Meet Akila K

We were lucky to catch up with Akila K recently and have shared our conversation below.

Hi AKila, so happy you were able to devote some time to sharing your thoughts and wisdom with our community. So, we’ve always admired how you have seemingly never let nay-sayers or haters keep you down. Can you talk to us about how to persist despite the negative energy that so often is thrown at folks trying to do something special with their lives?

Honestly, I try not to think about haters and nay-sayers too much. Don’t get me wrong, I’m human, so that’s always in the back of mind. But I have this wild notion that…….I cannot be stopped. So it really doesn’t matter what anyone thinks, has to say, feels, or questions about me. I know who I am, I know what I do, I know what I believe in, and I know what I stand for. That’s all I need. Anyone else’s opinion is their own right and theirs only. I also strongly believe, that unless you are feeding me, being intimate with me, or financing me, then your opinion REALLY DOESN’T MATTER. Respectfully. With all of that figured out, the motivation to keep going is easy. I don’t have those distractions in front of me anymore. That’s how I’m able to keep going.

Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?

I am a Musician and Hip Hop artist based in NYC and Long Island, NY. I’ve been involved with music and writing since I was a kid; from playing the steelpan (a Caribbean instrument originating in Trinidad & Tobago) and the piano, to writing poems that eventually turned into songs, music has become my main mode of expression. Once I learned I could make a career out of it, I was sold! I’ve been writing songs and performing since I was a teen, and now professionally in my adult years. Currently, I have several projects available to stream on all streaming services and purchase via my website. I’ve been fortunate enough to perform at some cool venues such as SOB’s and The Box Factory here in NYC, and Little Haiti Cultural Center in Miami, FL. I’ve also had the pleasure of opening up for NYC’s own Lola Brooke and Young Devyn. I’m finishing up my 2nd album titled Hear Me Out…..I SAID WHAT I SAID for release later on this summer.

Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?

Three qualities I feel really impacted my journey was ambition, belief, and the love for the art. I know that last one isn’t necessarily a “skill”, but it’s important. Whatever you do in this life, you have be willing to go as far as possible with it, you have to believe you can go as far as possible with it, and you have to love what it is that you’re doing. I feel those are important because that’ll determine what you do, and how long you do it for.

Alright, so before we go we want to ask you to take a moment to reflect and share what you think you would do if you somehow knew you only had a decade of life left?

The most challenging part of being an independent artist right now is the funding. I feel every artist coming up can relate because art is such a money-grab industry these days. ESPECIALLY musical art. As an independent music artist, I literally pay for everything. I have to pay for the beat, pay to record the song, sometimes pay to get it mastered as well, pay for the cover art, pay for the music video, pay for the promotion, pay to distribute it, sometimes even pay to perform it. All the while, I don’t make any of the money back UNLESS the song blows up, which is not always guaranteed. Don’t get me wrong, I love the game of it, but I think a lot of people within the music and entertainment industry fail to realize that it is VERY EXPENSIVE to be an artist these days, especially in this economy. So the term “starving artist” has never been more true than it is now. But that’s why I’m so passionate about this, because of literally EVERYTHING I put into it.

Contact Info:

Image Credits

CreateStudios718
Skyvis Media
Rafael Diaz (SteezyMedia)
IAmPhotoSaint

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