Kenan Salazar isn’t originally from New Jersey, but he’s certainly getting to know every corner of the state—and in an unconventional way at that. He’s writing yacht-rock songs for all 21 counties.
“Cape May County, it’s the southernmost of all,” he sings. “Upper, Lower, Middle, that’s just what they’re called. Wildwood’s like the ’50s, quench your taffy thirst. Parkway traffic is the worst.”
Salazar, who hails from Northeast Philadelphia and performs as Earth Kenan, moved to the Garden State during the Covid pandemic, making his home in Deptford, Gloucester County. He launched his Jersey yacht-rock project in 2025.
The 25-year-old immersed himself in the genre of soft rock after a friend kept playing the 1978 Toto song “Hold the Line.” Later, he started performing yacht-rock covers of pop songs from artists like Chappell Roan. He’s also enjoyed viral moments singing Steely Dan songs with new lyrics composed of memes and Gen Z and Alpha lingo.
New Jersey and yacht rock—perfect together? “I wanted to try something that had a little bit of grandiosity,” says Salazar, an alum of Boston’s prestigious Berklee College of Music. So he decided to merge his appreciation of geography and civics with his passion for music “in some weird, novel way” that would allow him to learn something about his new home and “try to advocate for it amidst a pop culture that tends to treat the state like a bit of a joke.”
He makes a music video for each song. Each tune combines factoids with mentions of local sites and famous residents.
Yacht rock is just one dimension of his diverse musical output. The singer/songwriter, guitarist and producer has written metal and hard-edged rock infused with jazz. Growing up, he wanted to be a guitar virtuoso.
He’s about halfway through the counties and is most proud of his Cumberland effort, dense with references like, “They used to be the top of oyster producin’ down in Port Norris.” It’s one of two videos that benefited from financial contributions from local authorities like the New Jersey State Council on the Arts and the Cumberland County Cultural and Heritage Commission and Tourism Advisory Council.
