Keniye feel me? Yes, girl, I hear you. I feel you. And I am with you.
Let me take a moment to break down my fellow Bay Area sister, Keniye Moala. Keniye is a singer/songwriter out of Hayward, California. She is of Tongan and Chamorro descent blending her Polynesian and Micronesian roots through her music. Keniye is a refreshing sound to the ears of those who grew up in the Youtube/Soundcloud days of music.
Keniye has been musically inclined along with her siblings from a very young age when her father gifted them instruments. As an independent musician, she released her first song “Intact” when she was in high school, and with ebbs and flows through her music journey, she is resurfacing herself in the game after dropping her newest EP called “Flavors.” Keniye has a nostalgic feel to her music as she gives her listeners a bit of everything.
“Flavors” is exactly what you’re getting and expecting when you walk into an ice cream shop and you see a plethora of flavors to choose from. Keniye gives us a bit of Pop, RnB, Soul, and Island Reggae. With ten songs on her EP, you are bound to jam and vibe out with at least one, if not all of them.
“The theme was to be assorted,” Keniye beams as she recalls her time making the EP. The whole EP was produced by TK Moa who had a huge impact on Keniye getting back into the music game. “I wanted to take a break from music but I was slapped in the face because TK Moa hit me up to collaborate and make music and I took it as a sign from God.” In that, we are given a 10 song EP that pushes past Keniye’s boundaries and showcases her versatility.
Keniye tends to stick to RnB, however creating “Flavors” pushed her to do something different having songs like “Suga Free” and “so sweet” as her favorite records coming out of the EP.
As we all know life takes us on journeys and Keniye reminds us to keep “taking the risk to just do it.” She shared with us to “stop waiting for certain things to happen and just do it.” Time is in our favor and as we get older, we experience more. With that, Keniye’s words of wisdom is to “take every opportunity that you can and take advantage of the blessings God has put in your path.”
“Flavors” dropped on November 22, 2024. With the EP being a month out, she has grabbed the attention of many other artists throughout the Pacific. She hopes to evolve more in the music industry by collaborating with more artists especially in New Zealand *hint* *hint* *wink* *wink*
Be on the lookout for more music by Keniye in the near future. She is someone we believe is going to make waves in the industry as she submerges herself back into the game.
To her future self Keniye advises “do you and enjoy life.”
I know that’s right Keniye.
