Christian Kuria released his latest EP, Suspension of Disbelief in November of last year to much critical acclaim and anticipation. The project consists of chill neo-soul sounds while giving a deeper glimpse into the often-overlooked complexities of relationships. Kuria stated, “making ‘Suspension of Disbelief’ was a challenging creative journey that began at the beginning of the pandemic, but the project really bloomed into a piece of art that I’m proud of. Creating in the midst of unprecedented global issues that were occurring all at once brought about a unique artistic, personal and social perspective.” Born and raised in Vallejo, CA just north of San Francisco, Kuria took in the influences from both sides of a mixed household with a Kenyan father and white mother. While Kuria gravitated to the local punk rock heroes of Green Day and the scene, he subconsciously took in music in Swahili and Kikuyu that was playing in his house. “Now, it’s something that I really appreciate and something that I’m really proud of. I grew up the only person of color in my school and that was a different experience for me,” Kuria shared, “it’s made me who I am and I’m so proud of that.” Having played a handful of international dates, Kuria was embraced by enthusiastic audiences in Korea and other parts of Asia, something that took Kuria by surprise. “Playing to live audiences, after nearly two years of writing in isolation, gave me a visual of the impact the music was making on people around the world,” he shared. Suspension of Disbelief follows up his debut album ‘Borderline,’ released in 2020 and features the songs “Too Good” and “Losing You”.
Christian Kuria speaks with B-Sides host Pete Mar about his latest EP, ‘Suspension of Disbelief’, how his Kenyan roots, punk rock of Green Day and John Mayer all contributed to the music he makes.
