Born in Canada but raised in the US and now based in Los Angeles, singer songwriter Kai Exos launched his first full length album, ‘Telegraph’ in 2014. His latest single, ‘Fire & Brew’, is now available on SoundCloud, TIDAL, Spotify and ITunes.
Kai began his training at the age of four on piano, in a gospel choir. He returned to Canada in 2005, where he performed as a jazz performer in Hamilton, but nowadays spends most of his time writing commercial music and songs for local talent, and working at an ad agency. ‘Telegraph’ was released to critical acclaim, with the album combining heavy blues and jazz influences. The title track reached number 18 on the US Triple A Most Added chart, and the debut single, ‘Vigilante’, was chosen by Buzznet as their song of the day.
‘Fire & Brew’ is Kai’s first release since that album, and was released in reply to repeated fan requests for a video – which he answered with a simple post on Instagram:
Speaking of the video, Indrani, who’s best known for her work with Beyoncé, Lady Gaga, Alicia Keys, and David Bowie, says:
“We co-created such a natural love story here…the piece is a powerful expression of masculine and feminine energy.”
‘Fire & Brew’ was written about love’s vulnerability, when the physical aspect falls away. The track was recorded at the legendary Capitol Records, and was self-penned by Kai, whose strong melodies ride over the lush and opulent production and all female backing vocals to tell the story of the all-consuming nature of a now dissolved relationship. Co-produced with R&B duo POKET, out of Atlanta, the track gives nods to Sam Cooke and Prince while the video features long shots of Toronto’s skyline, in gorgeously muted colours; the light play is woven with scenes of Kai in a smoky studio with dancers and evocative background images.
In a statement from Toronto’s VMP Music Group,
“He [Exos] wanted Fire & Brew to be a standalone single. We’re excited about his next album and can right now only say… it’s Kai doing what he does best. Kai’s sophomore project is slated for Summer 2018.”
You can find Kai Exos online on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube.
