Kranium Says He Worried About Being A One-Hit Wonder
Dancehall artist Kranium says following the mammoth success of his Gold-certified Nobody Has to Know in 2015, he had been worried that he would have been a one-hit wonder, so much so that he fell into depression.
During an interview with Billboard regarding his new EP In Too Deep, the Melody Gad revealed his then trepidation.
“I really thought I was going to be a one-hit wonder,” he told Billboard.
“Nobody Has to Know, at that time, when it came out, was the only thing you were hearing. That was the only reggae that translated from the American market to Africa and the Caribbean at the time. It was a hard mountain and a high one at that,” he explained.
The Montego Bay native revealed that following the song’s success he went into and later overcame depression, and continued his musical journey.
“I didn’t believe I would climb that mountain because that was the same time I went into a depression… The first time I knew what anxiety and depression were, was when that song came out. You get so much love, and then eventually it starts slowing down, and you start thinking everything doesn’t seem the same anymore, and then it’s like, ‘What’s next?’” said the singer, whose real name is Kemar Donaldson.
Kranium, who was born in Montego Bay, St. James, migrated to the United States at 12. His Nobody Has to Know single, which was originally released in 2013, was re-released in 2015 to feature American rapper Ty Dolla $ign. The video for that version has so far amassed 115 million views on YouTube.
The international recognition he attracted following the release of Nobody Has To Know, led to him being given a label deal by Atlantic Records later that year.
Nobody Has To Know, which was produced by Lamar Michael Reynolds of PLMR Productions, peaked at No. 44 on Billboard’s R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay chart. It was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) in September 2019 for sales of more than 500,000 copies. It also copped a gold certification in Canada, after selling 40,000 copies, and silver in the UK with sales of more than 200,000.
In overcoming his depression, Kranium said he realized there wasn’t a blueprint for creating music. Understanding that music is universal and will connect with audiences across the globe differently helped him to get out of his rut and into a period of creativity.
“I’ve always wanted to make a difference,” he says. “But I just didn’t know how. All I knew was I can only do that by being consistent and understanding there’s no blueprint for success. You have to just keep creating.”
Since 2015, Kranium has released several other hits including Can’t Believe featuring Ty Dolla Sign and Wizkid, the Risky Remix with Davido and Gal Policy, including a remix featuring Tiwa Savage. In February last year, he released his Toxic EP which included tracks such as Gal Policy, Block Traffic featuring Rytikal, Through The Window, and Won’t Judge.
As for In Too Deep, although Kranium is yet to announce an official date for its release, he says the album will come “sooner rather than later”.
According to him, he has given the album his “all”, spending almost two years on its creation, as while trends come and go, he wants to be the musician who is still “getting sampled 20 to 30 years from now, and that only happens with the realness.”
“I want my fans to take away the quality and time spent, the emotion in each voice, the growth, and creativity of a youth born different… I spent 19 months on this album,” he explained.
The eight-track EP’s first single Without You which was released last week, features Queen Naija, and is a blend of Afrobeats, Dancehall, Reggae, and R&B.
In too Deep also will feature a collab with Dexta Daps, and R&B singer BLEU.
According to Kranium, he is very selective in terms of whom he chooses to collaborate and has even turned down offers made by heavy-hitting artistes in the past.
“I never have a specific person I wanna work with. I always make the song first, and then I think this person would sound dope on it… I have some big artists who have hit me up for a record, and I turned them down because I don’t want to put something out that’s going to backfire or waste an opportunity,” he said.