Kevin Lyttle pulls out from Atlantic Records

His hit single “Turn Me On” blew audiences around the world away in 2003, so what is Vincentian Super Star Kevin Lyttle up to now?

Speaking from the heart to BuzZ, Kevin admits that he is not like other artistes looking for “that major international hit song,” but is more concerned about expressing his feelings through music.{{more}}

He stressed that his aim is not to freak out like many artistes, hustling and pushing for “that next big hit” but believes in just letting the vibes of his experiences flow naturally.

Kevin reinforced that he will never push negative issues such as violence and female exploitation, but was more concerned about expressing the positive things in life.

“I believe in taking the high road and not the easy road, I wouldn’t sing something because it is the in thing, but I will sing it because it is artistic.”

He went on, “At the end of the day it is not just about money, because money will come once you are doing something that people appreciate. That’s how a lot of artistes get their music short lived, when they feel the need to push violent and degrading music. They must realise that someone’s sister or brother is a victim and that this needs to stop.”

BuzZ also caught Kevin with a beautiful young lady at Club Iguana last Saturday at his side, and when asked if he was taken he admitted that he was single but loved the ladies.

He stated, “I am not promiscuous, I don’t just jump with any woman, but I do have friends. I travel a lot so I am not settled and I don’t want to hurt anyone’s feelings.”

Kevin confessed that fame has not been easy, and that he has since left his record company Atlantic Records, citing that he felt slighted and pressured as an artiste.

He confessed that problems started when Atlantic didn’t push his second single “I Got It”, which he figured would have been more of an international hit, but was upset that they were instead pushing the song “Last Drop” which was big in America, but not in Europe and other countries as the other single “I Got It.”

The singer complained that his label also said that they pushed the music video “Last Drop” to MTV, but never did, causing him to loose valuable publicity mileage. He also explained that Atlantic records began to promote another recently signed Caribbean artiste and was being delinquent on promoting his music.

Kevin however noted that he is doing some work with local producers, Cherry Ince, Great Z and Adrian Bailey along with some producers from Trinidad and Jamaica. He explained that since leaving Atlantic in January he feels more liberated to be creative. He said that the songs “My Girl,” “Ain’t Nobody Like You” and the “Roti” which he hopes to drop on June 9th are some of his latest work for 2006.

He revealed that audiences would be amazed to see the versatility of the faster paced Kevin who would do the song “Brock Out” with energetic Problem Child.

At times described as cocky, Kevin remembers days when people believed that he had a boastful walk and an “air” about him. He however clarified this notion and describes it as “confidence.”

He remarked, “No one respects you if you don’t carry yourself with some sort of pride, I am not aggressive but don’t get fooled, I am as calm as a lamb, but I could be like a tiger when necessary. I believe in picking your battles and always being tactful, but I still think I am humble.”

Proud of his achievements, Kevin revealed that he has still been receiving awards for his writing and was earlier this year given a Soca Award.

He said that his focus now is on doing an album and announced that he has a tour to Africa later this month.

Excited about this trip, Kevin said that the music of Africa is the “Engine of Soca” and said that he is looking forward to meeting his fan base in the “Mother Land.”

The Lodge Village resident believes that because of his Vincentian roots he was also able to create a new sound that many others are now copying. He described the new sound as a fusion of R&B, Soca and Reggae and credited bands like Touch and Soca legend Becket for birthing this special mix.

The Soca artiste who has been told on many occasions that he has an uncanny resemblance to Oscar winning Actor Jamie Fox, said that he met Fox once while in Canada shooting a film, but that his other dream is also to make it as big in the movie biz.

Feeling that he is an artiste in every sense of the word, Kevin has been singing, dancing and acting professionally on stage since he was 14 years old.

When asked whom he would love to collaborate with if given the chance, he immediately mentioned Michael Jackson and Stevie Wonder. He also mentioned that he was impressed by the vocal abilities of the gospel group, “Take 6.”

The entertainer pointed out that his I-pod includes music from classical singer Enya, rappers Ememin and 50 cents. He emphasised that while he does not agree with all the content of their music, he is impressed by their lyrical skills and flair for excellent beats.

Kevin believes that one of the highlights of his career was at shows he did in Germany and Japan where people knew the words to his songs. He said that this proved that people were truly fond of his music, since those countries were not English speaking but were about appreciating music that touched them.

Rounding up the Buzz interview, Kevin didn’t profess to be religious but admitted to being spiritual.

He reinforced, “My confidence comes from knowing the Almighty, so you can’t be timid and a weak heart. You have to have motivation to succeed. I am not about spreeing my money. I just bought a car for my convenience and I have an apartment in New York, but I save my money. When everything is done I want to do what I can for not just me, but for my country.”