For the second of my blog series, I decided it'd be nice to introduce the world to a rising star in the music industry; Singer-Songwriter Kaylee Federmann.
I came across Kaylee after a few of my friends posted videos online of her opening up for Ally Brooke at Brighton Music Hall in Boston back in February. I was absolutely blown away by her incredible voice and adaptation of "Someone You Loved" by Lewis Capaldi.
I reached out to Kaylee shortly after her show and asked if she'd let me interview her for my blog. I was beyond ecstatic that she agreed, for now I could not only support a local artist, but get to learn more about them myself.
As I am still currently getting to know Kaylee, this first part of the blog will only cover her life growing up. After I've been able to properly construct a way to explore her journey, the blog will continue with her path in the music inudstry, and of course, the up's & downs she's faced. I hope you'll still give this shorter blog a read, and enjoy learning about someone who I personally believe to be a true star in the making.
Section 1
A) Start with your life growing up. How were you raised? What did your parents do to inspire and help you grow? What did they do to toughen you up and get you ready for the world?
I was born in Israel and moved to the states when I was 3 and my brother was 5. I started to do a lot of music with my dad, choirs, shows, different singing groups. He fixed up my first guitar and showed me how to play it - he used to play when he was young. I started to teach myself how to further play guitar from chord charts and YouTube videos.
My dad passed away two days before my 12th birthday. I sing a specific song I wrote about him called If You Were Here at the end of every show as a dedication to him.
My mom and brother are my number one supporters, they are always pushing me to do my best in what I do, step outside the box with ideas on how to “get out there”. My mom would take me on trips to Nashville and LA so I could play out and meet different people.
She’s always listening to my new songs and pushes me to try new perspectives lyrically and musically. My mom is a teacher so she has the natural way of guidance and passion. She is the strongest person I know, going through what she went through and still has a positive and progressive attitude is amazing, she’s amazing.
My brother is honestly my best friend, we talk about everything, after my dad passed we definitely became a lot closer. He made sure I was ok with school, friends, and other situations I was unsure of what to do. We have a lot of fun, together we are such clowns and only we get each other, I’m so grateful for him as I’ve seen such horrible other sibling relationships.
My mom never really “toughened” up on me. She was very open and wanted to make sure I was doing what I wanted to do and was happy doing what I wanted. She is supportive of me now traveling on my own to Nashville and LA for certain things and gives me the independence and freedom to experiment and be myself.
B) How did you find yourself growing as a person? Who & what shaped you into who you are today?
I’m still “finding” myself so I’m really sure how I would answer this. But I will say the things that shaped me would be like, my family and what we believe in. Mainly what I want to be. Watching interviews with other artists and musicians, knowing what I don’t wanna be. Being around all kinds of people and seeing who are the people I want to be around and who are the people I want to stay away from. Keeping morals and my own beliefs of how one should act, carry out an attitude.
C) What were your activities growing up?
My activities are and have been now for a while are music (singing, songwriting, playing guitar, etc) And movement, I love working out and walking/running. I like feeling like I got outside or at least moved, if I stay in one play for too long it hurts.
D) How did you develop your interest for music?
It’s funny because as long as I can remember I’ve wanted to do music. I remember being drawn to it when I first watched Taylor Swift’s Journey to Fearless Documentary on Netflix when I was like 9. It showed how she wrote songs and connected with her fans and commanded a stadium of 55k people. That’s when I was hooked and said “damn that’s really cool, I wanna do that”. I’m also an auditory learner, so music and listening came naturally.
Now I realized my larger interest for music is this idea of being heard, and being listened to. Listening is a lost art these days and I want to bring that back into my music. So that when people come to my shows and listen to my music they know they are being heard and listened to. I can “hear” them.
E) What do you seek through music? Something that helps your day get started, something inspirational, something that you can connect to, that heals you, etc.
I seek everything through music. I seek an escape, someone to take the weight off of what I’m feeling at the moment - a distraction from my thoughts. I over think and need noise to drown out the extra static that’s in my head. I seek something to belt to in the car or shower, I seek something to bawl to when I’m having a bad day, or something to tell me everything's gonna be ok, Sometimes you can have the person you most trust tell you that and it still won't do, you need a stranger on the other end of the mic or maybe that stranger is the best friend you need at the moment.
F) How do you hope to shape people? What sort of impact would you like to have on people and the world?
I want to show people that the art of listening is not lost. There is so much noise today telling people to use their voices and be loud and brave. No one actually says they will listen to you or hear what you have to say. Growing up, it was always a challenge for me to feel heard. In school I was invisible and even in casual conversation it was like I wasn't even there - it was all about the other person. I want people to know that I will listen to them and hear them, I don’t have the right to say I understand what you’re going through if I’ve never been through it, but I will listen to your story. That’s my promise. And I want to show people that being positive and optimistic is cool. The new fad is to be dark and depressing and depressed. I wanna bring the light back into music and show that happiness is a choice we can all make.
I hope after reading this first section of a much larger story, it's evident why I wanted to share Kaylee's said story with all of you. I've witnessed this girl mind in action during some of her songwriting sessions on live streams and it's remarkable how she builds on her songs so ingeniously. She's quite genuine, relatable, and artistic. Stay tuned for more on her journey here on my blog. If you have any questions you'd like me to ask Kaylee in regards to her music journey or about her trials & triumphs, please email them to me. I'll be sure to give credit where credit is due. Be sure to subscribe to Kaylee's YouTube channel, "like" her Facebook page, follow her on Instagram, Spotify, and all that good stuff. Her new single "Hero" is out now. You can also learn more about Kaylee on her website. Links will be provided down below.
Thanks again Kaylee. I can't wait to continue to share your story with the world.
Also be on the lookout for my next blog on my interview with the sensational YouTube Artist, Tiffany Alvord, in celebration of supporting her for a decade now.
Update January 10th, 2021
I'd just like to take this minute to wish Kaylee Federmann a Happy 20th Birthday!
I Hope You Have An Amazing Day!
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