Life & Work with Kyle Kelly

Today we’d like to introduce you to Kyle Kelly.

Hi Kyle, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
I started playing drums at the age of 8 after watching the movie Drumline. Shortly after at the age of 12, I started teaching myself guitar, but in between all of that my first love was sports. I played throughout my childhood and always kind of kept music on the back burner but never fully “dove into it” I wound up going to college for baseball and after a career-ending injury I really started to put my heart and soul into music, almost obsessively. I played my first live show in college and that’s when it really hit me and I knew this was exactly what I wanted to do with my life. I started carving out a plan of how I was going to do it.

After school, I started playing/writing and meeting with everyone I could. I’ve met some amazing people/artists along the way. I’ve always prided myself on being an independent artist and really appreciating the grind. There’s a lot to learn if you’re willing to learn. Doing this it’s put me in a position now where I’m traveling the country and playing my songs for folks in different states. I have a killer band behind me that’s a group of like-minded fellas who are down to chase a dream too. I’m just thrilled to be in the position that I’m in and to start seeing the fruits of my labor.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
I’m thankful for the rough patches, they let you appreciate the small wins that much more along the journey.

The biggest struggle for me I would say is that I was predominately self-taught on guitar. So with that, I wasn’t shown music theory, correct technique, or things like that. I’d find a song I liked, or an artist and borrow pieces of their style. Which everyone does at some point of course. I spent a lot of time on YouTube trying to put pieces together along the way. I still can’t read music, or honestly have a grasp on music theory. I’ve always played by ear and as cliché, as it sounds I’ve just “felt” my way through it all.

Then when I was first starting out as a singer. I didn’t want anyone to hear me sing, and I’d only been singing for a couple of years. I was scared of judgment from other people. So there was the initial stage fright, nerves, etc. But even when someone did say good job” or complimented me I would put myself down or find some way to tell myself mentally that “they’re just being nice”. It took me a while to find the confidence to believe in and be proud of myself and what I’ve done so far.

Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I’m an independent artist/singer/songwriter and I guess that’s the platform I use to push “me” or what most people know me as. I’m a big fan of the 70s/80s. The music, car culture, lifestyle, pretty much the whole deal. Naturally, a lot of my inspiration is drawn from that time period. I’m definitely an old soul at heart. I also restore/work on old cars. That’s a big part of my image as well and something people relate to me and music with.

My sound, lyric content, and really just me all kind of just coincide together. I’ve spent a lot of time in bars playing music and “people watching” too. I like telling stories or writing songs about what I’ve seen with all of those experiences or trying to put myself in someone else’s shoes sometimes too.

What do you think about happiness?
The small wins in chasing a goal/dream make me happy. Whether it’s long/short term. That feeling of self-accomplishment knowing you put in the work really makes it worthwhile along the way and gives you the ability to see how far you’ve come.

For me, one day it could be writing/finishing a song I’ve been stuck on for a week. Then the next day it could be turning over the engine for the first time on a Roadrunner that I’ve been working on for months.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.kylekellyofficial.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kylekelly_music/?hl=en
• Facebook: https://m.facebook.com/kylekellyofficial/
• Youtube: https://youtube.com/channel/UCKuAuMyPZwJBC0mPdDqR-9g
• Other: https://linktr.ee/kylekelly_music?utm_source=linktree_profile_share&ltsid=6e53fca8-3069-46e1-aa26-35448f1717d1