On his music, he said, “It’s a collective of music from my team ‘Divine 9′. It’ supposed to be a soundtrack of our lives in a sense. These songs all came about organically from various emotions, memories, times and atmospheres that we try to convey to our audience.”
Regarding his plans for 2018, he said, “Each artist on the Divine 9 roster will be individually putting on for the team with the release of our collective mix-tape ‘996’ as well as our next solo projects. With that in mind our goal this year is to try and make as much passionate content and get the right exposure to hopefully propel us to a point where we can make this a full time commitment.”
On being a performing artist on Long Island, he noted that it comes with mixed emotions. “No one is really ‘putting on’ for Long Island right now. For us, we’re trying to just bring up the scene as an entirety to Long Island. February 1st we’re holding an event at Amityville Music Hall where it’s a ‘If your anybody who’s somebody on Long Island’ you got to be there. Everywhere is popping right now except Long Island, Florida, and Los Angeles. Long Island definitely has the right artists coming up right now that are ready to pop off; those are the artists that will be performing with us on February 1st.”
His musical influences include Nas, Lupe Fiasco, Kanye West, System Of a Down, and Slipknot.
Regarding the impact of technology in the music industry, he said, “It has created more accessibility for artists to do their thing. It has created the opportunity to take music to new territories. I’m all for new technology and advancement. Its human nature to progress and adapt. It’s on the individual to learn with the times and keep moving forward. Divine 9 is filled head to toe with ambitious forward thinking creative people who understand the changing landscape of the [music] industry.”
When asked how he used technology in his music routine, he said, “I do everything on my own and that’s because of the cheat code that is technology. I record myself, mix myself, shoot and edit my music videos and photos, do my own web development, Graphics, and clothing design. Without technology, I wouldn’t know where I’d be but regardless I know I’d be making something artistic. That’s just the nature within me to always stay busy.”
On his dream duet collaborations, he said, “First, my dream duet based off being a fan of their music and knowing we could make some classic records together. Second, a dream duet that I think would make some epic music for today’s market. First would be Kendrick Lamar & Ab-Soul. I admire both of their strength and focus on political and societal issues while always being relevant. Second would definitely have to be 6ix9ine (He’s a Super villain and I’m an Anti-Hero) mixed with Cole Bennett (The full vision for the record wouldn’t be complete without him).”
For his listeners, he concluded, “I just want everyone to really enjoy it. All my music is made to be felt. Different music for different situations. I make music that should be the soundtrack to the different experiences in your life.”
To learn more about Kenny Orlando, check out his Facebook page, and follow him on Twitter.
