his own reflections on covid. “We’ve all been affected by the pandemic. Many of us have lost loved ones.”
He recalled being stuck in London for six months when airport all around the world were closed during the lockdowns. “It was hard being in a place that I wasn’t used to. I caught covid when I was there. It makes me appreciate being able to share my talents and being in touch with people. Being able to travel.”
He continued. “Representing our people at this event makes me feel a sense of pride and a sense of responsibility. The experience of Covid was unique for people all over and we all share a similarity in the loss, grief, suffering we experience. And there is another side of the uniqueness. In 2017 we went through Hurricane Irma in St. Maarten and by 2019 we were still recovering from that"
The video was shot in St. Maarten and displays the devastation caused by Hurricane Irma on St. Maarten and the Caribbean. Since then, St.Maarten and her resilient people have now bounced back."
"And then we went through Covid.”
The singer said that Covid exposed a spirit of togetherness in St. Maarten.
As we have done after hurricanes hit us, we came together as a people. We are one island with two nations, Dutch and French side, but people have always been able to cross the borders because we are one people with family and friends on both sides. And then the Governments decided to close the borders during covid. For a brief period we needed to have a pass to go from one side to the next. It was a sad moment and we could not live that way. So we got our island back by fighting for it. There were demonstrations. We held a unity march and the ban on traveling on our island was lifted,” he said.
He concluded that performing in the Netherlands, in a sense will reinforce the resilience of the islands. “That’s the message I am bringing. I am coming with a mind of resilience and a message of overcoming. A message of unity.”