Acclaimed trumpeter-composer Keyon Harrold has shared his long awaited Concord Jazz debut single, “Don’t Lie feat. Malaya” available now HERE
Produced by Harrold at Las Vegas, NV’s Studio A Las Vegas and co-written with GRAMMY® Award-nominated songwriter Hookman Marlin Bonds (Swizz Beatz, Jason Derulo, Lil Jon), “Don’t Lie” marks the critically acclaimed artist’s first new music in more than half a decade. Fueled in part by soulful vocals from American Idol fan favorite Malaya, the track expertly spotlights Harrold’s signature sound and improvisational power, setting his soaring trumpet amidst a wondrously vibrant arrangement rich with rhythmic and harmonic invention.
“‘Don’t Lie’ is a song written about that place in the relationship where one asks all of the most visceral questions in a love affair, second-guessing everything about the relationship yet reminiscing about the most blissful of times,” says Keyon Harrold. “The superimposition of vulnerability juxtaposed against the volatility of the most sure feelings ever felt. Fulfillment in the mind while feeling lost and starved intimately and emotionally abandoned. A simple and honest request of a lover to simply be honest. Is this request ever heard? Or is this just a meditation?”
Harrold will celebrate his new music with a busy live schedule, including dates alongside Karl Denson and performances at an array of top jazz festivals. A list of confirmed dates is below, and more dates will be announced in the coming weeks. For updates and complete details, please visit keyonharroldmusic.com/shows.
Keyon Harrold has earned international applause for his sweeping and cinematic multidisciplinary musical approach, drawing on elements of jazz, classical, rock, blues, and hip-hop to create something uniquely modern, unmistakably American, and defiantly his own. Born and raised in Ferguson, MO, the St. Louis suburb that tore into America’s national consciousness in 2014 with the police shooting of Michael Brown and the bitter protests and riots that followed, Harrold grew up one of 16 children in a family that prioritized music and community across generations. At 18, he left Ferguson for The New School’s School of Jazz and Contemporary Music in New York City, soon landing his first major gig working with Common, an experience which saw him take part in a very special NPR Tiny Desk Concert at The White House. Harrold quickly proved himself a first-call sideman, racking up a long list of touring and recording credits including Jay-Z, Beyoncé, Nas, Rihanna, Eminem, Erykah Badu, D’Angelo, Maxwell, Robert Glasper, Dr. Lonnie Smith, Cirque Du Soleil, Keith Richards, Diana Ross, Black Pumas, Leon Bridges, Gregory Porter, and Mac Miller, to name only a few.
Currently the Artistic Advisor for Jazz St. Louis, Harrold – who won plaudits for his trumpet performances in Don Cheadle’s 2015 Miles Davis biopic, Miles Ahead – made his debut as leader with 2009’s Introducing Keyon Harrold, earning him praise from AllMusic as one of “the leading jazz trumpet players of a new generation.” The Mugician followed in 2017, showcasing Harrold’s virtuosic musical gifts as well as his deep commitment to social justice, change, and equality. “Relevant and cool,” raved All About Jazz. “(The Mugician) announces Keyon Harrold onto the scene, not as a sideman, but a serious player among equals.”