We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Kate Cameron a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Kate, thanks for joining us today. Was there an experience or lesson you learned at a previous job that’s benefited your career afterwards?
A lot of people don’t know that before the pandemic I was an Operations Manager for about 60 Airbnb’s in Nashville. It was a job I fell into and I will spare that story, but it really changed my prospective on my music career as it was the hardest logistical job I ever had. Managing day to day guests, supplies, co-workers, cleaners, maintenance and leasing for 60 different apartments placed all over Nashville was close to impossible. It took me about a year to get the job down to somewhat of a science. But looking back I’m really proud of the way I took the business platform and made the logistics make sense for it. I was a terrible student in high school so even though my test taking skills will never be grand, I really know how to simplify my life and to teach the process to others. This totally applies now to my music career. I look at the big picture and try not to sweat small interactions or details.
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers
I grew up in a beach town called Duxbury MA placed halfway between Boston and Cape Cod known as an area called the “South Shore”. Honestly looking back, growing up there was such gift. Even though I never really fit with any one particular group as being a singer/songwriter was rare in my school system, I learned how to fit in with all kinds of people. Since about 16 years old, I knew I would live in Nashville. I don’t know what sparked such a strong passion for a city I had never been, but it seemed like a giant playground for singer/songwriters, which it totally is. I always struggled on explaining my sound to other as it is pretty unique but when I look at singers who grew up in Massachusetts such as Jojo, Susan Tedeschi and Aerosmith, it really isn’t too far fetched from them once you add in the Nashville slang to it. I had a hunch of coming to college at Belmont in Nashville but I was asked to improve my SAT score (back to being a terrible student) and the same week I got a scholarship to Berklee College of Music in Boston which then seemed like a no brainier. Berklee taught me everything I know about being a disciplined musician. Teachers there are tough as they are all musicians themselves but when you do well it’s so rewarding because you are building your own personal craft. Most of the lessons I learned at Berklee don’t necessarily apply to moving to Nashville. If anything I had to unlearn most of what I knew about being a successful student at Berklee to vibe with the crowd in Music City but the unique skillset I have still lives within me in every single note I sing (literally). Now living in Nashville full time for about 7 years, I feel I have really experienced a lot as an adult. I am trying to balance that adult life with my music life which is pretty exhausting and daunting everyday. To combat this feeling, I try to revert back to being grateful for the chance to pursue my dream. I love the idea of getting to bring a little bit if experience and genre diversity now to the newer folks I meet and help them along the way. I’ve worked on so many collaborative projects now, I really feel I have a hold on when the vibe is right!
What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?
This is such a complicated question as I don’t have a record label of any kind to help me create stats. Everyday I am on my own creative journey of how to expand my musicianship and entrepreneurial skills. Living in Nashville for 7 years, after already building your craft at music school for 4, I am constantly trying to pivot my creative process to make my music work on a larger scale. I have not cracked the code yet, but I do believe when someone takes a chance on me and my music to bring it to a larger audience, I will be more than prepared to keep the train running.
Any resources you can share with us that might be helpful to other creatives?
I honestly wish I had worked more on my social and networking skills in my years before Nashville. Some people are born to network and I am internally such an introvert which really doesn’t take you anywhere in the entertainment business. My life from 18-21 was really interesting. I was a nobody in the music industry yet I was playing bars packed with 1000 people (before I could even legally drink) like it was no big deal. The live music scene in Boston is pretty great to independent artists, uniquely to what people may assume. I was just doing it without any proper knowledge of how rare my time in Boston was. Once I came to Nashville obviously nobody cared about my live performing experience and I was basically back to square one on building my craft. I started working on myself, working out almost everyday, becoming a functioning adult and creating true friendships. I wish I had worked more on self development in college as I was so laser focused as a Berklee student and working musician, that maybe I would have had more slack to work with on my social and networking skills in my early 20’s.
Contact Info:
- Website: katecameronmusic.com
- Instagram: @katecameronmusic
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/katecameronofficial
- Twitter: @Kate_cameron
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/user/KateCameron101
- Other: TikTok: @katecameron_music
Image Credits
Photographer: Lily Nelson