I had the opportunity of sitting down with Keith for an interview some months back. He is a cool, down to earth dude. The interview was on my other website, but I decided to give y'all a peak of what a sister can do. lol

Keith Harris is a ball of talent, charisma, and positivity all rolled up in one! This young Chicago native has a plethora of credits and major accomplishments under his belt, most currently being the drummer for The Black Eyed Peas. Inspired by music at a young age, Keith knew this was his life’s plan. Therefore, he pursued it with vigor and didn’t let up into his dream was tangible.

Keith has experience in almost every aspect of music from Engineer, to Producer, to Musician. He’s worked with old school legends Earth Wind and Fire, to new school legend in the making Mary J. Blige. Enthused to share his story, Keith sat down with me to shed light on his fantastic voyage through the music industry and to explain why “Music is me, and I am music.”

Which instruments do you play?

I play the drums, piano, organ, bass, and a touch of guitar.

What would you be doing if you weren’t a musician?

That I don’t know. I’m very blessed to have found what my purpose was early. I have no clue what I would be into. You know music kind of found me. Music is me, I am music.

Which famous musicians have influenced you the most?

My pinnacle of a musician/producer is Quincy Jones. That’s what I strive for. This dude is amazing. He’s not categorized as a certain producer, he’s just known as a producer. He can do a professional piece, to hip-hop, to Michael Jackson, to pop. He can do it all because that’s the true sense of what a true producer is. That’s whom I try to follow.

I’ve heard time and time again how the music business is one of the hardest businesses to strive in. Why have you succeeded in a field where so many others have failed?

First of all, I’d say because I am extremely blessed to be where I am. But I also say that no matter what your dream or goal is, never give up on it. And the 3 P’s: Prayer, Practice, and Patience. I live by that. It worked for me.

Who are some of the artist you have worked with? Which one put you into “celebrity shock?”

The Black Eyed Peas, Fergie, Michael Jackson, Earth Wind and Fire, Mariah Carey, Whitney House, Chris Brown, Mary J. Blige, Ginuwine. I would say Michael Jackson put me into celebrity shock. I was in there like I can’t believe I’m working with MJ, he’s like right on the side of me. And he is really a sweetheart. He’s the nicest dude ever; so don’t believe what you hear!

One of your major accomplishments is being the drummer for The Black Eyed Peas. How did you meet and consequently hooked up with them?

It was 2003, in New York. A college friend asked me to do this gig with him for a guy who works for The Black Eyed Peas. We rehearsed and then did the gig. Dude liked how we played and a week later he hit me up and told me that drummer quit and he wanted me to come and do the gig. So, I pretty much had to learn 14 songs in two days, with one rehearsal. The first tour I did with them was the music festival in Los Angeles for a crowd of like 20,000 people. To prepare for the show I had to write up music charts. I had them on the floor, but it was really windy and my music was blowing away. I was screaming for my tech Bobby to get them and tape them down. It was crazy.

It’s a known fact that The Black Eyed Peas shows generate large crowds. Do you get nervous before a performance? What advice would you give to beginners who are nervous?

I can remember being nervous at this one show. Fergie was sick and couldn’t do the gig, but we still did the show in her absence. And it was a crazy night! The crowd was throwing batteries, water bottles, and all types of stuff at the stage. I was like oh my God! And then after all that she showed up at the end of the show

As far as advice, I would say being nervous is a part of life. When I first started I used to be so nervous when I put my foot on the pit drum it would vibrate. But nervousness goes away with the building of confidence.

Explain to us the feeling that overtakes you when you’re playing in front of large screaming crowds?

Sometimes I’m like I’m so tired right now. While other times I’m trying to think of playing something that will translate to the audience to make sure they can understand. A lot of times we’re playing in such a big stadium, so things we play aren’t being translated because they’re getting mashed up in the sound. But mostly I’m in another zone. It’s almost like autopilot; my hands take over

How do you handle mistakes made during the performance?
I’m really critical of myself. I know even the little things I do wrong. Sometimes our musical director will catch me. But because we’ve been doing this for so long we don’t even sweat it. It’s just like yeah we had a bad day. I mean in one year we played over 500 shows. It’s to be expected.

What do you like the most and least about your profession?
Most would be I get paid to do something I would be doing even if I weren’t getting paid to do. The least is I hate the music business. The business of music sucks. I get so upset because people get greedy and it’s enough money for everyone to have, so why try to take money from the little guy.

Looking back in retrospect, have you ever doubted yourself? And was it more so in the beginning?
Oh yeah. I was definitely more so in the beginning because I would compare myself to other people situations, but I had to realize that things happen in your due time and process. And now, I guess when you’re older, you’re just like this is who I am, take it or leave it. That’s pretty much how I got into the music biz. I was like this is what I do. I’m confident in what I do and can’t anybody do what I do better than me.


What are you some of the projects you’re involved in?
I have my own production company, Harris Productions Inc. I’m working with my first artist H2O, a rapper from the Bay area. His single is available on I Tunes right now. I’m also co-owner of the Gospel Depot website. It’s basically a gospel version of I Tunes.

Can you offer up and coming musicians some words of wisdom?
The first thing I would say is come together. A lot of people are doing their separate things and battling each other like crabs in a barrel. No one successful in business does it alone. You have to do it together. That’s our problem here. People just don’t work together, which is why a lot of people leave.

I would also say don’t let anything deter you from where you want to be. And also don’t compare your situation to anyone else's.