Kenya Named April “Best Vocalist Of The Month” With “Who's Crying Now”

Kenya

Kenya, a talented soul/jazz/pop singer & writer based in Chicago, IL, has won the April SingerUniverse “Best Vocalist Of The Month” Competition, for her performance of Journey's hit ballad, “Who's Crying Now” (written by Jonathan Cain & Steve Perry). This song is featured on her debut EP, Starting Over, which she released independently last June (2010).

Kenya's recording of “Who's Crying Now” is unique and soulful; she definitely makes the song her own. The song starts off with an elegant, piano-based arrangement, and subtly builds emotion with the addition of drums and string tracks. Kenya's vocal performance is expressive and heartfelt. "Who's Crying Now" was expertly produced by Larry Sturm, a prominent engineer/mixer/producer who is also the President of the Chicago Chapter of The Recording Academy.

Kenya (whose full name is Kenya McGuire Johnson) was born and raised in Denver, CO. She first learned to play flute, and then she started playing piano when she was 13. Kenya was inspired by listening to such favorite artists as Stevie Wonder, Donny and Lalah Hathaway, and Bobby McFerrin. During high school, she performed the lead in several musical theater productions, including The Wiz and West Side Story.

For college, Kenya attended Howard University in Washington, D.C., where she majored in Physical Therapy. Impressively, Kenya not only graduated with a Bachelor's Degree at Howard, but she went on to get her Master's Degree at Trinity University. It was also during college that Kenya began to write songs, and she sang and toured with the Howard Gospel Choir.

Kenya performing live.

After completing her education, Kenya made the decision to focus on her career as a physical therapist, getting married and starting a family. As a result, she took a hiatus from music & performing for several years. However, it was in 2008 that she began focusing again on music. "I wanted to get back into music," explained Kenya. "I took a music theory class at a community college, and started getting back into a musical groove. I then had a chance to meet and work with producer Maurice Joshua (who won a Grammy Award for his remix of Beyonce's hit "Crazy Love"). We hit it off, and he produced four songs on my EP. I've also been working with a top vocal coach, Lyndia Johnson."

Now with the release of her EP (which includes her own compositions "Starting Over" and "Never The Less"), Kenya is excited about further establishing her music career. She has been building her internet profile, and her EP is available on iTunes, Amazon and other sites. She has also been performing gigs regularly in the Chicago area.

"This year I definitely want to perform more; I'm submitting my music to festivals to get exposure," she said. "Also, I'm continuing to write more songs, and I hope to record a full CD later this year."