Camellia “Cami” Akhamie Kies served in the United States Navy for six years as a full-time musician. She is a military veteran, professional drummer, percussionist, music producer, drum instructor, social media influencer, and full-time mom. Born in Heidelberg, Germany, in 1989, Cami expressed a deep interest in drums and percussion from a very young age. In 2009, she began her professional music career with the United States Navy’s Seventh Fleet Band in Yokosuka, Japan. During her military service, she travelled to 20 countries in Southeast Asia, performing and representing America as a musical ambassador.
In 2014, Cami was honourably discharged from the military, and shortly after leaving the US Navy, Cami graduated from the University of Maryland with a Bachelor of Science in Digital Media & Web Technology. Cami gave birth to her son in 2019, and two months after his arrival, she went on a world tour with Latin Grammy winner Buika. Cami has performed at the Red Sea Jazz Festival in Israel, the New Port Jazz Festival in Rhode Island, and the TanJazz Festival in Morocco.
Cami has also performed with “Disney Channel’s” Jordan Fisher, and she has collaborated with top musicians from around the world. Cami is well known on social media for her tiny creative percussion setups and her unique African-infused rhythms. Cami released her first album in 2020, titled “| Choose Love,” featuring Sarah Reasner. Over the past two years, Cami has released four singles, and she plans to release her second album in November 2023. Cami plays all styles and genres of music, and she proudly endorses Meinl Percussion, Tama Drums & Hardware, Meinl Cymbals, Evans Drumheads, Promark Sticks, and GEWA Digital Drums.
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