When you think of reggae, the first thing that pops into your head is – aaahhhhh good old Uncle Bob…… Lucky Dube…. UB40. Some big names in Reggae that have played their part in every Fijians lives. Tomorrow People, a band out of Wellington in New Zealand are out to do the same and have come through with their BBQ Reggae E.P which features Jamaican Artist, Conkarah and was released back in January, and in doing so, knocked off Ed Sheeran from top spot on NZ top 40 albums chart.
We talked to Ken who came into studio with his beautiful wife and got an inside scoop on BBQ Reggae E.P and Tomorrow People.
Consisting of 7 members, formed in the capital of New Zealand 10 years ago, and achieving success with their debut album ONE which stayed on NZ music charts for 52 weeks and was also certified Gold. The band have come a long way to BBQ Reggae E.P, which was created to prove a point about an article in 2012 that was written with pessimistic views on the genre.
It was with the determination of proving the article wrong, that Tomorrow People created BBQ Reggae, to highlight the good and optimistic vibes of why people love Reggae Music so much. It was also with this E.P that they showcased their talent of turning negative into positive outcomes with unique style and lyrics in BBQ Reggae.
As we sat and talked with Ken about life as a musician and where music has taken him to, I was taken aback by the fact that for a man that had traveled places and was really popular in a country much bigger than ours, he was very humble, down to earth and overall a really cool guy! (Two thumbs up for you Ken)
So we started the interview with the formalities, getting to know each other, and talked about the band in general, and one track in general which caught our attention because it featured Conkarah, from Jamaica. He told us about how they were in Guam for a show and met Conkarah who was part of the lineup for the show that they were performing at and decided to jump on the opportunity to ask him to be on the track “Where I Stand” and he loved it – it has that Jamican/NZ reggae vibe to it and is a BOMB track!
Out of curiosity, we asked Ken how he found out about MixFM, because before his trip to Fiji he had never heard of us, his reply “I just typed in google, name me the best radio station in Fiji and bang, MixFM came up and we are here.”
Asking Ken about before Tomorrow People, if he ever thought music would get him this far, he told us he basically had no idea what he was getting himself into, but he talked about their visit to Tahiti, where English is well…..not so common and they barely speak it at all and how they played a show there, and how he was amazed at how they were reciting the song back to them in English while they were playing – it’s amazing the power of music!
Now why the name, Tomorrow People, Ken? Hmmmm
Yes incase you were wondering, it is off the song “Tomorrow People” – why? so when people hear the name they can associate it with Reggae music, and they were always looking for new ways to promote their new music, highlighting on new techniques which linked the name of their band to their goals as well.
Before we wrapped up the interview we asked Ken for advice to young aspiring artists – his reply – keep building, practice your craft and you’re always learning new things everyday.
Now, if you haven’t had a listen to the E.P, I suggest you do, because it is AWEEESOOMMEEE! Just like the title of the E.P – BBQ Reggae, it would be one that would well suit your next BBQ get together or if you’re looking for something to chill to while down at the beach having a few cold ones to beat the heat or if you LOVE your REGGAE music, this E.P is what you need!
Check out their new E.P – available on Spotify and Apple Music.
