What do you do if, after a decade of making critically and commercially successful music, you've lost your passion for your job?
In the case of Toronto rapper-singer-songwriter-producer k-os, you switch things up -- big time.
The 37-year-old artist, whose real name is Kevin Brereton, relocated from Toronto to Vancouver at the beginning of the year, changed record labels (from EMI to Universal-Nettwerk), managers (from Chris Smith to Terry McBride) and agents.
The end result can be heard on the new k-os album, the upbeat titled and sounding, Yes!, which hit record stores yesterday leading up to a free, so-called Karma tour of Canada starting April 30.
"It's fire, it's passion, this album to me is taking those passionate feelings I have and transmuting them into something that's fun -- because I'm having so much fun right now," said k-os, yesterday, dressed in a red-coloured windbreaker whose hood covered up his signature dreads.
"I feel rejuvenated. I think that's the best word as far as music and ideas -- and just like my viewpoint.
"My life is music, so sometimes I think you go up and down in any occupation no matter how glamourous it is. You start to look at yourself as somebody who has achieved certain things because you keep being told that.
"So I think that's where the rejuvenation comes from -- to sort of forget all that and be like, 'Okay, what do I really have to offer at this point that's new?'
"I think when you look at the history of people like Bob Dylan or David Bowie, you'll see at certain times in their career, they just needed to start fresh.
"And now when I look back, it's the best thing I could have done because I need newness. Because I'm a constant evolver."
Yes!, whose first single is 4,3,2,1, (a good-natured hip-hop response to his friend Feist's uber-hit, 1,2,3,4,), follows on the heels of k-os' two most successful albums -- 2004's Joyful Rebellion and 2006's Atlantis: Hymns for Disco.
