Kevin Carty

When you think of Country music, what comes to mind? I bet it’s fiddles, banjos, cowboy hats and boots, barn dances, American accents with Southern drawls, basically things related to southern U.S.A., right? Now how about when you think of a Caribbean island? To many it evokes images of palm trees, beaches, dreadlocks, hip-swaying music.

From the outside looking in, you would think there is no connection between the two, right? Well, you obviously haven’t met Kevin Carty, a Curaçaoan Country music artist living on the Caribbean island of Curaçao. Yes, you read that correctly: a Country music artist, born and raised, and living (!!), on a Caribbean island. I mean, I don’t even need a metaphor to get across how much of an anomaly this is, do I?

I caught up with this extremely talented and, let’s be honest here, brave soul at the 27 Bar & Terrace – a bar which has supported his career pretty much since inception – to conduct his very first interview. I walk up to him sitting outside enjoying the shade cast by the bar in the midday Caribbean heat and as we get acquainted I am immediately infected by the humble and positive energy he radiates.

We order some Polar beers and get to it. After getting the basics out of the way, full name (Kevin Christopher Carty de Castro), age (26), background (both parents born and raised in Curaçao, grandparents from St. Maarten and there is some Hispanic and Lusophone country in the mix as well), I start the trek towards bringing the mind of this striking figure into focus.

I start off slow.

Describe your childhood.
You know I get asked that question a lot, conjoined with “Why Country?”, considering I grew up here. But in one word “Awesome”.

How so?
Well, it was great. I wouldn’t choose to grow up anywhere else. I’m super glad I was born and raised in Curaçao. I mean, I got exposed to so many different cultures, we speak so many languages here. It’s an experience you rarely get around the world, you know?

Describe your musical journey. How did it get started and how has it progressed?
Well, my father used to sing and play guitar in Survival, a well-known band on the island. So always, from day one, I was surrounded by music. And I’ve been singing since I spoke my first words, I was lucky to be born with that talent. Later on I took some singing lessons from a couple of teachers to really hone my skill and I also started taking piano lessons at the age of 7 and picked up my first guitar at the age of 12 and initially taught myself how to play it.

Then I got guitar lessons from this gifted guitarist who now lives in Holland. It was actually through him that I met the first member of what would become my band. And shortly after I met the other members and we’ve been playing ever since.

Here I decided to go about the next question from a slightly different angle. Rather than the trite question “Why Country”, which he must be tired of getting at this point, I decide to repackage it.

What about Country music intrigues you so much?
Well, Country, to me, always told one hell of a story in each song. And it’s not sugarcoated, it really tells the story the way it happened, you know? Country, to me, is music that tells a great story and it’s supported by great music. Great rhythm, great melody, great everything, it comes together. It’s really about the story in Country music, it’s the music of the people.

Since you have been playing with the band a couple of years now, have you ever released an album?
I have not released an album yet but I wrote a couple of songs with the band that we play live. One of them is the recently released ‘Hella Good Time’. Now that was quite a production. Since I live in Curaçao, I wasn’t exposed to the Country lifestyle except for what I saw on TV and what I learned from my family (some of whom live in the States) and stuff like that.

There isn’t a lot of Country music playing on the island. I mean, it’s there but you really have to look for it. But I kept on listening to and analyzing songs played on commercial radios I had access to from the States and I thought to myself “You know what? I’m going to write a song like that, a Crossover Country song.”

So I listened and listened and ‘Hella Good Time’ came to life. This was a fully Curaçao grown production with local artists and the amazing Curaçaoan producer Oscar Bor at the helm. And I am currently working on some other songs with him that may become part of an album.

Now, being a Country music artist on a Caribbean island can’t be easy. What drives you to persevere?
Well, a huge thing is people who really support me in my endeavors. I mean, the band is a huge source of support. Those guys, Mitchell, Christian, Eric, they’re willing to do it, and they believe in it.

And also the people who come to the shows and tell me “Wow this is awesome. I was expecting something different. I had no idea Country music sounded like this. I like it. I want to hear more of it.” They’re impressed, you know? So that helps. And I’m a bit stubborn too, I’m not going to lie (we share a laugh).

And when you see him perform you see just how justified his persistence is. I had such an opportunity one Friday night at the 27 Bar & Terrace and let me tell you, the man completely envelops himself in the music and it really draws the crowd in. Hell, he even has the Southern drawl down to a tee!

And he is unequivocally dedicated to his craft. Just how dedicated? Well, he is a member of the Nashville Songwriters Association International and just last year he took a trip to the city. If you’re not familiar with it, not even from the TV show, let me clue you in: it is home to the Grand Ole Opry, a weekly stage concert for Country music artists, the Country Music Hall of Fame, and a myriad of major record labels. In other words it is the hub of the Country music industry.

And this islander was there, hanging out with musicians, jumping in lakes, meeting with Taylor Swift’s former manager. At a certain point he even visited the recording studio where Elvis Presley used to walk the halls. Not too shabby.

And he ultimately wants to keep carving out a place for Country music on his native island. You want to know just how serious he is about this? He hosts a Top Country countdown radio show every Wednesday and he recently collaborated with another musician from the island to write a Country song in Papiamentu. They plan on recording it sometime this year. Now, folks, if that isn’t globalization for you, I don’t know what is! - Gerson Eleonora