Kae Sun

Kae Sun is the stage name of Kwaku Darko-Mensah Jnr, a Ghanaian-born Canadian singer-songwriter, producer and artist.

Kwaku Darko-Mensah Jnr.
Background information
Birth nameKwaku Darko-Mensah Jnr.
BornAccra, Ghana
Genres
Occupation(s)
Years active2006–present
Websitewww.kaesunmusic.com

Early life

Kwaku was born in Accra, his parents had resettled in Ghana after being based in Germany for several years.[2] He immigrated to Canada to study Columbia International College and later attended McMaster University graduating with a degree in Multimedia and Philosophy.[3] In Accra he attended Achimota School where he first started writing and performing music.[3]

Career

While attending university, Kwaku started using the stage name Kae Sun, performing at local clubs and making demo recordings. He also started playing guitar and experimenting with different styles and sounds.[3] He first gained some recognition when he was awarded a local music prize.

Kae Sun recorded and released his debut Lion on a Leash in 2009 largely funded by a grant from the Ontario Arts Council. He soon after re-located to Toronto, Ontario. Lion On A Leash was well received among critics, garnering further recognition for Kae Sun.[4] [5]

Kwaku followed up his debut with the EP Outside The Barcode, a folky, pared-down collection of songs inspired by his return to Ghana after years of living in Canada.[6] The song Firefly Dance from this collection was a KCRW Top Tune of the day.[7]

2013 - 2015: Afriyie

Kae Sun's second LP Afriyie was released in May 2013 and was co-produced by Kae Sun and production duo Science! (Joshua Sadlier-Brown and Marc Koecher). The record received favourable reviews from publications like exclaim and Afropunk. An MTV Iggy profile of the record said, " With Afriyie, Kae Sun has managed to emerge as one of the most promising singer-songwriters in the international scene."[8] The tour for Afriyie included a set at the inaugural CBC music festival, support for the Toronto stop of Janelle Monáe's Electric Lady Tour and solo engagements in Germany.[2]

The song "Heart Healing Pulse" from Afriyie was included in the Strumbo Hundo 2013, television personality George Stroumboulopoulos's list of the top songs of that year.[9] The Roots affiliated site OkayAfrica also lauded Afriyie as one of the best releases of 2013.[10]

In April 2014, Kae Sun made his U.S debut at the Apollo Theatre in Harlem, as part of the theatre's Africa Now Festival.[11]

"Ship and The Globe", the lead single from Afriyie is featured in several episodes of It's Okay, That's Love. The song debuted at number 3 on the South Korea Gaon International Chart

Kae Sun has released a collaborative multimedia project featuring a short film and installation with art director Emeka Alams and German filmmaker Simon Rittmeier. The project included a 4-song E.P. released digitally[12][13]

2018 - Present : Whoever Comes Knocking

Kae Sun released his third LP Whoever Comes Knocking on March 2, 2018. The LP features the singles Stalk and Treehouse.[14][15]

Discography

EPs
Year EP details
2007 Ghost Town Prophecy
2011 Outside the Barcode
  • Label: File Under: Music
  • Format: Digital download
2015 Oceans Apart
  • Label: File Under: Music
  • Release date: November 20, 2015
  • Formats: Digital download, cassette
2017 Canary
  • Label: Moonshine
  • Release date: March 10, 2017
  • Formats: Digital download, Stream

LPs
Year Album details
2009 Lion on a Leash
2013 Afriyie
  • Label: URBNET
  • Formats: Vinyl, digital download
2018 Whoever Comes Knocking
  • Label: Moonshine
  • Formats: Vinyl, digital download

Compilation albums
Year Album details
2014 Ship and The Globe (Special Edition)

Asia only

Singles
  • "Lion on a Leash" (iTunes) – 2009
  • "Ship and the Globe" (iTunes) – 2012
  • "When the Pot" (iTunes) - 2013
  • "Canary" (iTunes) - 2016
  • "Flip The Rules" (iTunes) - 2017
  • "Stalk" (digital) - 2017
  • "Treehouse" (digital) - 2018
  • "Bright Lights" (digital) - 2021

Bibliography

Flood Season (Flipped Eye, 2021) ISBN 9781905233762

References
  1. Sarah Mackenzie (20 June 2018). "Kae Sun finds his place with his own blend of African pop". Red Bull. Retrieved 19 February 2019.
  2. Jan Stopel (21 February 2014). "Kae Sun "Zurückhaltend und mächtig präsent"". kultur-vollzug. kultur-vollzug. p. 1. Retrieved 16 April 2014.
  3. Graham Rockingham (4 June 2013). "Kae Sun "Kae Sun's star is rising"". Hamilton Spectator. Hamilton Spectator. p. 1. Retrieved 16 April 2014.
  4. Enyi Emiseh (12 December 2010). "Kae Sun "Lion on a Leash"". Okayplayer. Okayplayer Inc. p. 1. Archived from the original on 2 February 2011. Retrieved 21 December 2011.
  5. Anonymous (12 December 2009). "Kae Sun "Lion on a Leash"". Nomadic Wax. Nomadic Wax Inc. p. 1. Retrieved 15 February 2010.
  6. Alex Nino Checiu (19 July 2011). "Kae Sun "Outside The Barcode by Kae Sun"". Torontoist. Torontoist. p. 1. Retrieved 16 April 2014.
  7. "Kae Sun "FireFly Dance"". KCRW. KCRW.com. 23 March 2012. p. 1. Retrieved 16 April 2014.
  8. Boima Tucker (22 July 2013). "Kae Sun "Teasing out the many threads of Kae Sun's Afriyie"". MTV. MTV IGGY. p. 1. Archived from the original on 19 April 2014. Retrieved 16 April 2014.
  9. Strombo Team (6 January 2014). "The Top 100 Songs of 2013". CBC. CBC. Archived from the original on 1 March 2016. Retrieved 19 April 2014.
  10. OkayAfrica (20 December 2013). "Best Releases of 2013". OkayAfrica. OkayAfrica. Retrieved 19 April 2014.
  11. "Africa Now Festival "Africa Now Festival"". Apollo Theatre. www.apollotheatre.org. p. 1. Retrieved 16 April 2014.
  12. Kam Tambini. "Oceans Apart: A new EP, Short Film and Art installation from Ghanaian-Canadian Songwriter Kae Sun". OkayAfrica. www.okayafrica.com. p. 1. Archived from the original on 20 October 2015. Retrieved 19 October 2015.
  13. Helen Jennings. "A Nataal Exclusive: Kae Sun and Emeka Alams debut their new short film and EP". Nataal. p. 1. Retrieved 26 October 2015.
  14. Matt Bauer (28 February 2018). "Kae Sun is finding where he fits on 'Whoever Comes Knocking'". Exclaim Magazine. p. 1. Retrieved 27 February 2018.
  15. "10 Most Anticipated Canadian Albums of 2017 "Kae Sun"". CBC. www.cbcmusic.ca. p. 1. Retrieved 29 December 2016.

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