Meet Keishaun Julien of Trinidad & Tobago - Steelpan Performing Artist

Keishaun Julien participated in, and became the Champion of the ‘PanoGrama 2021’ competition.  His instrument was made by Bertram “Birch” Kelman  and tuned by Augustus Peters.

Keishaun is a steelpan musician who hails from the island of Tobago and has traveled throughout the world sharing his talent. Keishaun has established his brand as a steelpan entertainer and digital entrepreneur, and is currently regarded as one of the rising talents in Trinidad and Tobago.

Keishaun was introduced to the steelpan at four and a half; however, his journey as a professional steelpan musician began at age ten while being a member of the Our Boys Steel Orchestra. During his early years at Our Boys, he was mentored by Leeandro Noray who was responsible for harnessing his improvisational abilities on the instrument. Keishaun went on to take part in several competitions during his early years as a soloist, including National Junior Steelband Music Festival, Baker’s Scouting For Talent and Children’s Showcase just to name a few. In 2020, Keishaun took part in the PanoGrama competition where he placed 4th in the finals.

Apart from performing locally, Keishaun enjoys traveling and sharing his talent on the National Instrument with the world. He has represented Trinidad and Tobago in countries such as Belgium, Canada, France, Mexico, Japan, and the United States to name a few.

Keishaun has international reach via his YouTube channel that has over 16,000 subscribers and over 3 million cumulative views on his steelpan covers. His ability to create such a stable YouTube fan base is something that very few steelpan musicians have been able to accomplish.

In 2019, Keishaun graduated from The University of the West Indies with a BA in Musical Arts and went on to co-arrange for Alpha Pan Pioneers for the 2020 Panorama Competition. Apart from performing and arranging, Keishaun also offers online steelpan lessons and has an international student clientele. Some of Keishaun’s musical influences within the steelpan fraternity include Duvone Stewart, Ken “Professor” Philmore, Liam Teague and Len “Boogsie” Sharpe to name a few.

Bio provided to When Steel Talks by: K. JULIEN