Rooted in Nigeria, Rising in Calgary
By Kimberley Jev
For Cris Kester, Nigerian identity is not a layer added to the music after the fact. It is already there, living in the rhythm, the language, the faith and the instinct to keep moving when life refuses to make things easy.
"It's already in me," he says. "It's in the way I tell stories, express pain, joy, faith and hope."
Born in Cross River State and raised in northern Nigeria, Kester grew up surrounded by music. It was in church, in the streets, at home, in celebration and in struggle. Music was not separate from life. It carried life.
That foundation continues to shape the way he writes today.
"Nigeria teaches you resilience," he reflects. "It teaches you how to laugh even when things are difficult, how to pray, how to hope and how to keep moving."
Kester's music crosses borders without losing sight of where it began. He draws from the sounds, expressions and emotional textures of Nigeria, but his aim is bigger than simply blending cultures. He wants the feeling to travel.
"I want someone in Calgary, Lagos, London or anywhere in the world to listen and say, 'I may not have lived his exact story, but I understand the feeling.' That's the bridge for me."
That bridge is central to songs including "Can I Speak?" and "Las Las."
"Can I Speak?" emerged from Kester's desire to claim space for what was sitting heavily on his heart. "Las Las," meanwhile, draws from a familiar Nigerian posture toward hardship: life may test you, delay you and knock you sideways, but somehow, by faith and determination, you keep believing that things can still work out.
"I don't want to say everything is fine when sometimes everything is not fine," he says. "I would rather say, 'I know it's hard, but don't give up.'"
That tension between honesty and hope runs throughout his work. Kester is interested in the stories people often carry quietly: the pressure of waiting, the immigrant experience, the difficulty of beginning again and the faith required when life does not yet resemble what you prayed for.
For him, music can hold pain without surrendering to it.
"You can talk about pain, but it doesn't have to leave people in pain," he says. "It can acknowledge your struggle but still point people towards hope."
Since relocating to Calgary, Kester has had to introduce himself again.
A new city does not automatically know the stages an artist has stood on, the songs that have travelled or the history behind the name. Starting over has required patience, but it has also pushed him to reconsider how he tells his story and how he connects with audiences who may not immediately recognize every reference, phrase or cultural cue.
"Calgary has made me see my music differently," he says. "It pushes me to become a better storyteller."
He does not view the city as a limitation. He sees it as another chapter in a career that has already crossed borders.
"The global stage is not only about where you are physically anymore," he says. "A song can leave your room and enter someone else's life across the world."
Now standing between the foundation he built in Nigeria and the life he is creating in Canada, Kester is allowing both places to shape what comes next. He is not choosing between two worlds. He is building from both.
"The journey has been about rebuilding, but not from zero," he says. "It's rebuilding with experience."
Watch This Space
New work is expected from Cris Kester this August, marking the next step in an artistic journey built on faith, cultural memory and the discipline to keep showing up. Follow him, subscribe to his channels and keep an eye on his streaming platforms for new music, performance announcements and everything arriving next.
"My best is still ahead of me."
There is good reason to believe him. Kester's work ethic has remained steady throughout every chapter of his career, and he continues to create, release and rebuild with intention. Whatever comes next will not arrive by accident.
Listen & Follow
Essential Listening
Can I Speak?
Las Las
Colourful