""I want people to think that opera can be performed anywhere," he says. "You don't have to look a certain way... When people hear my voice they're gonna be like, 'What the heck?'""
""Instead of a corny remix of The Marriage of Figaro sped up to sound contemporary, Khaysie says he's creating something that's "authentically hip-hop" with sincere storytelling and entertaining instrumentation; a piece that conveys the range of emotions he's seen other opera singers display.""
""And when I finished my operatic song," he recalls, "he asked me, why do I want to sing opera?'""
Khaysie will perform in San Francisco at the Frida People collective's fall "Gathering Light" event, an in-person and livestreamed performance focused on the healing power of art. Ana Quiñonez and Kristal Raheem will co-host and lead a discussion on tending to one's "inner flame." The evening will feature performances by Kaly Jay, Kenyatta, Khaysie and other artists. Khaysie favors street clothes over traditional opera attire to challenge expectations and demonstrate that opera can be performed anywhere. He plans to present a sample of a hip-hopera that emphasizes authentic hip-hop storytelling and instrumentation rather than superficial remixing. At age 16, Rodrick Dixon invited Khaysie to perform and prompted Khaysie to say that opera allows full emotional expression.
Read at Kqed
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