Rooted in Nigeria and rebuilding in Calgary, Cris Kester makes music shaped by rhythm, faith, resilience and the determination to keep moving when life refuses to make things easy.
In “Rooted in Nigeria, Rising in Calgary: Cris Kester Is Still Becoming,” Kimberley Dooshima Jev traces how Kester’s upbringing in Cross River State and northern Nigeria continues to live in his storytelling. Through songs including “Can I Speak?,” “Las Las” and “Colourful,” he creates space for pain without surrendering hope, building an emotional bridge between listeners across cultures and borders.
The profile explores the immigrant experience of beginning again, the challenge of introducing yourself to a new city and the faith required to keep creating when life does not yet resemble what you imagined. Standing between the foundation he built in Nigeria and the life he is creating in Canada, Kester is not choosing between two worlds. He is building from both—and he believes his best is still ahead.
Read the full story at Afros in tha City or in our print publication.