Comedian Kavin Jay is getting pissed off. All those days staying at home has got him stewing in his thoughts; and no, he’s not thinking about food. He is after all on a keto diet, which is probably another reason why he’s becoming more agitated.
Heck even his profile shared by the talent agency says: “Being Malaysian Indian, Kavin Jay has lived life with a severe disability and was always destined to be angry and easily irritated. He was voted Malaysia’s grumpiest comedian because he complains about everything so that you don’t have to.”
And to top it all off, the pandemic has also disrupted his livelihood and in a way ruined the avenue in which he used to let off steam. “A lot of people say comedians are addicts; we crave the stage, get withdrawal symptoms and such, and I realised that this is true. I can’t wait to go back on stage and interact with the audience again,” revealed Kavin.
All that pent up anger energy and creativity of his wasn’t all lost however. You may have come across the Papi and Grumpy Show, which has sadly already come to an end. There, Kavin had several comedic rants alongside fellow comedian Papi Zak. Then there’s also a few episodes of The Macha Men podcasts with Keren Bala Devan, which were recorded during the lockdown period.
“But I already had plans and was supposed to be touring around the world. I had shows lined up in Portugal and other parts of Europe, and in the US even, to debut my latest special. Then what happened was Covid-19, so basically I was stuck at home. So I thought, I could just keep this material to myself first, or I could do something with it,” shared Kavin.
Thus was born the idea to create the comedy album, Let’s Get Ready To Grumble! Available via digital streaming sites such as Spotify, iTunes and more, we find out a bit more about his production.
Engines (G)rumbling
Having recorded a live show just before the Movement Control Order (MCO) took into effect, Kavin set to work on the comedy album by himself. “I have always listened to comedy albums on Spotify, and it didn’t hit me that, that could be something I explore. I did all the audio editing myself and thought this would be something to release now, especially during this period when people could use a laugh or two,” he explained.
The album runs for about an hour and features a continuous track which was recorded in two different venues. “The initial idea was for me to release it on YouTube, but the problem is I’m not very good with video editing,” he laughingly admits
Having toyed with the idea of releasing his new material at the beginning of the MCO, it took Kavin about a week to compile and edit and produce the audio, then pitch the idea to his management.
“Of course the tougher part was coming up with the material, which took years to perfect, then perform and have it finally garner the right response,” he shared on his process.
He also stated the difficulty of performing virtually as compared to performing live. “You simply can’t feed off the energy of the crowd, which you can normally do in a live show. As much as you want to entertain the audience, you kind of have to just entertain yourself and hope that the joy is conveyed virtually.”
While it may take some time till you’re able to catch your next live show, at least you know you can laugh your heart out with the latest material from Kavin Jay.
