At 17, Khea decided to discontinue schoolhouse for a twelvemonth to travel his dreams. It was that aforesaid year, successful 2017, that his profession began to flourish. By nan property of 20, nan Argentine creator calved Ivo Alfredo Thomas Serue managed to standard the Billboard charts pinch his trap and hip-hop fusions and inked a woody pinch Interscope Records worldwide successful early 2020.
But successful nan midst of his skyrocketing success, Khea mislaid himself and his emotion for his craft.
“I didn’t want to proceed penning songs for illustration that, which from my perspective, were somewhat empty,” he tells Billboard of his songs specified arsenic “Ayer Me Llamo Mi Ex” (2020) and “Wacha” (2021), some of which entered nan Billboard charts. “I was already distancing myself from this world.”
He admits that he fell into terrible slump during nan pandemic but acknowledgment to a coagulated support strategy and an knowing grounds label, he was not only capable to propulsion done and heal, but besides springiness life to his caller workplace medium Serotonina.
The group — musically charged pinch R&B, salsa and EDM fusions and lyrically backed by heavy contented — is his first group successful 3 years and his astir ultra-personal accumulation de yet.
Below, nan Argentine enactment opens up to Billboard astir his conflict pinch intelligence wellness and really he’s coping today.
The powerful intro successful Serotonina really sets nan reside not only for nan remainder of nan medium but besides sheds ray connected your ain individual struggles pinch fame and depression: Why did you consciousness this is nan correct clip to unfastened up astir your intelligence wellness battle?
It’s really not astir nan “right time.” It was what happened to maine and what I wanted to communicate. The infinitesimal happened for illustration this. Clearly, I wanted to return to euphony and I did not want to travel backmost pinch nan connection that I was communicating before. Beyond nan moment, everything I want to pass coming is recovered successful this album.
Can you return america backmost to nan clip successful your profession erstwhile you felt a disconnect pinch your music?
In nan past months, earlier I fell into depression, I was already penning ultra-deep lyrics. But astatine nan aforesaid time, I was releasing songs specified arsenic “Ayer Me Llamo Mi Ex” and “Wacha,” and akin songs that made maine recognize I didn’t want to proceed penning songs for illustration that, which from my perspective, were somewhat empty. I was penning different things, and listening to different types of music, for illustration Silvio Rodriguez. I was already distancing myself from this world. But erstwhile this began to hap to maine personally—looking down connected myself and not being capable to spell extracurricular because I had worry attacks—I really thought that 1 of nan things that caused maine to beryllium for illustration this was that I was nary longer connecting pinch what my creation said. So this full process besides went beyond a hunt to turn personally and it was rediscovering my philharmonic self.
We cognize nan medium was calved during a turbulent clip successful your life: Can you elaborate much connected nan imaginative process?
I went to nan southbound of my state to a location successful Bariloche for 20 days pinch my shaper Nobeat, my technologist Mariano Bilinkins, and Spreadlof, a composer from Spain that my grounds explanation introduced me. Spreadlof helped maine a batch successful this caller portion of nan composition, but he besides helped maine a batch personally, that’s why I decided to return him pinch maine to do this album. We link very well. The ideas and nan demos of nan medium were created successful those 20 days. Afterward, it took galore months of work, production, and changing lyrics and melodies, it was a 10-month process.
You are an unfastened book successful each lyric connected nan album: Which of nan 13 tracks would you opportunity was nan astir difficult to pen and why?
Really, “Eclipse” was nan astir difficult. It was moreover nan 1 that frightened maine nan astir to merchandise and that’s why I decided to make it my first azygous because it was nan only measurement to look my fear. I consciousness that I show myself ace susceptible and it’s a genre pinch caller melodies and little autotune. I deliberation that was nan hardest to decorativeness penning and besides to release.
You’re known arsenic a pioneer of nan Argentine trap activity but this medium is acold from that—it’s nan astir experimental we’ve heard you: What motivated you to create EDM, tropical music, and different genres?
I wanted to create an experimental album. I wanted to recreation to nan southbound of my state and activity connected a conceptual medium [inside a home] really artists specified arsenic Queen, The Beatles, and Rolling Stones, utilized to do. I consciousness that that measurement of creating euphony is unthinkable because it’s for illustration locking yourself successful a clip instrumentality and training each time to get nan champion retired of you. I had successful mind to create each nan versatility you perceive connected nan record, and I americium very satisfied pinch nan result.
In “Nunca Voy Solo,” there’s a building that says: “ya cai, ya falle, con los mios maine levante” (I fell, I failed, but I sewage up pinch my people): Who would you opportunity was important successful your treatment process?
Everyone successful my individual environment, from my woman to my friends to my family, gave maine a very beardown affectional containment erstwhile I was going done this process. My label, Interscope, knew really to springiness maine my clip and had patience. They understood that I was going done a very difficult time. I really judge that giving a personification time—not pushing, not judging, and conscionable listening and trying to understand that it’s a process and that he aliases she is going to get retired of that place—is nan champion measurement to springiness containment.
One of nan 2 collaborations connected this medium is “Para Amarte A Ti” pinch Tiago PZK—a workfellow you person joined forces pinch connected aggregate occasions: What does he correspond successful your life?
For me, beyond nan truth that he is simply a workfellow successful nan industry, he’s for illustration a literal relative to me. Since I met him we had a very beardown connection. He’s personification who I thin connected erstwhile I person to talk astir something. I ever telephone him and he’s nan aforesaid pinch me. We person a very fluid connection and I really consciousness that group will for illustration our associated way connected nan album. He is very typical successful my life and successful my career.
How do you navigate slump today? Are location immoderate coping mechanisms that helped?
First, talk things out. You person to astatine slightest person 1 aliases 2 trusted group successful your life to whom you tin show everything and person different constituent of view. After, afloat therapy. I do holistic therapy, which requires spirituality and family trees. I do therapy pinch microdoses of mushrooms that are being studied and are very patient for nan mind and overmuch amended than Xanax and different pills. I meditate, train erstwhile I can, and really effort to breathe. I deliberation breathing is very cardinal and a free instrumentality that we each have. During immoderate anxious moment, return 3 minutes to breathe, and it tin really alteration your day. If you do it pinch constancy, it changes your month, and if you do it pinch a batch of persistence, it changes your life. I knew really to analyse each these factors and they thief maine each day.