When I write a song and it doesn’t feel 100% authentic to me and my story then I pitch it to someone else. I love writing for me, but sometimes I need a break from it because I put way too much pressure on the process if it’s for me. Elley is the first guest artist I’ve had on my project; the song and everything surrounding how it happened is such an important part of my story that I knew it was the right fit.
How did you come up with the idea of the official music video for “Easy”? Are you happy with the outcome?
I sent the song to my director Patrick Tohill and told him what I wanted to convey in the video. I never really talk about the specific stories behind my videos, but you’ll notice that all my videos tie together. “Easy” is the second video of this new season.
How early on did you recognize your love of music? Do you remember the first song you ever wrote?
I had a love for the drums starting when I was 2, at least that’s how old I look in the pictures of me playing my first drum set. When I was 10 I started playing in my church. I never wanted to be an artist, I thought I was going to be a baseball player. But that path was kinda altered for me around 15. The first song I ever wrote was called “Hey You”, and while that’s the least interesting title, the message of the song was great haha. The first line of the chorus was, “Hey you, I got your back till the end.”
Mostly the artists flock to LA, being the global center for the music industry, to pursue their career but you decided to move to Nashville to craft your music. What made you decide to move away?
Honestly, my stint in LA came at the darkest time of my life. The weather is great and yeah there are a lot of creatives there, but for me personally, it’s just not a good place. I go there 5-6 times a year now to write and I always like what I do there and I like seeing the friends I have there. I guess we can just say it was bad timing for LA and me when we crossed paths.
Your music style is often compared to the likes of Twenty One Pilots or The Neighborhood. What inspires you to create music every day? Do you feel the music that you grew up on effects your current style and creativity?
Music is where I can get all of my problems and past experiences laid out, and addressed. And hopefully worked out. That’s what motivates me to write every day. I grew up only being allowed to listen to gospel music, and sometimes I hear those influences in my melodies. That mainly influenced me in wanting to create music that has depth and says something.
Who are your major music influences- dead or alive? Have these influences changed over time?
I’d say Sublime, Red Hot Chili Peppers and 90’s hip hop. And it has changed over time. Sometimes I’ll hear songs in other genres that inspire me.
As an artist, how do you feel that you’ve evolved over these years? What’s that one lesson that you have learned while working in the industry?
The songs I’m writing now and over the last couple years sound completely different than “Hey You”, and are hopefully better songs lol. When I first started writing I thought I’d be a southern rock act. Clearly, I wasn’t that. The biggest lesson I’ve learned in this industry is that you have to do it yourself, and you need to want to do it yourself. Even when a team starts to form around you, you have to be the one that cares the most about your career and the one who works the hardest.
At the end of the day, what do you want your listeners to take away from your music? What idea do you want to deliver them?
I really hope my listeners hear their own story in my music, and I hope that they feel that they are just as much a part of Kyd the Band as I am. I hope they know this is about more than me.
You’re currently working on your album. What can your fans expect from the sound of the album?
Grit and transparency.
Are there any other exciting plans for 2019 in the career bucket list of Kyd the Band? Where can we catch you next?
Lots of music and a lot of shows. Will be announcing very soon!
