For Keba Williams, music has become her avenue to not only make people feel good but also to lend her voice as an advocate for women’s empowerment, especially in the Caribbean landscape.
Born in Trinidad, Keba grew up studying classical music and learning how to play clarinet, steelpan, singing in choir along with other forms of musical extracurricular activities. Her journey then took her to the United States to pursue pre-med studies to eventually become a doctor.
However, life had other plans for her, her undeniable passion for music could not be ignored and so she, later, decided to complete both a degree in chemistry and music. It was not long after finishing her studies that she then began to focus on music fulltime. After completing an internship with a recording company, where she learned advanced production and song writing skills, she opened her own recording studio and began mentoring young artistes.
Over years of supporting her fellow artistes in the industry, she felt a pull to embark on her own musical journey and put all her efforts into her artistry.
Her hit single Loco for the Coco has been dubbed an anthem for women of color. It’s a soulful homage to her Trinidadian roots and Caribbean culture by blending the sweet sounds of old school Calypso with an R&B, pop twist. The song beautifully highlights the topic of female sexuality, women empowerment and the marginalization that comes with being a woman of color today.
“When I created the song, I was thinking specifically about an incident that happened to me while I was performing, when this guy came up to me and tried to kiss me and just being very inappropriate. And one of the things I love about Caribbean music is that it can touch on a serious topic like consent but keep it light and conversational so it’s not meant to attack people but to let them know that, hey I don’t want to be touched this way, you might be crazy about my body or how I carry myself, but you still have to respect me.”
The lyrics and visuals perfectly make the themes come to life. By incorporating a strong female main character in the video; the messages of embracing your sexuality on your own terms and celebrating the strength of women fully come across.
“I think that throughout the years women have almost had to like apologize for their sexuality or for their bodies….I think it’s really important to talk about it now but to keep talking about it….we should wonder why these women in our folktales were often demonized for being in control of their sexuality or for being single, unmarried, or just living a life that didn’t follow convention.”
The song has been making the rounds on the radio waves, receiving positive feedback from the audience, and gaining popularity on social media. Many women especially women of color can relate to the authentic lyrics which allows them to feel confident and loved when listening to the song.
“…And that’s one of the things I definitely wanted them to feel good about their skin, their curves, their hair, everything that makes us special as Caribbean women and so I want them to take that away from the song. I want them to also when they hear the song just feel themselves and not feel insecure because of somebody else being inappropriate. To be able to love on themselves and express themselves anyway.”
For now, Keba is focusing on working on new music which will be a fusion of the things she loves musically. Her dream collab would be with Nailah Blackman, Kes the Band or Chloe Bailee, or Afro-Beats artistes. She is also preparing for her upcoming performance in her home country, Trinidad on November 20 at the Central Bank auditorium.
