On October 30, 2024, Guadeloupean urban artist Keros-n released his new album entitled “Grand Cru” on the 97115 Records and Jutsu Media Group labels.
After excelling in the “underground” from 2002 to 2011, and after three albums, an EP and several singles from 2012 to 2023, Keros-n has left his mark on the musical landscape. Today, he says: “22 years of know-how have come to fruition, and this is the quintessence of my art”. Indeed, the Guadeloupean presents his new album “Grand Cru”, released on October 30. According to him, this opus is “an exploration of the contrasts between sweetness and bitterness, power and subtlety”.
“Grand Cru” has some twenty tracks, and several singles have been presented to the audience. It features contributions from a number of well-known and lesser-known artists, including Gato, Nicy, Miky Ding-la, Boy Boy, Jean-Pierre Coquerel and Fanswa Ladrézeau.
The video clip for the first track on the album, “Pèd la Boul”, was released on August 09 and directed by Jima Kanor.
On October 11, the singer’s fans had the opportunity to enjoy the second single from the album, “Love”, produced by Mufasa and performed with Warped. Released at the same time as the track, the video clip, which was directed by MS Film, has over 380,000 views.
As for the track “Fwansé” (French), whose video has registered over 494,000 views since its release on October 22, it is the artist’s vitriolic response to the French state regarding the ills from which Guadeloupe suffers. It was directed by G-Island.
Originally from the town of Sainte-Rose in Guadeloupe, Keros-n made his debut in the music world at the age of 6, when he was attending the sound system rehearsals to which his elder sister belonged. The boy soon learned to improvise, freestyle and tell stories that captivated audiences. As the years went by, the teenager, who studied in middle school then in high school improved his “art of playing with words and telling stories through music”.
In 2002, his meeting with Skyso, who owned a recording studio, encouraged him to write his lyrics, but he never forgot his taste for improvisation. The urban artist, who grew up listening to Jamaican music without understanding all the lyrics, refuses to be classified in any category of style, and claims that his music is a blend of rhythms: rap (USA), zouk and gwo ka (Guadeloupe) and dancehall (Jamaica).
According to his biography,“Keros-n draws inspiration from the ordinary, from those moments of dayly life. He is an attentive observer of his environment and his time, transforming his personal experiences and those of his relatives into universal works that reach a wide and diverse audience. His texts speak of identity, dreams and aspirations, but also of resistance and social struggles. Guided by a spirit of independence, he firmly believes that music can awaken consciences and play a role in social change”. His fans remember the track “Black” (2017, album “Bipolaire”), in which he tells “the complex and often painful history of the West Indies”…
In addition, in his musical project, Keros-n also campaigns for the promotion of artistic creation in rural areas – especially in the town of Sainte-Rose – which are often forgotten, hence the creation of the “Russi-La” collective with Nicy, Miky Ding-la, Shabba and Archi.
