We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Kyla Simone. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Kyla below.
Alright, so we’re so thrilled to have Kyla with us today – welcome and maybe we can jump right into it with a question about one of your qualities that we most admire. How did you develop your work ethic? Where do you think you get it from?
I absolutely get my work ethic from my parents. Not only do they work hard, but they put their heart into everything they do. This has shaped my thinking about my work and encouraged me to always shoot for the stars, even at times where I feel disenchanted with the process.
Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?
By day I am a full time Graphic Designer. I’ve been designing for over 15 years now and while I love it, music is my first love. I’m a singer-songwriter and R&B artist. Several years ago I relocated from Maryland to Atlanta to pursue my creative ambitions. This was the greatest move of my life and I have had so many exciting experiences and met some inspiring people along the way. Outside of my own music career I am passionate about empowering girl and women musicians to bloom boldly. So, in 2016 I created Girls and Guitars, a platform and community for female singer-songwriter guitarists to connect, grow, and showcase their talent. We hit the ground running with hosting music showcases which featured 4-5 gifted women musicians in intimate urban venues. Since inception, we have had over 80 gifted artists on our concert stages and also hosted a handful of guitar clinics, meet ups, and a song creation workshop. The Girls and Guitars movement is steadily growing and is set to become a life-changing resource for girls and women alike with continued in-house events, music education, artist development programs, networking and mentorship opportunities.
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
One of the best things I have learned in my life is that having the right mindset is a key to happiness and success. Your mind is the thing that drives you forward when your spirit is burned out or frustrated. God has given us dominion over our thinking. Is up o us to use this gift. So one of the qualities I have grown to appreciate about myself is that I am always tuning in to make sure I am on track when it comes to my mindset and redirecting negative thoughts. This has helped me immensely in my adult life.
I definitely got my creative side honestly from both of my parents. Mom is a visual artist/designer who sings and plays piano. Dad is a producer, songwriter, and pro guitarist. Art and music have kept me afloat in life. They are a part of who I am. I followed right in my parents footsteps.
Truth be told, event planning is one of my favorite things to do. I have probably created over 40 events over the last 20 years. It taps into all of my skills from administration, communications, project management, art direction, design and event branding. In fact, I am planning another Girls and Guitars event as we speak. Lol.
How can folks who want to work with you connect?
My hope is to build strong partnerships with women-facing music organizations and music educators to help further grow my Girls and Guitars initiative. The vision is huge and I know the importance of forming a network of support.
My heart’s passion is to create opportunties for underprivileged young girls who cannot afford guitar lessons to be able to access instruments and the education they need to hone their craft and pursue a career in music. This will be an important part of what Girls and Guitars will do as an organization.
Contact Info:
- Website: kylasimonemusic.com
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/kylasimonemusic
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kylasimonedesigner
- Youtube: https://youtube.com/@KylaSimoneMusic
Image Credits
First 3 images should be credited to Caio Jardim and the images were captured at the Peach Jam Podcast recording.
