Ki-Juan Minors has put out a video for his single, Hold On.

For those who do not know, he has been singing for years – at weddings, charity events and even at horse shows when he is not there competing.

He discovered he could carry a tune at a young age. Years ago, before he left Bermuda to work as a professional equestrian in Wellington, Florida, he was part of a group called Silhouette with his sister, Verlencia Aberdeen, Malissa Furbert, Teanne Trott and Dion Ming.

“I’m very fortunate to be able to do both my passions,” he said. “I've always been a singer since living in Bermuda and performing in Bermuda with my sister and my group that I had back there many years ago. And then when I moved to the US, when I was done working with horses, I would be singing at different events and would be hired to sing, whether it be at a wedding or a special event.”

At Warwick Academy he was part of the music programme. He learnt to read music and played the alto saxophone.

“I wish someone had told me a long time ago to pick up a guitar or learn the piano because I could have been a real threat back then. But when we're in the studio and we're creating beats, I'm very hands on when it comes to stuff like that.”

Voice lessons are something he would love to pursue, once he is able to find the time.

“I actually have never had a vocal lesson. They’re definitely needed. But the timing is a little strenuous right now. It’s a little hard to juggle the daily equestrian life and the music life and my wife. I’ve gotta make sure I take care of that first.”

In the 17 years he has spent in the United States, he has sung at the Miss Ecuador beauty pageant, performed at a top horse show in Central Park “and the list goes on…”

“I got really involved in pursuing music and putting content out back in 2016. I got connected with Kalenna Harper, who's an artist that used to be affiliated with Diddy and we did my first single, Tropical Baby, back in 2016. I've just been putting music out every year ever since,” Ki-Juan said.

In 2020 the singer created a stir on social media when he partnered with American broadcaster Soledad O’Brien on a 12-day Christmas song countdown.

“Hold On is a project that I actually wrote with another producer and engineer a couple years ago and I've just been keeping it kind of in the vault for a little bit,” he said. The song was released through DistroKid, the independent digital music distribution service.

Ki-Juan has since started working with a new team in West Palm Beach, Stars International, that helped move the song forward.

“They had a vision to come up with a video for the song and they were able to execute it in one day,” he said. It is his third so far.

“I did a video for my single No Pressure and then my first video was for a duet I did called She Won’t.”

Ki-Juan left Bermuda about 17 years ago to pursue a career as an equestrian.

“I've competed for Bermuda for quite some time. I went to the 2018 Central American and Caribbean Games and I have a business out here and I do music as well.

“As long as I can do both, I'm going to continue to do both. This is the early stages of me working with Stars International. So we're in the early stages of trying to come up with a plan for the rest of 2023 and how we want to present new music and new videos and things like that. So I think my next project will, God willing, drop in six or seven weeks.”

He has yet to put out a full album but has produced two EPs and is appreciative of the support he gets from people here.

“A couple of my songs have been played on the radio stations – I love that. The radio stations, they do cater to Bermuda artists, which is a little unheard of in the US because most radio stations are owned by labels. So if you're not signed to a label, your song doesn't get played on the radio but I think Bermuda radio stations have done a really good job of catering to Bermuda artists.

“When my songs are being played back home, I have friends and family that record it and send it to me: ‘Hey, you’re on the radio again!’ I would like to say thank you to them, because I think it's really important that they do showcase Bermudian artists whether they're located in Bermuda or overseas.”

He is pleased with what he has accomplished but admits it is tough to stand out in the global industry because it is “very heavily saturated”.

“I don't know the exact numbers of the amount of songs that are submitted to all the different places or the different platforms on a daily basis, but it is hard to stay current and stay ahead of everyone else – everyone is trying to do music at this point. But I do have my fanbase, in Bermuda, the US and the UK, and I just really enjoy making music that's going to be around past my lifetime.”

He still performs live in the US and would love the chance to return home and do the same.

“My season for show jumping is right now here in Wellington, Florida. So I'm pretty tied up between January to the end of March, April to be honest. But given the opportunity, definitely. I would love to come back home and perform.”

Follow Ki-Juan’s music on Spotify, iTunes, YouTube and “anywhere music is played”.

“I try to have my music available for everyone, everywhere,” he said.