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London Stories: Kezia, Jazz Pianist
For our London Stories series, we met with Kezia, a jazz pianist whose world revolves around rhythm, discipline, and connection. Raised in a creative family and drawn to the social heart of jazz, she approaches her craft with equal parts curiosity and humility – proof that mastery is a lifelong performance.
What made you become a jazz pianist?
My parents are both musical and I grew up listening to jazz singers like Ella Fitzgerald and Dinah Washington. My grandmother started teaching me piano when I was 5 years old but I came to jazz much later around age 17. Jazz is special because it’s such a social music and the sense of community that it provides really drew me in. I was attracted to the challenge of learning this highly complex improvised music and also by its unique potential to communicate an emotional or political message to an audience. I’ve found the more I play and learn jazz, the more I realise there is to learn and it is both daunting and exciting to know that I can spend my life playing this music without ever running out of things to learn.
“I’ve found the more I play and learn jazz, the more I realise there is to learn.”
Do you have to dig deep to find your creative nature or do you feel it's natural to you?
Being creative is very natural to me, I was raised in a very creative family and grew up acting, dancing, painting, singing and writing music. The big challenge for me was choosing one to specialise in. However, I don’t think that creativity is an infinite resource, it feeds on having a rich inner world, being disciplined, taking in good art and being reflective and analytical. I’ve found that having a routine of practice is a crucial part of nurturing my own creativity.
Are there any trade secrets you can share with someone who is about to enter your field?
Putting yourself out there regardless of wether or not you feel ready is so important. I mean in person not just online. I think it is okay to take your time and work on your music before sharing things online or creating an online presence. But getting into a real life scene has been so important for me. Showing up to gigs, jam sessions, getting my own gigs and making face to face connections with people on the scene. This is how you find your mentors, your colleagues and get your foot in the door.
What’s the most unexpected lesson you’ve learned while navigating your career?
Being a musician can feel very competitive but there are so many things that are more important than being the best. To become a jazz musician you have to get comfortable learning on the job, feeling unqualified and doing it anyway. It is good to strive to be the best you can be but that takes time and in the early stages of my career I’ve found that being professional, kind, disciplined, punctual and most importantly, going for the opportunities that I haven’t felt ready for has been the most crucial.
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