The spark of jazz music was lit inside Kevin at this young age; however growing up in the early 80's, he soon gathered an affinity for the burgeoning electronic music scene. At age eleven Kevin started DJing with a cheap set of turntables and a mixer he got for Christmas. His skills quickly refined as he met an older friend who introduced him to beat mixing. He began to play school dances and other parties. He saved money from his gigs and slowly put together a home studio. By the time he was fourteen years old he purchased a drum machine, a keyboard, and sequencer.
Propelled by this new ability to create, at the age of seventeen Kevin decided to attend Berklee College of Music. He later went on to Shenandoah Conservatory. His main areas of study were music composition and percussion. As a result of this formal training, his early childhood bonds with jazz were reaffirmed, but his love of DJing and electronic music still remained. By the time he left school he had all the tools needed to work in many different genres. His first concept was to combine all of his interests and create a jazz/electronic fusion that could be played by a DJ.
At age 23 he took this on as his initial solo project and in 1995 eager to let others hear his first creations he sent out demo tapes to various independent labels. Out of this grew an affiliation with New Jersey's i! Records. This new team effort between the label and Kevin developed into many releases including his groundbreaking album "One Starry Night". Unlike anything ever done before it's percussive jazz electronic fusion was met with open arms as it went on to sell over 50,000 units worldwide.
This caught the ear of many major labels, which enlisted Kevin to work with artists such as Eric Clapton, Everything but the Girl, the Kodo Drummers, and Cirque de Soleil. Over the past eight years Kevin has released over 70 vinyl records and a mixture of CDs. His success has flourished both as a producer and a DJ, travelling to many different countries and playing some of the world's most respected venues and festivals. This year Kevin has again challenged himself and endeavored to create a completely live show under taking the orchestration of a full band.
5 Alive
Kevin Yost Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
maduré sin más decir
sin compañía siempre jugaba
yo sobrevivi
lo que no tuve es lo que quiero hoy
como el amor brillando en mi
tenía envidia, odié sentirla
yo sobrevivi
donde no hay esperanzas y la mentira reina
no bastaba que llorara sobre mi almohada
sobrevivi
Aún respiro. Aún respiro
Aún respiro. Aún respiro
Vivo estoy. Vivo estoy
Vivo estoy. Vivo estoy
encotre consuelo y no se donde
quizas en mi mente lo vi
en la cara de un extraño mi vida mire
me vi a mi
me dirigí a donde todos los demonios van
donde no hay esperanzas y la mentira reina
no bastaba que llorara sobre mi almohada
Sobreviví
Aún respiro. Aún respiro
Aún respiro. Aún respiro
Vivo estoy. Vivo estoy
Vivo estoy. Vivo estoy
no tengo mas y aun respiro
no tengo mas y aun respiro
no tengo mas y aun respiro
no tengo mas y aun respiro
no tengo mas y aun respiro
no tengo mas y aun respiro
no tengo mas y aun respiro
no tengo mas y aun respiro
He cometido errores lo se
todos los que alguien puede cometer
Tomando tomando lo que me diste
sufría en el suelo y tu culpa fué
sabía y quería, salí y lo tomé
hice todo lo que tu me pediste
te dije que nunca me olvidaras
no entiendes pero lo harás
Aún respiro. Aún respiro
Aún respiro. Aún respiro
Vivo estoy. Vivo estoy
Vivo estoy. Vivo estoy
Vivo estoy. Vivo estoy
Vivo estoy. Vivo estoy
No tengo mas y aún respiro
No tengo mas y aún respiro
No tengo mas y aún respiro
No tengo mas y aún respiro
No tengo mas y aún respiro
No tengo mas y aún respiro
No tengo mas y aún respiro
No tengo mas y aún respiro
The lyrics to Kevin Yost's song "5 Alive" speak about the struggles and hardships that the singer has faced in their life. The first stanza talks about the singer's upbringing and how they had to mature quickly without much guidance or company. Despite this, the singer has found a new appreciation for the things they lacked before, such as love. The singer confesses their envy towards love and how they once hated feeling it, but they have managed to survive and thrive despite all their hardships.
The second stanza talks about the singer's journey to a dark place where they encountered demons and lies. The singer found solace in someone they didn't expect, maybe in their own mind or in a stranger's face that reflected their own. The singer reflects on their mistakes and admits to having made many of them. They admit to taking everything they were given and suffering because of it. However, the singer also acknowledges that they did everything their love had asked of them, and they had promised never to forget them.
The repeated phrase "Aún respiro" which translates to "I still breathe" emphasizes the resilience of the singer. Despite everything they have been through, they are still standing and breathing. The phrase "Vivo estoy" which means "I am alive" further emphasizes the singer's resilience and determination to keep going.
Line by Line Meaning
De la tormenta provengo yo
I come from the storm
maduré sin más decir
I matured without saying more
sin compañía siempre jugaba
I always played alone
yo sobrevivi
I survived
lo que no tuve es lo que quiero hoy
What I didn't have is what I want today
como el amor brillando en mi
Like love shining in me
tenía envidia, odié sentirla
I was envious, I hated feeling it
me dirigí a donde todos los demonios van
I went where all the demons go
donde no hay esperanzas y la mentira reina
Where there is no hope and lies reign
no bastaba que llorara sobre mi almohada
Crying on my pillow was not enough
Aún respiro. Aún respiro
I still breathe. I still breathe
Vivo estoy. Vivo estoy
I am alive. I am alive
encotre consuelo y no se donde
I found solace and I don't know where
quizas en mi mente lo vi
Maybe I saw it in my mind
en la cara de un extraño mi vida mire
I saw my life in the face of a stranger
me vi a mi
I saw myself
no tengo mas y aun respiro
I have nothing left and still breathe
He cometido errores lo se
I have made mistakes, I know
todos los que alguien puede cometer
All the ones someone can make
Tomando tomando lo que me diste
Taking, taking what you gave me
sufría en el suelo y tu culpa fué
I suffered on the floor and it was your fault
sabía y quería, salí y lo tomé
I knew and I wanted it, so I went out and took it
hice todo lo que tu me pediste
I did everything you asked of me
te dije que nunca me olvidaras
I told you that you would never forget me
no entiendes pero lo harás
You don't understand, but you will
No tengo mas y aún respiro
I have nothing left and still breathe
Vivo estoy. Vivo estoy
I am alive. I am alive
Contributed by Kaitlyn K. Suggest a correction in the comments below.