By Bejay Browne.
A Paphos based singer, songwriter and rapper is sending a positive message to other young artists in Cyprus and aims to inspire them to follow their dreams.
Keiran Varnava, aka ‘Cubanolink’, a name he chose to reflect his liking for Cuban link jewellery, is a young 22 year old English Cypriot that grew up surrounded by music.
After joining the school choir in London in the UK aged 7, and ‘singing all over the house’, he moved to Cyprus just a few years later and spent much of his time with the many DJ’s and artists that performed in his family’s various bars and clubs in Ayiou Antoniou Street, in Kato Paphos.
“Just because you live in a small place like Cyprus, doesn’t mean that you have to have a small mind. You can do anything you want if you’re open to it and there are so many opportunities in Cyprus to make music,” Cubanolink told the Paphos Post.
Currently working with up and coming rapper/producer Ddubzyy and musician/producer Konic, Cubanolink has released a number of remixed cover songs and is writing his own music. With the advent of digital platforms which make releasing music easier for up and coming artists, aspiring musicians, singers and rappers are finding it easier to build up a following and fan base for their work.
“I want young people like me to believe in their aspirations and highlight the fact that collaborating with other people, as I am doing, is a great way to move forwards. We can build up a network here in Cyprus and a real scene where we all help each other. Hopefully we can send a great message to other young artists to push themselves and go further, that’s my main goal,” he said.
The rapper is a huge fan of award winning artist, Burna Boy, a Nigerian singer, songwriter, rapper and dancer who is one of the biggest and most successful African artists to date.
“His music really resonated with me. His voice, his flows, beats, energy and vibe is all really great. It puts a smile on people’s faced and that’s what I want to do. I want to create good moods,” he said.
The rapper is a strong believer in collaborative projects and after bumping into old friend Ddubzyy, (Nikolas), Varnava decided to take his love of music further and started to write his own music.
The pair also work with musician and producer ‘Konic’, and the results are already gaining followers all over the world. The team’s first cover is a remixed track titled, ‘Twist and Turn’, originally by Popcaan Ft. Drake, and it has an accompanying video which can currently be viewed on YouTube.
“I have got many more release coming up very soon, including my own songs. The world is a smaller place with all of the things that can be done digitally now and all I want to do is put a smile on people’s face and create good moods,” he said.
“I’m willing to help any young artists if I can, and introduce them to some great producers I know all over Cyprus,” he said.
