KID AKIMBO: The Original Fun Boy

KID AKIMBO on set for the music video to his new single, "Fun Boyz"
Photo by Rami Hyun

Amid booming music, disco lights, and sexy Latin men, KID AKIMBO and I sat adjacent the bar at the Blue Macaw. The Brazilian-born, eight-year singing veteran had called me after finishing day one of a two-day video shoot for his new single "Fun Boyz." I hadn’t had the pleasure of meeting AKIMBO in person yet, so I invited him to the Antares party as I was leaving Trigger. He graciously obliged.

“It was a hard day of shooting. The dancers, director Leo Herrera, and I were filming from 4–9pm on a rooftop, and it was really cold. I’m co-producing the music video for ‘Fun Boyz’ and the choreography is also mine. So I’m working myself and my dancers hard. Everything has to be right.”

As we spoke –Long Island Ice Tea in my hand, a sugar-free Red Bull in his– I started to get excited to hear more about KID AKIMBO and especially about his single ‘Fun Boyz,’ which releases today, Wednesday, November 25.

“The song has a Reggaeton feel with Middle Eastern influences,” AKIMBO began. “Though the title of the song is simple, I feel as though ‘Fun Boyz’ is honoring the old guard of the gay community.” AKIMBO defines a fun boy as, “a gay boy who knows how to have a good time without all of the consumption that we’ve grown accustomed to. We are so consumed by materialism. It offers the question: ‘have we lost the ability to have fun?’ ”
 
“Fun Boyz” is one of three songs on the single that comprise AKIMBO’s first release. The video, which AKIMBO says should make a winter debut, is “a little bit of something you haven’t seen before!” Smiling, he adds, “It’s KID AKIMBO!”
 
“I’m a multifaceted person” KA said in describing his urban-pop sound, which is clear through the other singles on his release. “Moody” and “Disco Berimbau” offer a different side of this artist. “Moody is a tribute to the late 90’s Euro-pop music scene. The song has an electronica feel to it but also tells the story of my experience with meditation,” (an art AKIMBO practices most mornings) “and how that’s affected my outlook.” KA continued, “Disco Berimbau” goes back to my Brazilian roots. It’s a traditional Brazilian samba sung in Portuguese, but with a ‘slap-your-mama-good bass line’ as somebody put it!” Sounds like a great club banger to me.

AKIMBO has travelled far in his history as a singer. “I have performed in Austria, New York, Miami, Cleveland, Columbus, and Santa Barbara,” AKIMBO said. As a matter of fact, he actually just left San Francisco for New York Monday for a collaboration with Michael Jackson’s choreographer Ken Still, and singer Jasper James.
 
Right now, AKIMBO “just [wants to] get the music out there!” The single will be available on iTunes and CDBaby, but AKIMBO’s personal favorite is live shows. “I will definitely be pushing the single at my live events which I have a number of coming up in December.”

“I hope,” KA added, “the gay community will continue to help and support me in my career. I sing for my community. I will be waving that rainbow flag for us.  I have people from both sides - the straight community and the LGBT community - encouraging me to move forward. I want to break down the stigmatization between the two.”

Keeping to the “Fun Boy” that he is, AKIMBO said smiling, “there will be a release party. Stay tuned because it is going to be a blow-out.”

Purchase AKIMBO's new single at www.digstation.com/KIDAKIMBO
Find out more at www.KIDAKIMBO.com