Kayte Burgess
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Kayte Burgess

| INDIE

| INDIE
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"Kayte Burgess @ Red Square"

"I honestly had no clue there were bands that were actually this good performing during [Canadian Music Week]."

"She seemed genuinely interested in entertaining, not just showing the world how great she is."

Vanessa Bruno - ChartAttack.com


"Natasha Von Castle"

Imagine an experienced vocalist combining Roberta Flack, Marvin Gaye, Stevie Wonder, and Billie Holiday in one sound; with the backup quality in the likes of the Roots, multiplied it into a forthcoming album containing music that can, and will, rival the likes of Jill Scott, Remy Shand and
Alicia Keys."

Natasha Von Castle,
Director of Communications
Urban Music Association of Canada - Natasha Von Castle


Discography

Kayte Burgess – Checked Baggage
Music Styles: Urban - Neo Soul, Pop, R&B, Hip-hop
2007 Independent Release - SOCAN (MAPL)

Talent, tenacity, integrity – these are some of the quality gems found in Kayte Burgess’ Checked Baggage – a stellar independent release by one of Toronto’s premiere vocalists.

The result of three years of recording with producers and artists in Los Angeles, New York City, Louisiana and Toronto- this independently financed and produced 13 track release reveals Kayte to be a multitalented creative force. Primarily as a vocalist but also as a songwriter and producer – she has assembled a huge variety of collaborators in studio and for individual tracks.

Collaborators include producer Ali Shaheed Muhammed (Tribe Called Quest) on tracks Now You Know and Don’t Throw It Away; the Nu Vintage production team of Joel Joseph (Nelly Furtado) and Kenny Moran on multiple tracks (songs Music and This Love Is); Canadian urban innovators 2 Rude (Tonight) and Adrian Eccelston (Got What I Want and Vroom). Further collaborations include artists like Graph Nobel, Chin Injeti and Sean Jones (Smooth from In Essence) and with producers Tyree Neal and Bru Bru Neal (Louisiana) and the Buddah Brothers (Toronto).

The final album was a process of recording nearly 50 tracks beginning in late 2004 through the Spring of 2007 and narrowing it down to the final thirteen. Half of the songs emerged from 25 demos created with the Nu Vintage production team of Joel Joseph (who helped produce her first album My Own Design) and Los Angeles based Kenny Moran (current keyboardist for Toto).

The two song collaborations with Ali Shaheed Muhammed came first from their work on Now You Know (which has already received commercial and campus Radio play across Canada) and also on the track Don’t Throw It Away – the result of Kayte flying suddenly to New York to record at his studio after hearing he would like to work with her again. Comments Kayte, “Just to work with him one on one is a humbling and enlightening experience.”

Kayte Burgess – Checked Baggage
Track by Track artist descriptions by Kayte
Music Styles: Urban - Neo Soul, Pop, R&B, Hip-hop
2007 Independent Release - SOCAN (MAPL)

Track 1 - Call You Out (4 minutes 9 seconds)
It has an element of man hating, but in reality it is just an idea I came up with in my head. Just a scenario, when your boyfriend’s best friend comes and tells you he has been cheating. So you pack up his things and leave them on the curb. It’s a story that’s been done many times before, but I think it is a song a lot of women can relate to when they’ve caught their man cheating.

Track 2 - Now You Know (3 minutes 16 seconds)
This was a great collaboration between me, writer Curtis Richardson (Joss Stone, J Lo, Rihanna), Kevin K Cut McKenzie (Main Source) and Ali Shaheed Muhammed. The song is about having a crush on someone but never having the nerve to tell them until they find out and confront you.

Track 3 - Music (4 minutes 43 seconds)
Written by me with Joel Joseph it is about being out with the one you love and hitting a hot spot with a great DJ (really it’s about getting your freak on in a club but that’s a little x-rated!!).

Track 4 – Get Me Down (4 minutes 31 seconds)
This was recorded with a great up and coming Toronto production team the Buddah Brothers. This is ABOUT MY LIFE! I think it’s a song that represents women out there hustling, working a job, taking care of children, going to school. I think in a way, it’s a conversation I have had with myself on the days when everything goes wrong and I have felt like I was going to lose it.

Track 5 – Tonight (3 minutes 42 seconds)
A song I worked on with 2 Rude that features Quinn Maeback. A catchy radio friendly track about needing a release and heading out on a Friday night for a good time with some friends

Track 6 – Get Your Number (4 minutes 7 seconds)
This song is Toronto meets the Dirty South. I worked on this song with Tyree Neal and Bru Bru Neal, two fantastic artists from Baton Rouge Louisiana born into a multi-talented family. This song is a conversation between a man and a woman. The man has decided he wants to get to know her, but she is skeptical because she thinks he’s out to get one thing - BOOTIE!!

Track 7 – This Love Is (4 minutes 21 seconds)
I wrote this with Joel Joseph and Sean Jones (Smooth from In Essence). It’s a very organic and melodic tune with a Stevie Wonder Feel. It’s about finding the one you have been searching for all your life. Yes pretty cheesy I know but sometimes you have to go there

Track 8 – Don’t Throw It Away (4 minutes 22 seconds)
This is the second song with Ali Shaheed Muhammed. When working on this song, I remember sitting in his studio and I looked over to the TV watching bombs being dropped on CNN. It was surreal because I was trying to get creative and across the world these people were being butchered. The moment really made me write a song ab

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Bio

Her VOICE summons Soul. Blue-Eyed, Classic, Neo Soul served up succulent, spicy and sultry! Her three and a half octaves elegantly phrase songs of journey, love, conflict and joy with a resonance that harkens comparisons to Soul Pop standouts Lisa Stansfield and Alicia Keys.

Her VISION and determination has seen her criss-cross the continent from Toronto to Los Angeles to New York City over three years recording nearly 50 tracks for her independent full-length release Checked Baggage. Tracks feature collaborations with Ali Shaheed Muhammed (Tribe Called Quest), Joel Joseph and Adrian Eccleston (Nelly Furtado), 2Rude and Graph Nobel among others. The first track Now You Know has received extensive radio play across Canada.

Her LIVE performances are mesmerizing and memorable. In 2006 she became the first white artist invited to NABFEME’s (National Association of Black Females in Music) Women Who Jam tour - which took her to Detroit, Atlanta, Cleveland and venues across the Eastern U.S. This tour has led to monthly appearances at Ashford and Simpson’s Suga Bar in NYC and live slots at venues like the Apollo Theatre and the Memphis Gibson Guitar Lounge. In Toronto, Kayte has backed up Lionel Ritchie and Al Green and opened for Divine Brown and Adina Howard.

Her ROOTS and family are firmly planted in Toronto where at the age of 13 she began studying classical voice, piano and harmony. A graduate of Humber College’s Jazz program, Kayte plays guitar, piano and drums though her voice is her primary instrument. She has performed at many major Toronto venues as well at profile Toronto events like the Quincy Jones Tribute show and wrap parties for Mariah Carey’s movie Glitter and for the TV series Soul Food.

Her FIRST ALBUM My Own Design (released in 2003) – received strong commercial and campus Radio play due to the lead song Wanna (which featured Michie Mee). Her split single Live From Tdot/Keep It Strong with continuous collaborator Phatt Al also received radio play and acclaim.

Checked Baggage Album Release Info and Track Descriptions Below: