Interview with Kyle Richardson

What got you into music, and if you had not gotten into music what would you be doing today?

• I originally got into music due to a family friend who was my music teacher. In elementary school, she forced me to do some solos at different school events, and through doing these, I realized how much I love singing and performing in front of people! Sometimes it takes that one person believing in you to help you realize your true potential.

  If I wasn’t doing music, I would probably still be working a service industry job and figuring my life out, maybe something involving writing in another capacity. 

What do you like to do when you are not playing music and how does that influence your creativity?

• When I’m not playing music, I love going to concerts, movies, playing video games. I love seeing concerts to get ideas and inspiration for my own music, and to just be in that sort of creative environment seeing artists thrive. I love seeing movies as a way of staying on top of pop culture, and a good movie soundtrack can always inspire and get the creative juices flowing. Video games are a great way for me to unwind and use my mind creatively in different ways, the puzzles and problem solving are a great outlet to take a break from music while still exercising my mind in ways that could help keep me sharp for songwriting.  

How long have you been making music?

• I’ve been writing and recording my own songs since I was just out of high school, but I’ve been singing and performing in some capacity since I was around the fourth grade.

Where are you based and how did that influence your music?

• I grew up in a tiny area on the outskirts of Vernon, British Columbia in Canada. My backyard was five acres on a mountainside, so I really had time and space to be creative and sing as loudly as possible and not care about anyone hearing me or seeing me. Without too many people around, it was a great environment to try and stretch my voice and keep growing and trying different things to really uncover everything I could do vocally, and really develop a personal sound. 

Tell me about your most memorable shows, if you haven’t played live what is your vision for a live show?

• My most memorable show was probably when I headlined New West Pride in 2019, it was the first time I played a bunch of the songs off of my album and it was a great way to test the waters with these songs and see the crowd reaction and feel out what kind of changes would work to make these songs have a better impact in a live setting. The pandemic then delayed me actually getting the music out for a bit, but that gave me time to fine tune everything even further and get all the visual aspects of the album done. 

What is your favorite venue to play at, and do you have any places you want to play that you have not already?

• I love a good outdoor venue, it’s great to see people really just party and let loose and enjoy the sun and see a show. I’d love to play in Vancouver at the PNE auditorium, the PNE always has an amazing crowd and the shows there are so fun. I’d also love to play the Commodore Ballroom. I just think the sound in that venue is amazing and the layout is so fun for shows. 

If you could play any show with any lineup, who would be on the ticket?

• I’d love to do a show opening for Bryan Adams. He was one of my first concerts ever and the energy was just insane! If there were no limits and I could do a show with any artist out there right now, I’m loving the new Jonas Brothers album, and I’d love to perform with Kelly Clarkson, her vocals are just out of this world. Adam Lambert has always been a huge inspiration and his vocals are limitless, and OneRepublic would be a great act to do a show with.  

What is some advice that you would give to someone who is just getting into making music and some advice that you would give to your younger self?

• Some advice I’d give to anyone starting to make music is just to find someone, or some people you vibe with creatively, and just start writing until the material is strong enough to warrant the time and monetary investment to start making some great recordings. I’d also say to sing as much as possible, whether it’s alone, with other artists, or doing shows, and really stretch and grow your voice so you know your limits and can expand your potential.

• To my younger self, I’d say to stop overthinking and just release music! I have a huge backlog of material I could have released but I was looking for a sound and a vibe. I could have taken better advantage of the material I cultivated over the years. 

Of your songs which one means the most to you and why?

• I love one of the lead singles for my upcoming album, the song is called “Anything”. I wrote it actually a very long time ago, and had an old acoustic demo kicking around my hard drive that I ended up showing my producer, and we refreshed it and it turned out so good, it was the first obvious single choice of the album. I love the song too because it comes a from a place of youthful romanticism and wanting to be the best version of myself for a potential partner. It’s about how both sides making an effort is key to a fulfilling relationship, it can actually correlate to any sort of relationship… romantic, friendship, familial, it’s really about being there for someone in the way you hope they’d be there for you. 

Which songs are your favorite to play and which get requested the most?

• I love singing my single “Can You Hear Me”. That powerful chorus is really fun to belt out, and the verses give me a bit of room vocally to play so I can switch things up and have fun with the performance. I also really love singing “Anything”, that falsetto flip in the chorus is really fun to sing, and the lyric is so warm and heartfelt, it’s something people can connect to.

What is your creative process, and what inspires you to write your music?

• For my creative process, it really differs from song to song. Some songs I’ve written solo, rather quickly, and cut an acoustic demo and the song and structure are pretty much in tact from there. If I’m co-writing with other songwriters, sometimes it’s good to go in completely open and just see the vibe in the room and discuss some things going on in our lives and see what sparks a creative direction. We usually start with an acoustic guitar or piano, and write the lyrics/melody, and build the production on top of a very bare bones demo version. Other times I will go into a writing session with a chorus idea, or a lyric or melody idea and we will go over a couple ideas like that and pick one and run with it, and try to finish the song. 

Do you have messages that you like to get across in your music? if so please tell me about them.

• I generally like to write about personal experiences, and I try to write happy songs, or songs with a hopeful outlook. I want my music to be uplifting and positive, a bit of an escape from the stress of everyday life.

Do you have any new singles, videos, or albums out that you would like to tell me and your fans about?

• Yes! In May, I released the single Can You Hear Me! My July single is “Anything”. A third single and the full album – which is called “Louder Than Words” – will arrive in the fall! The singles all have videos to accompany the releases. The album is very poppy and nostalgic, and I’m so excited to get it out there! 

What are your plans for the future, and do you have anything that you want to spotlight that is coming up?

• My main focus right now is getting this album out, it’s awesome and I’m so excited for everyone to hear it and for me to finally have a full album released! I am really focusing on social media too, so I’ve been posting a lot of little song performances and really trying to learn new things and new songs and just expand what I do a bit. It’s also been a while since I’ve worked on creating new songs, so I’m very excited to focus on writing more this year again once the album is out and I can focus on the creative elements again.

How can your fans best keep up to date with you, any socials you want people to check out?

• I’d love people to check out my Instagram! @TurnUpTheKyle

  I’ve been trying to post a lot more recently so I’m excited to keep expanding and keeping everyone up to date with what’s going on in my life, and singing new songs every week! I’m so excited that I have new music out and I’m really stoked to see everyone’s reactions to it and to the upcoming album, so following me there will be the best way to stay up to date and keep tabs on my new releases throughout the year!