Today we’d like to introduce you to Kovan Baldwin.
Alright, thank you for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us how you got started?
It started ever since I could remember, choir in kindergarten. My grandma also told me when she babysat me. I would have a church songbook in one hand and Bible in the other. I was destined to sing. My first solo was in 2nd grade; my teacher Mary Hansen at Jenny Lind Elementary school in Minneapolis, chose me to sing “Take Me Out to the Ball Game” for the school assembly, and players from the Minnesota Twins were going to be in attendance. I was nervous, but I remember the pep talk she gave me before I came out there, and it stuck with me. She told me, “You have a great gift. I believe in you, now go show everyone what you got”. This has resonated with me throughout my life. I have times of doubt, but then I return to that moment. Throughout the years, I would sing the national or black national anthem at school assemblies, perform in talent shows, and even try out for America Idol at sixteen. I have a unique sound and tone of voice, and now I fully embrace and love it, but it always didn’t happen that way. I used to get made fun of because I was different. In my first two years of high school, I grew and developed my voice with the guidance of Deb Meyer-Snook. She was my choir teacher at Chief Sealth High School and always saw the potential in me and challenged me vocally. I still practice some of her warm-ups to this day before I have a performance. I am truly grateful for her. In 2006 my poetry transitioned to songwriting thanks to the help and guidance of Tim Buzza. He was my choir/popular-songwriting teacher at Patrick Henry in Minneapolis. He, too, has played a monumental role in my development as an artist. He helped structure my songs and challenged me with my writing and vocals. Buzza helped mold me into the writer I am today, and when I am still writing songs and going through several drafts, it sometimes feels like he’s critiquing my songs, so I tweak them again. Also, in 2007 I wrote an original song for my graduating class 2007 titled Shine, which I will release later for distribution in 2022. I had to get a petition to be allowed to perform it at the graduation ceremony, which came from my persistence and not giving up. I remember telling my principal respectfully, “Sir, with all due respect. I know you’re telling me the program is already set and I can do it at the senior dedication ceremony, but I’m going to start a petition. Anton Lewis, who has a feature on the track and the choir we’re going to”. I got a lot of signatures from teachers. To perform the song, I had to pass one final test and perform it in front of Mr. Buzza, and he liked it enough to give me his approval. Looking back on it felt like a movie. I strive to be the best I can be.
In summary, I never placed first at a talent show in high school or college and never had the cool dance moves to accompany my performance (not yet). I believe in myself and my music, which has brought me success. In March 2013, I was blessed with the opportunity to meet with Bad Boy& Cash Money Records in the studio, which gave me goosebumps. I also performed live on TV for Channel 4 WCCO CBS Minnesota, thanks to Reg Chapman, who gave me the title Twin Cities New Sound. Mental health and starting a family got me out of the game for a while, but the passion returned. I kept thinking about the Temptations movie and how Otis Williams kept pushing and believing. He believed in the positive message. That’s what I pride myself on.
I’m all about the positivity in music and strive to cater to all backgrounds. Michael Jackson and Prince did it too. I recently won the 2020 Akademia Award for Best R&B Soul Artist & Rising Star Award for 2021. My single Last Man Standing peaked at N0. 81 on the Global Digital Radio Tracker Charts and No. 25 for Hip/Hop and R&B. I have performed at the Mall of America, MSP Airport (the republic, The Commons Park downtown Minneapolis and at the Annual Reboot Showcase in Grand Rapids, Minnesota. There is much more to come in the future, and I take it daily. I am blessed to do what I love, and one day it’ll be full-time. I have my LLC. I AM KOVAN, which I established as well for my music and will branch out to help kids in the future. I used to go by the artist’s name Kovan now, thanks to a good friend Elektro Da Great. My old producer suggested I go by my name, so now it’s Kovan Baldwin. I know it was a lot so thank you, everyone, for reading this
We all face challenges, but looking back, would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
It has not been a smooth road for me. The struggles have been working a full-time job and trying to find the time to be creative. I also have kids, and their needs come before anything else. Also, financially supporting my career too can be a challenge. That’s one of the reasons I started my LLC. I AM KOVAN so that I can write off my music expenses. Also, being different has its challenges too. I am not embraced in certain circles, and I used to care about what people thought, but now I am content and fine with being in my lane. I also don’t have a manager or booking agent, so I balance things myself, but I do have DJ Clubbanga, who has taken on the role of my personal DJ and considers him my brother. I also have had many people come into my life, whether romantic relationships, music, or so-called friends. I don’t use that word often. I understand people come and go, but it’s still bittersweet because I have nothing but love in my heart. There are the occasional trolls of people saying I can’t sing yada yada yada, but it comes with the territory. Time is also a struggle. There’s never enough time in the day, but you must try and make the most of it. I also don’t have a large marketing and promotion team to push my music or direct representation, but I believe in myself, so I keep going. Through the obstacles and challenges, I overcame and found a platform that could give me a voice: Minnesota Music Coalition, a non-profit organization that helps independent artists with booking. Networking, workshops, and events have been my life-saving grace. They helped encourage me and help me get out of the dark. I am forever grateful to them, and they helped give me a voice and a platform to share my positive message. Joanna Schnedler, the executive director, and David Ostrom, the booking agent, have to shout out to them, no doubt.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I am a singer/songwriter. I specialize in writing music that can make people think about what is being said. The beat seems more important to mainstream music listeners, but with me, it’s about the message I am conveying.
Regarding my music career, what I am most proud of is, and wow, that is a tough question. I have been blessed to have accomplished so much in my career. I am known for my connection, positivity, and professionalism. I would say probably charting on the Digital Radio Tracker Global Charts top 200 and top 25 hip hop & R&B. See my name up there and compete for spots against Drake, Chris Brown, Doja Cat, and The Weekend. To know that my music is on par and has that kind of potential and I am just getting started is huge for me.
What sets me apart from the pack is that I not only embrace my uniqueness, but I am very driven, passionate, and hungry and will find a way to accomplish my goals. I am not afraid to get out there and go for it. The worst someone can tell me is no. Someone will always have an opinion on what you’re doing. My mindset is that I will not let that stop me from reaching my goals.
Thanks to Jehovah God, I made a great connection in the industry, I was able to partner with 007 media group, and their media consultant Mark Daniels took me on as a client. Jay Salter helped me with my music video campaign. It was worth the investment; through networking with Mark. I connected with Dan Mathews of Klubjumpers, who is internationally known. He and his brother Sam have had over 80 Billboard charting songs and Gold and Platinum Records. Dan Also is the director of three FM Major Radio stations and has a mix on 93 FM. In the first quarter of 2023, I’ll be releasing a radio single, Call Me by Klubjumpers Remix, which I am humbly excited about. Tune in for that with the release of other singles to come. I don’t release EPs or albums, just one single at a time
Risk-taking is a topic that people have widely differing views on – we’d love to hear your thoughts.
In 2013 after meeting with Bad-Boy records & Cash Money, I moved to Mississippi to work with a producer on some new music. Did it turn out the way I would’ve hoped? No, but it was a great learning experience for me. I have taken major risks, and I believe I must involve some risk in going where I want. I take risks every time I step onto the stage, inquire about a show to perform at or invest in my business. That all involved risks because I could get booed, rejected, and not see a return on my investment, but I will bet on any day of the week. If nobody will, it has to be me. Eventually, I want to do music full time, which will pull me out of my comfort zone because I work a full-time job, but I need to be available to travel to get more paid gigs worldwide. Minnesota Voyage and Camilla, thank you so much for this opportunity. I am looking forward to connecting again in the future. God Bless.
Pricing:
- $1.00 https://kovanmusic.bandcamp.com/track/last-man-standing
- $1.29 https://music.apple.com/us/album/last-man-standing/1554955945?i=1554955949
- $129.95 https://www.theakademia.com/artistkit/KovanBaldwin-WhoDoYouThinkYouAre.html
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.iamkovan.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kovanbaldwin/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Kovan-Baldwin-102510879214971/
- Twitter: www.twitter.com/iamkovan
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/Kovanmusic1/videos
- SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/iamkovan
- Other: https://www.cbsnews.com/minnesota/news/rising-singing-star-has-the-new-twin-cities-sound/
Image Credits
Cover Art Trend Cities Design, Photos by the great Jen Puente 35Seven Studios,,
