Today we’d like to introduce you to Letty Burin.
Letty, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
I came home from a year and a half of backpacking three years ago and felt really out of place and lost. My friends were graduating from college and taking the traditional path, but I knew that wasn’t for me. Traditional has never been a part of my vision. I was also going through what felt like a failure at the time, but looking back it was one of the best decisions I made. I had started a clothing company in the middle of my travels, and after long, self-talk debates, I decided to discontinue and close the LLC.
Through backpacking, I discovered I wanted to be a storyteller. I wasn’t sure how or exactly what that meant, (novel writing, acting, etc.) but I knew that’s what I wanted to do. I watched some YouTube videos on screenwriting early on and knew that was it. I enrolled in acting, improv and screenwriting classes along with long sessions at Barnes and Noble, reading every screenwriting book I could find. Then, I started writing.
As for music, I’ve always admired musicians deeply, especially female rappers and hip-hop artists, but my journey to music is very simple. I was helping a friend write music when one day she asked me if I wanted to rap. I said, “Yeah, I’ll try. I’ve always thought about it.” We formed a short-lived duo
Has it been a smooth road? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
There are constant obstacles and challenges. There’s self- discipline to write when you don’t want to, or don’t really have the time. Having to constantly invest financially in your music whether that’s studio time, mixes, beat leases, etc. Unfortunate things happen like never getting the footage back from a music video, or finding out the sample on a beat isn’t cleared.
Then, there’s the emotional stuff when a song doesn’t do as well as the others. Another big one was changing my Instagram name. Sounds trivial but it was a big one for me. What if this doesn’t work and I change my name back? Ironically, I might be changing my artist name to my real name for my next project. So, all that stress was for nothing!
At the end of the day, the challenges are always worth it. I wouldn’t be happy doing anything else.
So let’s switch gears a bit and go into your work. What do you do, what do you specialize in, what are you known for? etc.
As a musician, I’m definitely not the stereotypical female rapper or rapper at that. My music is less about being materialistic and more about being vulnerable. A lot of my experiences from backpacking show up in my music. I choose either bouncy production to dance to, or smooth and mellow production to chill out to. Kaytranada is my one of my favorite producers, and I admire that he masters both.
As a writer, I dive into taboo topics and dig into uncomfortable issues. My first screenplay was from the point of view of a teenager serving two life sentences. I come from a dysfunctional background and feel like it’s my duty to share those type of stories. I work hard to write stories in a way where the audience adopts the protagonist’s point of view and can empathize with the character, even if the audience disagrees or wouldn’t make the same choices as her/him.
I pride myself in sharing who I really am through my music and writing scripts about what I feel is important, even though it may not be “box office material.” To me, the purpose of art is to move humanity forward, but in order for people to care, they have to resonate with it. And in order for it to resonate with people, it has to personal and vulnerable. So, even though at times it can be scary to share so much, I know I have to.
Looking back on your childhood, what experiences do you feel played an important role in shaping the person you grew up to be?
Proudest moment. Releasing my first song and finishing my first feature film script!
Contact Info:
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: @kylekobi
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/kylekobimusic/
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