Meet Kennedy Michelle

We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Kennedy Michelle a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Kennedy, thank you so much for joining us today. Let’s jump right into something we’re really interested in hearing about from you – being the only one in the room. So many of us find ourselves as the only woman in the room, the only immigrant or the only artist in the room, etc. Can you talk to us about how you have learned to be effective and successful in situations where you are the only one in the room like you?

There have definitely been times where being the only person in the room who looks like me felt isolating. Up until high school, I had gone to predominately white schools, where I was usually one of two or three students who looked like me in my grade. It was challenging for a while and felt like no one truly understood me.

But over time, instead of letting it consume me, I learned to turn it into a strength instead of a challenge. It made me learn to speak up confidently instead of hiding, and bring unique perspectives to the table. Being the only one who looks like myself in the room made me stand out in a positive. I realized that in the music industry specifically, they don’t want someone who looks like everyone else. They want someone who is “the only one in the room that looks like that” so to speak. They want someone who is unique, or uniquely themselves, and does not try to fit into societal norms per say.

So, to be successful when being the only one in the room who looks like myself, I use that to my advantage. I square my shoulders, take a deep breath, and just be myself. I let people know what sets me apart from everyone else. Why I am perfect for whatever role, part, or job that I might want, and I tell whoever is listening what my positives and strengths are.

Being successful when you are the only one in the room is making sure that you don’t let it negatively affect you. Make the best out of it, because being the only one in the room who looks like you could be exactly what is needed.

Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?

I am a singer-songwriter based in Los Angeles. As I am only a senior in high school, I have mainly focused on school for the past few years, but music has always had my heart. I started writing music seriously my freshman year of high school.

I’ve always loved writing music. I remember the first song I ever wrote. I was about eight or nine years old in third grade and I had just wrote a song called “I Don’t Know Your Name”. I think it was around the time when Grace Vanderwaal went viral for her song “I Don’t Know My Name” on America’s Got Talent. The song included the lines “I don’t know your name” over and over with a melody on the piano that mimicked what I was singing for pretty much two whole minutes, but I was extremely proud of it and even played it for my piano teacher at the time.

Now, I am writing more complex songs (hopefully). I love writing on the guitar and have recently gotten into producing my own music and beats. My goal as a songwriter is to make people feel heard. I want people to be able to listen to my music and feel like even if they don’t have anyone in their close circle or family that is listening to them, at least they’ll have me and I’ll always understand and hear them.

Aside from school and writing, I frequently post on social media. I started my accounts my freshman year, performing different covers a few times a week. After about a year, my videos finally started receiving traction, and now, I have massed over 50,000 followers on Tiktok, and over 45,000 followers on Instagram. Occasionally, I will also post a full cover on Youtube.

I have been working in the studio for the past year or so to release my first single, and hope to get that out soon. I am also currently applying to music colleges to better improve my musical abilities.

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?

Looking back, I would say that my three qualities that were most impactful on my journey was consistency/determination, authenticity, and always wanting to self-improve.

With wanting to be in the music industry, there really is no way of making it if you don’t have the determination to actually do the work and stay consistent. If I hadn’t posted multiple times on social media every week for the past four years, I would be nowhere near where I am now. Unfortunately, we live in a time where you need to be an influencer as well as an artist. My advice for people just starting on their journey with music and wanting to be a professional musician, learn how to market your music on social media. Post yourself daily, lip-syncing to your lyrics, or create trends that make sense for the topic of your songs. If you really are against doing social media, do a lot of open mics until you gain a fanbase. But most importantly, stay consistent and be patient. These things take time. As I previously said, it took an entire year before I got any views on a video. Finding your crowd in open mics is going to be hard for a while, but once you continuously do it, you will find your people.

Authenticity is extremely important to me. I make sure that even in the covers that I do, that I am doing them the way I would. Even if it means, making the song sound like a completely different song, it is now my song. I don’t want to start my music career out by being someone who isn’t authentically and uniquely me, because then I will have to be someone I am not for the rest of my career. My advice for people just starting out would be just be yourself. People want to watch the real you, even if it’s silly or you think no one will like or watch it. Someone will, and that person will be the best person for your fanbase. Your listeners will love you even more because you are being exactly who you were meant to be, which is yourself.

Last but definitely not least, always wanting to self-improve. This is a huge thing for me. I am constantly trying to better myself. In music, that usually means learning a new instrument, or a new DAW or software that could help me out with my career in the future. Or even learning how to market my music once I release. Especially in the beginning, no one is gonna want to help you advance your career in music if you don’t want to yourself, or aren’t doing anything to advance it. Don’t let anything stop you or get in your way. I personally couldn’t afford Logic Pro at the time, but I really wanted to learn how to create my own music, so I used Bandlab which is free and very user-friendly. If you can’t afford to buy whatever instruments you want, i totally understand, because i can’t either but there are many different ways to learn. Ask a friend if you can practice on theirs, go to Guitar Center for an hour and practice on one of their instruments. If you can’t afford a studio, there are a few Public Libraries that let you rent out two hours of studio time for free everyday! Just check if yours has a recording studio. Watch youtube videos, if you can’t afford singing lessons. There are so many ways to constantly self-improve. If you truly want this, you will do anything in your power to get it. And that’s all the advice I can give you, the rest you’ll have to do on your own.

Before we go, maybe you can tell us a bit about your parents and what you feel was the most impactful thing they did for you?

My parents have always gone above and beyond for me. So, I would say the most impactful thing they’ve done for me is just always be supportive no matter what I want. If it’s taking music lessons or getting a piercing they might not agree with, they’re still supportive of my decision if I really want it.

I currently go to an arts high school that’s about 40 minutes and sometimes even longer with traffic, and even with their own jobs, since I don’t have a car, they’ve found ways to support me in getting there everyday for school, so that I can go to a school that will support the future career that I want to pursue.

If I want a new instrument, they will help me get it for birthdays and holidays. When I told my dad that I wanted to learn how to produce my own music, he let me use his Logic Pro, so that I could get familair with the DAW and not have to pay $200, just to learn.

They are by my side in every meeting and every show that I have. I could not have achieved close what I have without their constant support and I know whatever I choose in the future, the trust that I know what’s best for myself.

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Image Credits

Steven J. Lawrence
Santiago Orellana

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