Kenya Eugene has been compared to Whitney Houston not just in voice but in gorgeous looks; Adele’s sultry notes are also comparable, and if you are an aficionado of old school, try Celine Dion or Anita Baker on for size. Kenya Eugene can fit into any one of their shoes easily and well. Not only that extraordinary voice of hers, but her emotional lyrics as well. She writes what is in her heart and calls her music “Heart Music.”
Eugene’s first album called If I Could is out right now – an emotion filled album about her journey to find love. She is also working on another album to be released in early 2016. This album will be more on the sultry side and should express a more up-tempo in the song selections and a sense of Eugene’s control and non-vulnerability. She explained that, “This upcoming project shows exceptional growth.”
Raised by West Indian parents from St. Lucia, her humble St. Croix upbringing came with several constants: sharing everything with family (often there was not much to share), and music – always music around the house. “I always knew that I wanted to be a singer, even being reminded by my Head Start teacher that at the age four, I had told her the same thing. In high school, I knew that I could not live with myself if I couldn’t do what I love for a living.”
A stint in New York cemented modeling as her second passion. The Virgin Island songstress is also a star on the runway. Noticing her beautiful skin ---her regiment learned from those days, is to keep skin care as simple as possible. She shared with us that she drinks a lot of water and tries not to use products with too many chemical ingredients in them. “I dilute peppermint soap with lots of water and use that to wash my face at night. After cleansing, I apply a mixture of 100% Shea Butter and 100% Vitamin E oil. I also use Bentonite clay on my face several times a month. Aside from that, I try to minimize wearing makeup.”
Her sense of pride to be from the Virgin Islands and her pride in music comes from seeing her people excelling in their career fields. She states that, “One must be exceptional in order to be recognized on an international level, especially coming from small islands.” As you can imagine, music reverberates in her everyday life and she likes to listen to current artists like Sia, K Michelle, Lauryn Hill, Sara Bareilles, and Jill Scott. She listens to a lot of reggae as well, in particular Junior Gong and Dezarie. Her other passions that help influence her expression through music is her love of helping others, her family members, and her close friends. Her song with Pressure, the reggae artist, came about because he happened to be on St. Thomas at the time, “So I sent him the song and we got into the studio the same week. Pressure is a team player and fun spirited to work with. We had an amazing time putting it and the music video together.”
Bravo to her for sharing her beauty secrets, and by the way, she uses very little additional product. She loves MAC Cosmetics anything since it works well with her skin. And of course, an island girl can’t be too choosy about shopping either. Her favorite local shops would have to be: Just Me Fashion, Soul to Soul Shoe Boutique, and Bella Vera Boutique. As to shopping malls, she does tend to go crazy sometimes! BCBG Max Azria, H&M, Charlotte Russe, Urban Outfitters, and American Apparel are a few of her top picks. Career wise, 2016 looks very promising for Kenya and the island girl’s New Year’s resolution would be: “To spread Heart Music to the world.” We wish her the best of successes for her new albums and many more fans for her enormous talent.