A movie fanatic who developed a love for making music, Kyle Richardson, is leaving his mark in the music industry! With his latest album, Louder Than Words, Kyle Richardson seems to have found the perfect blend of melody and songwriting. In this interview, we try to get to know him, a little better.
1. What does music mean to you?
Music means the world to me. I love having it as a creative outlet. Being able to say things through song I feel has such a lasting impact and it’s really fun to come up with imaginative ways of saying what’s on my mind. As a listener, I love how music can set the mood, help through hard times, uplift, and inspire me.
2. Who do you take inspiration from when it comes to music?
I have a lot of different influences. From soulful classics like Stevie Wonder to more modern musicians like John Mayer, Gavin DeGraw, Coldplay, Kelly Clarkson, and OneRepublic… I really like singers and artists from all sorts of genres though and I like to pull from different influences for my own music.
3. What is the message your debut album aims to give?
My album is a really uplifting and encouraging body of work. The songs have themes of independence, romance, friendship, staying true to yourself, and getting through hard times. I really wanted the album to lighten the mood and help listeners feel happy and confident.
4. Do you visualize your music? Why/why not?
I’m not really a visually intuitive person! I much prefer to focus on the sound and the feel, and I love getting inspired by the music and how it makes me feel, and creating lyrics and melody based on that feeling.
5. You are also a movie fanatic. Have the movie preferences influenced the kind of music you’ve come to enjoy/make?
I definitely love movies and cinema. I try to go check out new movies at least once a week in theatres! It hasn’t specifically influenced any of the songs I’ve created from a thematic perspective, but I do like making music that I think could be used in an epic soundtrack someday!
6. You also provide movie reviews! What movie did you recently watch struck a chord with you?
I saw the movie “Little Shop of Horrors” for the first time ever recently. It’s crazy because I didn’t realize Frank Oz directed it and he’s worked on some other movies I love, and the music was done by the team that went on to work on classic Disney movies like “The Little Mermaid”, and I’m a huge fan of animation. It was so cool to see a movie done by so many of my favorites that I just somehow missed out on. The soundtrack is great, and the movie has some of my favorite actors in it as well like Rick Moranis and Steve Martin!
7. Your music doesn’t necessarily fit into a genre - it is a mix of many. Is that an advantage? Why/why not?
I think it’s an advantage, for sure! I love being able to pull influence from many different sounds and eras and then put my own perspective and feel into it. I think I always lean towards pop, but then add different elements to kind of diversify the sound… it helps keep each song fresh.
8. It says on your Spotify Artist Bio that you focus more on lyrical content. Why is that?
I love a good lyric and melody. I think it’s important to be sure that what I’m singing about is something I can fully stand behind. I also am not the most amazing instrumentalist, so I prefer to focus on lyrics and creating a melody that will hopefully get stuck in people’s heads!
9. Which is the best song lyric you believe you have written so far?
I love the line ‘You’re fire, and I’m glass, melting down my walls at last’ from my song “Perfect Crime”. I just think it’s such an interestingly visual lyric that really encapsulates what the intention of the song is.
10. What do you do when you experience a creative/writing block?
Honestly, I usually try to take a break. There’s no rush, and I feel like forcing the creative process just gets me more frustrated than anything… so I try to take a break and clear my head and come back feeling refreshed and try again!
11. Out of the many tracks you’ve made so far, which one is your personal favorite and why?
I love the single “Anything”, I think lyrically it’s such a succinct expression of being there for the people you care about, and the melody really lets my vocals soar and I just love the vibe of the song overall. If I had a backup choice, I’d say I vocally love “Everything About You”, and the retro vibe of “Memory Lane” makes me feel so nostalgic.
12. If you had to work with one artist today, who would you choose?
I’d absolutely love to write with John Mayer and have him play on a song of mine. I think it would sound amazing!
13. If your music brand had just one word or a line to say, what would it be?
Soulful, upbeat music made to inspire!
14. If not a music career, which profession would you have chosen?
Honestly, I love being creative, so I’d like to try to do something in a creative field, maybe I’d have tried to become a writer if I hadn’t discovered my love for music.
15. A word of advice for someone looking to release their debut album.
Don’t worry so much about chasing what is popular right now because you never know how quickly the musical landscape can shift. Just make music that resonates with you and that feels like something you’d like to listen to yourself. I’d also suggest taking your time so that you can really focus on making every aspect of the project as high quality as possible before release… the music, artwork, and video aspects… if it’s all ready, it’s so much better for planning the release.
You can stream Kyle Richardson’s latest album here.
You can also follow him on Instagram as well.