No stranger to being in the spotlight, Keyon Harrold has shared stages with rappers Common and Jay-Z, as well as Robert Glasper and many others. In 2020, he was thrust into another spotlight when his then 14-year-old son became the victim of a racial attack that became worldwide news all while we were dealing with another worldwide event: The Pandemic. As many musicians do in jazz, Keyon took these life-changing events and turned it into music, and a new album, Foreverland, was birthed. I spoke with Keyon about the new single “Find Your Peace” from the album and just how he managed to do just that with this new album. Keyon will be performing at The Blue Note in NYC January 22-24.
Listen to our conversation, above.
Interview transcript:
Nicole Sweeney: We're here to talk about new music. The album is called Foreverland, but the single is called “Find Your Peace.” It's interesting. That word “peace” is something that I feel like as human beings, we're always kind of looking for, but through music, I know many people find it. Your peace was disturbed a little bit, but it led to this album. Let's talk about that because you're no stranger to the spotlight, but the way you got thrown into it, this situation was very different.
Keyon Harrold: Absolutely. “Find Your Peace” was something I wrote with Common in mind and Jean Baylor of The Baylor Project. I wrote that with the idea of sometimes we as people go through life and things come at us and we're like a ship on troubled waters. Our whole entity and our whole purpose is to try to stay there and try to be there and try to be like a ship, with strong borders and barriers that we can take the storms that come our way.
In my scenario, my son was attacked in a hotel in New York City. I had to be there and be a strong father and, not just be a strong father, but be an advocate for young Black men and people who look like me, who basically don't have an advocate. You just never really know when that storm is going to hit you in whatever way.
When that happens, you can't really expect that. You can't prepare for it. You just gotta be ready to accept whatever. That song “Find Your Peace” from the new album kind of hints on that, but it's also about finding that space when the world is happening at you and to you that you can just chill and be cool.
It's interesting when it happened at first I was like, “Wait, I know him.” Of course, even if I didn't know you, I would be upset, but then knowing that I knew you made me that more upset. People always think they know what they're going to do when something happens when they're in the moment. I was actually very proud of how you handled that because I thought I would have went crazy, but the way you handled it, talk to me about even in that moment, because you handled it in a way that I know probably even your son was so proud of and other people too.
My parents raised me well. The idea that I'm a performer and that I'm used to situations outside or in front of me, being able to not respond so quick. To basically take that information in and then, quickly spawn it out to something else. I'm an improviser. I'm a jazz musician. Even if it's the same song, I'm looking at it differently every time I play it.
So when that scenario happened to me, it was happening so fast that I was like, “Okay, let me be cool.” Because that's the thing. We jazz people. You gotta be cool. You gotta basically recognize, okay, that scenario is not cool, but I'm cool. How do I deal with this? How do I respond with respect? How do I respond with poise. That's kind of what happened. Again, I wouldn't wish it on anybody else. But I'm happy that a lot of people were able to see what happened and a lot of people were able to see the things that happen to young people of color, unfortunately.
But at the same time, the difference was it wasn't somebody dying because this is the same time as George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor. Everybody's in lockdown. Everybody had to pay attention to see this thing when it went viral. So, I'm happy with how it turned out. I hate that it happened, but we were able to have a conversation because most people die, and they can't really speak for themselves. My son has had his own path to healing. and it’s been a great journey because it's brought us closer.
With “Find Your Peace,” talk to me about getting back with Common. It's almost like a 360 moment.
I had worked on Common’s Beautiful Revolutions, the two albums we did together. I've been working with Common since 1999. That's my big brother and seeing him just go to the stratosphere is such a beautiful thing. It was awesome. I sent him the music. And obviously he was like, “Bro, I resonate with this, I feel this, I'm gonna do this.” He killed it. Shout out to Common for real.
Is Robert on this one?
Yes, Robert Glasper is also on this project. He's featured on “Find Your Peace” as well. The one and only Robert Glasper.
Jean and her amazing voice that the world should hear every time.
She's butter liquid gold. She just melts on every track and it's such a beautiful thing. I love my sister, for real.
And this album was more of a family affair. It feels like very specifically you reached out to people who meant something to you.
Absolutely. At this point in my life, I really don't like to do things that don't really matter. So every person who's a part of this project, there's an origin story to how we met, to how our careers have progressed, how our relationships have progressed. Robert Glasper and I met when we were like 15, 16 years old. Robert, Terrace Martin and myself, we all met the same day, and obviously we've been brothers since then.
I met Jean with Marcus Baylor. Marcus and I went to the same high school. We're from Ferguson in St. Louis. Common, my first professional gig. Even before I did jazz gig, when I thought I wanted to be a great quintet leader, I went on tour with Common and that changed my whole world musically. It opened me up to the other facilities that I have as an artist—production, singing, and everything else.
Which you're doing on this album. You're singing on this album.
We had to put it all together. So I am singing, and it's like jumping off the diving board into the deep end, because I've worked with so many people and, interestingly enough, I've heard a lot of people who do a lot of singing that shouldn't probably shouldn't be. So I'm like, “Okay, I can at least keep a tone.” I got a vibe. I know what sounds good. Many people have told me because you go on tour sometimes and as an artist, it's like you would love to have your special guests be with you most of the time, but sometimes it just doesn't work out schedule wise, budget wise, whatever it is. So somebody's got to do it. I'll do it. From that, I was able to really write some stuff that speaks to my heart, really true stories that I can deliver.
Now, did you write the music first and then had the artist in mind? Or did you write the music around the particular artist and friends and the relationship?
You know what? It's both. Some were started as “So and so would sound great on this.” Then the other ones were like, it just happened. It's like, I'm not even done with the song. I'm vibing with the song. I'm like, “Yo, PJ Morton would be something special.” We worked on a concept. We worked on the idea of talking as friends. Okay. This is what I'm going through. This is the situation, blah, blah, blah. And this is what we landed upon musically, artistically. So that's the way I do it. As a collaborator, I'm open to whatever happens.
You found your comfort zone and singing on this album. Who are some of your favorite singers? Because I feel like if you're like me, you got a couple of favorites, but who's your singer? Who do you go to even to just to get in the zone?
Let me see if this will throw you. Nancy Wilson, Sarah Vaughan.
I love Nancy Wilson ridiculously. I love that.
So those two, then we'll go to Donny Hathaway and then we'll go to Stevie Wonder and then I'll move toward like Bilal. Those are some that just get me right back into inspired land every time I hear them.
It's interesting because on that Cannonball album with Nancy, they say she was just like an extra horn, her voice.. Just another instrument in the group. Now this song “Find Your Peace.” You all can find that there's an actual video. It's really beautiful. The music really does speak to the spirit and the soul. What’s so interesting is that you took these times, the pandemic and loss of family and are able to create music. Was there ever a time where you just kind of had to tap out of it all?
Absolutely. It’s not even a onetime thing. It's like running a race. You want to race, then you got to stop, drink some water. You run a race or drive a race, you got to stop at the pit stop, just so people can see you finish, just so people can be inspired and see you in your completion. There are times now that I literally got to find my peace. Get away from the wildness of what the world is offering. I have to shut down social media. I need to take a walk. I need to, I don't know, maybe even go to therapy. I may need to just get a massage and chill and just be quiet and read a book and take it easy. That's important because we're at a different age. The world is spinning so fast and hitting us with so much stuff. The news cycle is absolutely crazy. Sometimes you just gotta unplug for a second and really take in the rays of good vibes, in whatever way that is for yourself.
For many of us, it's with music. It's absolutely therapy through music. Sometimes that's the only noise that we need and healing. There's a lot of healing in Foreverland. We mentioned Common and Robert, you mentioned PJ Morton. Talk to me about some of the other special guests that you have on this album.
My brother, PJ Morton, is obviously a living legend, the next iteration of what Stevie Wonder and Donny [Hathaway] would have done. An incredible songwriter. It’s been a long time coming because I've collaborated with him for so long. Now he's returned a favor on my album, which is a beautiful thing. I can't wait for you to hear that record. It’s special.
Who else is on it? Laura Mvulva, one of the most incredible singers and songsters. The diva’s from the UK.
She's got some Caribbean roots too, I think.
She's amazing. Her voice is again, like butter. If you think of somebody like Sade, a new iteration of Sade, what she did for this song, which is actually the title track for Foreverland, is just special. It features Laura’s incredible writing and her incredible voice is a blanket over the track. We're singing to each other, which is a beautiful thing. That's like my first duo. I'm excited about that. That features also the one and only Chris Daddy Dave, my Scorpio brother. And Burness Travis on the bass.
Keyon is coming to The Blue Note so you can catch him live.
It's going to be the iteration of what the album is. So many incredible folks. Get your tickets. It's going to be a vibe. Trust me. And “Find Your Peace” is out. There's another song out. I put out three singles so far. “Find Your Peace. “Don't Lie” that features an incredible singer named Malia. I was introduced to her by Terrace Martin, and she's just special. From Detroit, she ain't no joke, so check that out. Real life stories in that music, and also “Foreverland” that we just dropped a couple days ago with Laura Mvula. So, check all that out. It's Foreverland where everything is possible.
Love is possible. Everything's there. Everything that you need and everything that you don't need can't exist in Foreverland. It's where your heart can sit and lay and be at peace.
That's right. There's something that I read on your website. “Sometimes folks can't speak for themselves. So as humbly and as honestly as I can, I try to speak for those people with my music.”
This conversation has been edited for brevity and clarity.
