Music has a strange way of conveying emotions. Our memories, conversations, relationships with people, and their personalities, can be permanently etched into hearts, even if just fleeting. Kenny Sway has an innate ability to evoke these feeling, whether it be joyful, sorrowful, or contemplative. As a student of musical greats, he grew up listening to the likes of R&B and soul legends like Whitney Houston, and Marvin Gaye.

Now Kenny has adopted his own style and approach to music and performance. He was known as a street performer, sharing his grassroots performances directly with audiences. So, it was no shock when he took his voice to the Washington D.C. police brutality protests and inspired the crowd to sing along with him as he sang the Bill Withers classic, "Lean On Me". Please read our exclusive interview below to learn more about Kenny Sway.

Where are you based?
Even though I’m in Washington DC all the time performing, I’m actually based in Maryland.

The DMV area is known for having a strong presence in the rap scene with current artists like Wale, Rico Nasty, Logic, YBN Cordae, etc. Did you listen to artists from Maryland growing up? What were some popular artists that you and your peers enjoyed?
I grew up listening to Whitney Houston, Jackie Wilson, Sam Cooke, and other classics… They all nurtured my love for music in one way or another, and they all had a huge impact on me. But I would say Michael Jackson had the biggest influence on my passion to follow this music journey, and Marvin Gaye paved my style.

When was the moment that you decided to seriously pursue music? Was there an event, person, or feeling that acted as a stimulus?
I think I’ve always known music was my calling. I remember myself always singing, even before I learned how to write. Growing up with Michael Jackson’s music had a huge influence on my musical path. I was always singing to friends at parties, weddings, in the streets, everywhere and all the time. At some point, requests came more and more often, and more diverse. I got invited to sing in clubs, then bigger rooms, concerts and so forth.

Can you tell us a little bit about your new single “Build OUR OWN Home”? What inspired you to write this song?
“Build OUR OWN Home” is the fruit of a bad breakup, just spiced it up and created a little different narrative. That’s the beauty of life: we can turn things around and create a happy ending even from the worst case scenarios.

Since COVID put an indefinite end to live performances and festivals, many artists rely on streaming, downloads and other digital outlets to generate income. How has COVID impacted your life - both in regards to music and otherwise?
Oh, COVID has turned everything upside down in unimaginable ways. In regards to my music, even worse than any other aspects of my life. All my concerts and gigs got canceled, and God knows when we’ll get back to normal. Hopefully soon. But that didn’t stop me from singing for my people. I started out as a street singer, and I still love a lot going out and sharing my music with everyone. I will always do that regardless.

As an artist with a history of performing on the streets, first, what is it like being a street performer, and second, how surreal has the lack of people being out been to you? Are you still performing on the streets? If so, are people stopping to engage?
Oh, singing in the streets is what I still enjoy the most. It’s the best way to connect with the audience. Back in the days prior to COVID, there were more people stopping by to listen and engage, very often people were joining me dancing and singing. Now a little less, but I still have a consistent audience, and I’m so thankful to every single person who is stopping by to listen to my music.

Speaking of performing on the streets, you have taken this to a whole new level, performing during the sweeping protests that are ongoing in our country. Can you tell us a little bit about this experience?
Yes, the past six, seven weeks following George Floyd’s death have been insane, especially here in DC. And I couldn’t stand to just watch from outside and do nothing. It seemed like the whole world was going insane, and I felt like everyone needed some music to touch their souls.

A viral video of you performing the Bill Withers classic, "Lean On Me" during one of the Washington D.C. protests recently came out. What inspired you to sing this song? How did it feel to get the whole crowd to join in with you?
As I said, during those crazy days, I felt like the world was going on fire, and suddenly I realized that, during these times, people needed love and peace, and someone to lean on more than ever. Being a huge fan of Bill Withers my whole life, his classic "Lean On Me" felt exactly like what everyone needed in that moment. I asked the crowed to just light up their phones and join me, but it felt surreal to actually see everyone doing that and singing with me.

Music is a powerful and seemingly innate unification device. Do you feel the arts can play an important role in regards to swaying opinions and emotions on social issues?
Music has always been food for the soul. I don’t know if you can shift opinions through music, that’s not my intention anyways. I am using music as a healer, as a tool to unite and touch the soul and inspire people to love each other and live in harmony.

As a black man, these are especially crazy times. It is really beautiful how countries around the world are coming together to protest the tragic murder of George Floyd. What are your thoughts on the George Floyd tragedy and police violence? What are your thoughts on all the protests?
Growing up as a black boy, I’ve seen a lot, unfortunately. But these are definitely some of the most intense moments. Unfortunately, it takes generations to change the mentality, and the racial issues this country has been dealing with have very deep roots. But it seems like this time is different. The death of George Floyd has woken up the whole world, and it seems like the change is coming. It has been a long time coming, and there is still so much work to be done. My work is not done. Our work is not done.

Kenny Sway performing. Courtesy to Kenny Sway.JPG

Do you feel safe? As a man with a young black child, how does the current turmoil influence your thoughts on the values we instill on children? What do you hope the youth learns from these events?
Nobody in my community feels safe, but hopefully my little baby girl will live in a better world. There is so much fear among my people, and I don’t want this for her for the rest of her life. It’s hard to have a conversation with a young kid about this situation, but I hope things will get better and, in ten years from now, to be able to tell her stories about the injustice of these present times her daddy faced, stories that she and her children won’t have to witness, hopefully.

Do you plan to keep going to the protests and singing at them? What do you hope comes from this movement?
Oh yeah, my work is not done. You see bad things continuing to happening. So we have to keep going out and make our voices heard. And if I can balance the protests and calm everyone down with my music even better.

How are you staying positive during these times?
Actually, by staying connected with my family, with my fans, with the people who love and appreciate me. And my music keeps me not just active, but in a healthy state of mind.

What is your motto in life?
My motto in life is to live, love and inspire as many people as you can. I try to create music that can inspire others, and change the way people listen to music. I wanna be that person people look up to and say “Yo, that’s a positive example on why raw music still exists.”

To learn more about Kenny Sway, please follow him via the below platforms:
If everyone could follow me on social media, that’s where I post daily, and I do live singing sessions three times a day.
Facebook: klytes & Sway.kenny
Instagram: kenny.sway
Twitter: KENNY_SWAY

Kenny Sway: To Protest & Unify Through R&B