The theme of โAnythingโ is how small acts of kindness can have a profound impact on interpersonal relationships.
With a focus on melody and feeling, โAnythingโ has rich, expressive vocals that are accompanied by easy percussion and a catchy guitar hook that uphold the songโs consistent pop flavor and sympathetic sentiment.
โAnything,โ the artistโs second of three singles released this year in advance of his debut album, โLouder Than Words,โ which drops in the fall, was written by Richardson and produced by Grammy-nominated Jeff Dawson. Check out the exclusive interview below:
1. Can you tell us a bit about where you come from and how it all got started?
KYLE RICHARDSON: Hey! I grew up in Vernon, BC. I started singing and performing a little bit in elementary school, at some school functions, then in high school I started taking some casual singing and guitar lessons, and started participating in some talent shows and musical theatre programs. Around this time, I also joined a cover band with some friends from school and we spent years playing in coffee shops and at weddings and private events. I eventually moved to Vancouver to spend more time writing music and working with other writers and producers like Jeff Dawson so I could start releasing my own original music.
2. Did you have any formal training or are you self-taught?
KYLE RICHARDSON: I have taken voice lessons in my teenage years, they were very informal, Iโd go in and practice songs and learn a few techniques and kind of learn how to phrase a song or performance. I never had any classical lessons of anything where Iโd go crazy learning scales or how to read music or anything like that.
3. Who were your first and strongest musical influences and why the name โKYLE RICHARDSON?
KYLE RICHARDSON: Some of my strongest influences early on were artists like John Mayer and Gavin DeGraw, artists who write their own music and have relatable, melodic pop songs. I loved the musicality of artists like Coldplay as well. And vocally I loved Kelly Clarkson since she came out, John Legend, Ryan Tedder of Onerepublic, Adam Lambert, and so many more that have influenced how I sing. And Kyle Richardson is my name, so why not?
4. What do you feel are the key elements in your music that should resonate with listeners, and how would you personally describe your sound?
KYLE RICHARDSON: I would describe my music as soulful, melodic pop music. Elements I try to emphasize in all my songs are relatable and heartfelt lyrics, a soaring vocal melody, lush vocal harmonies, and smooth instrumentals.
5. On the contrary, what would you consider a successful, proud or significant point in your life or music career so far?
KYLE RICHARDSON:
I had a collaboration I featured on gain over one million streams on Spotify! โLove Is The Answer,โ that was amazing for meโฆ it introduced me to a lot of different potential fans and collaborators, so it was a fun experience for sure. I also won a local radio stations cover song contest called vanCOVER with a cover of Queens โAnother One Bites The Dust,โ which was a really proud moment for me!ย
6. Creative work in a studio or home environment, or interaction with a live audience? Which of these two options excites you most, and why?
KYLE RICHARDSON:
I love the creative experience of being in a studio and seeking the song come together, piece by piece. Itโs such a fun, rewarding experience and I love especially building up all the backing vocals and vocal ad-libs. I do like performing live though, pushing myself vocally and trying new versions of vocal ideas live on the fly.ย
7. For most artists, originality is first preceded by a phase of learning and, often, emulating others. What was this like for you? How would you describe your own development as an artist and music maker, and the transition towards your own style, which is known as POP?
KYLE RICHARDSON:
I definitely agree that there is a level of experimentation needed on the path to finding your artistry as a musician. I definitely started out in a very โsinger-songwriterโ kind of artist mode, which I love, but I love a lot of other styles of music as well. I spent a few years chasing formats that I assumed would work great for radioโฆ and then I took a bit of a break to focus on what I wanted to say, how I wanted to sound, and started writing songs which developed into what is now my upcoming debut album, โLouder Than Words.โ
8. Whatโs your view on the role and function of music as political, cultural, spiritual, and/or social vehicles โ and do you try and affront any of these themes in your work, or are you purely interested in music as an expression of technical artistry, personal narrative, and entertainment?
KYLE RICHARDSON:
I think music and art in general can be an extremely useful tool in making political and cultural statements! With my own music, Iโve decided for now to focus on a more personal, heartfelt approach of personal experience thatโs relatable, personable, and entertainment-focused rather than focusing on bigger, global topics.ย
9. Do you feel that your music is giving you back just as much fulfillment as the amount of work you are putting into it or are you expecting something more, or different in the future?
KYLE RICHARDSON: Well I am really in the beginning stages of sort of re-launching my music career. So for now. Iโm releasing music I love, music that means something to me, and seeing how people react to it and how the songs hit different people. Itโs very fulfilling on a personal level right now to be on a path of releasing a bunch of material and getting things off the ground. I had taken a bit of a break to hone in on my craft, and then the global pandemic hit, so things were paused even longer than I anticipated, so being able to finally see how people are responding to my music now has been a very rewarding experience.
10. Could you describe your creative processes? How do usually start, and go about shaping ideas into a completed song? Do you usually start with a tune, a beat, or a narrative in your head? And do you collaborate with others in this process?
KYLE RICHARDSON: Songs can come about in so many different ways. Sometimes I write an entire song myself, rather quickly, and cut a simple home demo, and take it to a producer and we build out the full song from there. A lot of times I prefer writing with other songwriters, so I will take different little voice memos of melody or lyric ideas, or scraps of barely-started lyrical ideas, and see if any of the ideas grab my collaborators attention, and sometimes we just start a writing session talking about whatโs going on in our lives, and see if thereโs something relatable there to write a song about. I will say I donโt love writing to pre-composed tracks, it almost always has to start from a lyric or melodic space first, and then we build a track around that.ย
11. What has been the most difficult thing youโve had to endure in your life or music career so far?
KYLE RICHARDSON: The biggest difficulty so far for me has been waiting on timing to make sure I can release everything in relation to my album with a good cadence. I of course want these songs outโฆ but I wanted to make sure I had all the visuals and music videos done, as well as some supplemental material to get out alongside the album release. Itโs been a blessing as well though because I have been able to go back with producer Jeff Dawson over a long period of time and fix any little things that over time stuck out to us as things we wanted to change up. Subtle lyric changes, performance elements, mix elementsโฆ itโs been good to have time and space to do these tweaks.ย
12. With social media having a heavy impact on our lives and the music business in general, how do you handle criticism, haters, and/or naysayers in general? Is it something you pay attention to, or simply ignore?
KYLE RICHARDSON: Oh, I welcome it. I obviously wouldnโt want to be cruelly torn apart without merit, but I love hearing criticism and perspective on my songs. Learning what works for people and what doesnโt hit as effectively is a great tool to be able to go forward and keep in mind. Not that Iโd ever make new music based solely around criticisms received on prior music, but hearing different opinions I think is a great potential tool.ย
13. Do you think is it important for fans of your music to understand the real story and message driving each of your songs, or do you think everyone should be free to interpret your songs in their own personal way?
KYLE RICHARDSON: I donโt think having a clear, set-in-stone storyline for each song is completely necessary all of the time. I do like to write based more on feeling and emotions quite a bit rather than specific moments in time, so I like keeping the songs relatable, but open enough for interpretation. Fans of music should be able to take a song and have some sort of individual perspective that helps them relate to whatโs being sung about, which will really leave them feeling connected to the music.
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