What are you doing if one of the largest artists in your country walks into the same restaurant as you for dinner? 16-year-old Icelandic artist, Kzoba, took full advantage of this just last week when meeting Birnir and immediately asking as to when he would let him open for him. That confidence catalyzed Kzoba opening for Birnir only a few hours later at Prikið, one of Iceland’s most popular venues.
Kzoba is a young hip-hop artist raised in Iceland working on bringing his talent over to the states. His initial introduction to the world of music began with his father's love for artists like Michael Jackson, The Beatles, and James Brown. Kzoba sang occasionally from time to time, yet found far more enjoyment in freestyling. At 11, Kzoba entered and won a rap competition, pushing him further into considering serious career development in the music industry.
While Kzoba has produced in the past, he currently focuses more on writing. Kzoba’s lyricism follows the trend of his own pettiness for success and wanting to get out to see the world. His creative process centers around building imagery about growing up and feeling isolated. In terms of direct influence, Kzoba states he highly admires the flow and rhyming style of MF Doom; the vocal inflections and delivery of Kendrick Lamar; the lyricism of Westside Gunn; and the performance quality of Tyler the Creator and James Brown.
All things considered, Kzoba shares his favorite part of the industry is performing. The Icelandic club scene has worked out in Kzoba’s favor with his numerous trips to the stage. In November of 2022, he had the chance to open for Birnir at Prikið. Not only was this Kzoba’s second performance at the venue, but today he still stands as the youngest artist to ever perform there.
Kzoba mentions that due to the size of Iceland, it’s far more difficult to go unnoticed. However, he is faced with the difficulty of breaking through with his niche style in front of such a small audience pool. With this in mind, Kzoba tends to turn to the internet when it comes time to find other creatives to either inspire or be inspired by. Understanding the rising renaissance in the music industry that allows underground artists to connect with similar artists of identical passions; Kzoba is heavily interested in connecting with Willyynova, DEADPAN, klwn cat, and Jackson Mune.
When presenting his work, Kzoba wants his supporters to understand and connect with his strive towards possessing something greater than what he has at the moment. At such an early point in his career, he is looking to create transparency behind his thoughts in order to create resonating pieces for his audiences. Currently, Kzoba is focusing on promoting his new single eVentually with producer, Chasay. At such an early point in his career, he hopes this piece will aid in guiding his future steps in the industry.
With Kzoba’s talent and drive towards truly putting in the effort to make a name for himself in the industry, I am truly excited to see where his next projects take him. Feel free to check out more of Kzoba’s work here.
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