Kano

If you have ever considered a career in music then why not follow in Kano’s footsteps. Not only did the London-born Jamaican break through into a tough industry, he also created his own style. Now the King of Grime is back!

Kano’s debut album - 'Home Sweet Home’ allowed him to break into the music industry. It was loved by fans and critics alike and sold over 100,000 copies. Since then Kano has sold out the Astoria and picked up a Brit Nomination & MOBO Award along the way.

Kano's Biography

Kano’s career has spanned the globe. However, despite the prestige, for Kano it really is all about the music. He clearly isn’t in this for the cash and, in person, he doesn’t emanate the brash arrogance that is the stock in trade for most MCs. “I’m not that open a person,” he says softly, “I’m not that talkative, I’m quite quiet, shy even. Music is my way of doing everything.” Clad in regulation leisurewear, his mild brown eyes rarely look up and engage. Diffident but articulate, street-sussed but quietly ambitious, Kano has a bigger vision of what his music could be than most of his garage-schooled peers with their arcane London rivalries. Where others have tried in vain to turn underground garage into chart-fodder, Kano shakes off musical straight-jackets and embraces an unforced pop sensibility.

At only 22 he’s come a long way from pre-teen years when scouts from Chelsea and Norwich were sniffing around a juvenile football prodigy called Kane Robinson; a long way too from adolescence when he was a ubiquitous presence on London’s garage pirate radio stations. After throwing down some lines on Mike Skinner’s, ‘Fit But You Know It’, Kano went on to sell over 100,000 copies of his debut album ‘Home Sweet Home’, won a 2005 MOBO for Best Newcomer and was nominated for a Brit.

He has a following, you see, the underdog quietly recognized for talent and hard work. Averse to hype and gimmickry, he toured the world and now his second album, ‘London Town’ displays much more of him than he’s willing to reveal in person. It took over a year to put together, with tunes gestating for weeks on end until it felt right to lay them down with his producers Mikey J and Fraser T Smith. “I go all the way when I express my feelings,” he explains, “A lot of artists, some of their best songs come when they’re feeling vulnerable. My favourite song by 50 Cent, the ultimate bad guy, is ‘Many Men’ where he’s talking about being scared of dying. With me it’s not about getting into character for songs; when you get an album from me you learn a little more about me, not Kano the artist, but the real me.”

For more information on Kano and his latest album, 'London Town' log onto:
www.ka-no.com