We were lucky to catch up with KOURAJ recently and have shared our conversation below.

KOURAJ, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Did you always know you wanted to pursue a creative or artistic career? When did you first know?

I always knew that I wanted to sing ever since I was a little girl. I come from a long family history of musicians, and music lovers so music runs through my veins. I went to the music high school, GAMP, and trained in classical music and musical theater most of my middle school & high school career. I participated in the high school Concert Choir, and participated in the Philadelphia All City Choir. I had so many cool opportunities to perform on different stages all over the city at such a young age. It only grew my desire to perform the older I got. I remember always singing in my room and pretended I was on stage throwing a concert for thousands of people. Performing was the dream. In 2019, I woke up one morning, and made the choice to start writing my own original music and pursue a career in music. It wasn’t until July of 2022 performing in Manayunk at a venue called “The Graperoom” that I truly knew I was meant to pursue this lifestyle professionally.
It was my first hour long performance! It was my first time curating a set that long, performing for that long, setting up the band arrangements, and bringing a concept of my own to life. It was also very special because my band mates, The Altruistic Vision Band, joined me that evening and we tore the house DOWN. I remember being sooo nervous! I remember being worried that my vision for the evening wouldn’t turn out the way that I wanted it to. Along with those feelings, I also remember feeling so excited and ready to hit that stage. I was scared I was going to fold and fail. I did the opposite. It was everything I envisioned and more. My voice was strong, the band was tight, and the people loved it. I felt on top of the world and no one could touch me. That night, my dream became a tangible reality. I knew I was meant to live this lifestyle beyond it being a dream or a hobby. I knew after that night, I couldn’t stop there.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

Hi! I’m KOURAJ!! I am the vocal athlete from “Philly” or Philadelphia, Pennsylvania who is passionate about emotional connection through music. Music has had a firm hand in my upbringing and many transitional phases in my life. Ever since I was a little girl, I always knew I wanted to sing and be on a stage. As I got older, my writing was the perfect way to sort out my feelings, and articulate my thoughts in a way that I couldn’t at the time. I decided to pursue my music career in 2019. It was a really dark time in my life. One day, I felt so overwhelmed that I just picked a pen and started writing. At first, I didn’t think I would share it with anyone because I’ve written in the past but never had the urge to share it. However, I looked around me and noticed that so many others were feeling overwhelmed with life like I was. I knew then that people needed to hear what I had to say, and I was finally ready to share my words with the world. I wanted to hold the power to wield that same connection with others, and affect someone’s life in that way.

I joined the Philly collective “Shcuba Gang” for a year (It’s not a real gang guys I promise! Lol). After working with them for a year, I worked independently until 2021 when I joined the Delaware County collective, Altruistic Vision, as one of their recording artists and the keyboardist of their band. I’ve been rocking with them ever since! Since then, I’ve had the pleasure of working with numerous producers and creatives in the Philly/ Delco area. I released singles & features with multiple talented artists over the years, and released my debut album “The Beautiful Komplexities Saga: Vol. 1” last April. I performed in multiple states on the east coast, have won multiple awards, and am consistently improving my keyboard skills as I continue to gain more understanding in the power of my artistry.

Through my experience and networking, in 2024 I began curating community events highlighting underground artists in the area. One of the most valuable things I have learned as an artist so far is to pour into your community the way they pour into you. There is so much passion in the music scene, but not enough spaces that respect artists and everything that we do. Those kinds of spaces are hard to find these days. Time, sweat, money, years, and tears go into being a creative whether it’s part time or full time. It’s a way of life. I wanted to create spaces that shows artists that someone sees them, understands the journey, and give artists a space to be fully themselves. A space where artists feel valued, appreciated, and heard. With these desires motivating me, I launched the RnB/ Hip Hop showcase “A Spark of Courage”, and co founded the Philadelphia freestyle tournament “Emcee Mania”.

My music is the easiest way to express myself, and process situations. It’s a very freeing feeling. My pen helps me say things that are hard for me verbalize out loud sometimes. That’s why I always make sure that my stage presence is not just a safe space for me, but for everyone that is in the room with me. You never know who could be resonating with you in that moment. My family, friends, supporters and listeners are the best. They have done nothing but encouraged me to keep going in dark times, received my music with love, and lift me up. I’m extremely grateful for them. They’re always an additional push on top of my own personal drive. I put 100% into everything that I do, and most times more than that. It’s second nature to me. Whether it’s preparing for a show, practicing, writing, working my 9-5, eating, etc. I have to put my all into it or else it’s not going to have the delivery that I want. My music is my story, and I want to make sure it’s expressed & heard with complete clarity and clear intention. So I make sure I’m sound in my words, confident in my message, and I launch myself towards my end goal. It’s a great feeling when being received with love because that’s what drives me. Love in one’s self, GOD, others, and life.

Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?

I had to unlearn second guessing my own decisions. I use to never be confident in myself or my choices. I just hoped everyone received my music (and me) with open arms. I over thunk everything you can think of. From “Should I talk about this in my own music?” , to “Should I wear this outfit?”. From “Should I sing this song?” to “Should I really have this for lunch?” It was pretty bad. I realized recently in life that everything that is meant for me will be.
God has had his hand on me all of my life, and he certainly isn’t going to stop now. I learned to have more confidence in my choices and my path even if it didn’t always work out for me. When it doesn’t, all it gives me is knowledge in what NOT to do. Being doubtful of yourself only stuns the journey that you are meant to walk. Once I stopped second guessing myself all together, it made things a whole lot easier in my career, and in my life.

Have you ever had to pivot?

In 2023, I was diagnosed with moderate nodules or “singers nodes”. Nodules are small, callus-like growths that form on the vocal cords, usually at the midpoint, due to overuse or misuse of the voice. Ive been singing since I was 5 years old, and have never experienced something like that.
It felt like a slow slippery slope. I was recording songs non stop, rehearsing constantly, and performing my own shows as well as shows with the band, and I was constantly using my voice at my 9-5 job. I pushed myself more. I didn’t slow down. I ignored the signs. I thought it was just a cold , or I was just stressing myself out. But my voice was only getting worse. I felt myself losing control of my voice, whether it was talking or singing. I was having trouble with my breath control, and there were times my voice was so weak it was hard to even talk normally at one point. I went to the doctors to get checked out. That’s when they told me I had nodes and needed to take time to recover, or it would only get worse.
They said that if it got worse I would need surgery to remove them completely, and possibly never be able to sing the same way again. That shook me to my core.

The thought of not being able to sing and not being able to utilize my strongest tool in my self care tool box? I was terrified. I cut myself off cold turkey. I stopped singing at shows, stopped recording, and even stopped singing outside of shows. I was to scared of doing permanent damage. That time was one of the most mentally trying tests of faith I had been through. I was even depressed about it for a little while. I realized that I didn’t want to live in fear. I didn’t want that moment to be my make or break moment. I refused to go down without a fight. I asked my friends and family for their support because I knew this was going to be a hard transition for me. After rallying up my support system & prayer, I decided go to vocal therapy to start strengthening my voice again. That is where I learned the term “vocal athlete”.

Vocalist use more than 90% of the muscles in our bodies when we sing and perform. My vocal therapist taught me to treat my voice, and how to care for it like an athlete would treat their body in a sport during the season and off season. It takes consistent care. Before then, I didn’t know just how much I was using my voice improperly & how I wasn’t taking care of it the right way. My music teachers would’ve been very disappointed, especially Mr. Morrow. He taught me every technique in the book he knew. I could hear his voice in my head telling me that it’s “time to get it right”.

I wasn’t prepared for how hard changing my life so abruptly was going to be. It felt like a piece of me was dormant. I couldn’t live like that. I needed to sing. I needed to perform. That was my daily motivation for getting better. Finding that peace knowing that my instrument was whole again. I grew such an appreciation for my voice & my music during that time. I learned many healthier ways to take care of my voice so I could prevent this from happening again as best as I could. Though I have some days that are a bit challenging, I just put a bit more extra vocal care on those days to ensure my voice is going to be strong and healthy.

This was hands down, the biggest pivotal moment of my career so far. My first real make or break moment. It could’ve went very differently but with the help of GOD, my family, and my friends I was able to make it through and heal. As I continue to improve on voice, I’m very blessed to say that I can still lift my voice and sing. I can still belt, I can still emote, and I can still connect with others through my singing voice. I love what I do, and that experience only strengthened me as an artist.
It showed me that you never know when it could be your last day performing because anything can happen. The biggest lesson I walked away with? Never take it or life for granted.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @Officialkouraj
• Facebook: KOURAJ
• Linkedin: https://linktr.ee/officialkouraj?fbclid=PAZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAadCxbqcWsfeQz_j6fNYZOtW_AwSaLXXeRDlciCXggjFveJAAZOt3GoqR9b6AA_aem_t2N-FdJ7TyKXXje2z2RD3g
• Twitter: @_OfficialKouraj
• Youtube: https://youtube.com/@officialkouraj?si=wEl1X42bmMqIl1dW

Image Credits

Cover Photo: @enyo_snapped
Photos 1-3, 6&7: @_momentsbymeghan
Photo 4: @alextwilightcrew
Photo 5 &8: @katem.cam