Today we’d like to introduce you to Kylie Diehl.
Kylie, please kick things off for us by telling us about yourself and your journey so far.
I didn’t grow up doing music. I would sing and write songs at home but was too shy and insecure to ever really pursue anything creative. My childhood consisted of athletics – I loved sports and anything competitive. My senior year of high school in the last event of my very last track meet, I tore my Achilles tendon, and from that moment on, everything changed. When I went to college that fall, I was still recovering from surgery and couldn’t join or participate in any of the athletic activities I was so used to being a part of. Walking through new student orientation with my cast on, I came across a blank sign-up sheet asking for volunteers to sing at a church. No one had signed up yet, and I was like, “Why not?!”
The following week, I led a song in church for the first time. I think there was less than ten people that showed up, including the band. Although this experience seemed insignificant, I count it as one of my biggest steps forward because it was the first time I had ever said “yes” to music. I was so terrified of it yet so in love with it at the same time.
In the years to come, I started singing at more events and bigger and bigger churches until I was singing in front of thousands of people. I found that as my confidence grew in singing and being comfortable on stage, my self-confidence simultaneously grew offstage. This lead me to dive deeper into songwriting and start co-writing with other musicians in Los Angeles and Nashville.
During a period of time when I was writing sync music for TV and film, I discovered colors of my voice that I didn’t know were there. This led me to launching a career in studio session singing, something I never even dreamed I could do. Since then, I’ve sung on numerous national commercial campaigns for companies such as Hasbro toys and TV shows such as Baywatch (remastered).
Can you give our readers some background on your art?
Along with studio singing, I also write my own original music. I used to want to write solely for other artists but found there are some things I want to say myself. Everything I write is about a real thing, person, or feeling I’m dealing with, and I hope people will take away authenticity and relatability from my music. I’m still figuring out this whole “artist” thing – I just do it because I love it and it gives me another outlet to be creative. The game plan for 2019 is to write and release an EP and start playing live shows in Los Angeles. I make music because I can’t imagine myself doing anything else.
What do you think is the biggest challenge facing artists today?
THE INTERNET.
Social media has created a culture of comparison. Every artist I have ever worked with (including myself) has fallen into the trap of feeling inadequate at some point because they started comparing themselves to everyone else around them. When I find myself going down this dark hole, I remember the quote “Admire someone else’s beauty without questioning your own”. Just because someone else made something good doesn’t mean the value or meaning of your work is diminished. The music industry (and the world) would be pretty boring if everyone was the same. Being different doesn’t make you wrong or not good enough, it makes you awesome!
What’s the best way for someone to check out your work and provide support?
You can listen to my original music on streaming services such as Spotify and Apple music, and can occasionally hear my voice on Nickelodeon commercials if you keep your ears open!
Full versions of projects I’ve been a part of on are on my website: www.kyliediehl.com.
My Instagram is also a great place to stay in the loop: www.instagram.com/kyliediehl.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.kyliediehl.com
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/kyliediehl
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/kyliegdiehl
- Other: https://open.spotify.com/artist/1Vmt5KCmNPRoYr6VfWV1Tm
Image Credit:
Professional images by Dorian Qi
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