Humble beginnings impact King Aseer’s music

King Aseer recorded his first song, titled Education, at 10 years old and, though it was not an official release, he knew from then that music would be the best platform for his creative expression.

"I wanted to share a message about education and its importance. Myself being a lover of English language and English literature, I was always writing and I would say I am a very intellectual person," he told STAR on the Rise. As a child, growing up in the Kingston 11 community of Bay Farm Road had a lasting effect on his life as well as his music.

"Most of my inspirations are of life experiences and wisdom attained by everyday life around me and being raised there. This has encouraged a determined stance to accomplish my best in my musical career," he said. "Growing up in poverty and learning to value and accept every single thing in life has impacted my life and my music in a tremendous way. I grew up seeing or hearing musicians who have inspired my career. That also was one of the reasons that I recorded so young.There are a lot of role models who have set remarkable examples, as well as many who I take their life as a lesson as roads not to follow."

King Aseer, whose given name is Alejandro Ricardo Stewart, named Garnett Silk, Bob Marley and Percy Sledge as some of the icons who have influenced his musical taste. Over the past year, the artiste has dedicated more time to writing and finding his niche. Spending time with family and self-educating on the growing music industry were also part of his focus and, now, he is channelling his energy on marketing himself.

With the release of the music video for King Aseer's Find Love single, which was produced by Kreatian Music and L3L Records, he wants the local dancehall community, the listeners of the genre internationally, and the diaspora to give him a chance to share his story musically.

"Though the street promotion of my brand and music was greatly affected, I connected with a lot of persons online. Also, many persons, mostly songwriters and a few teachers, needed help to write, review and edit their work. That helped me in a different way," King Aseer said.

He added that, through social media interactions, "I've learnt how to accept criticism simply by observing other social media influencers who have a positive attitude".