We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful IVORY BLUE. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with IVORY below.
IVORY , appreciate you joining us today. When did you first know you wanted to pursue a creative/artistic path professionally?
I’ve always felt that writing my own songs was something meant for me to do as I was making up songs with lyrics since I was a little kid and sang them for anyone wanting to hear them, but it wasn’t until I was 14 years old that I was convinced I didn’t want to do anything else. I learned how to play guitar on my own and started to layer looping instrumental and vocal tracks with a tape recorder at a very young age to make the songs sound better. Performed them in church and coffee shops when I was about 17 and found that people in my town loved my music. I had a rough childhood and music was a way for me to release the pain I was experiencing. It was also a way for me to share with others who supported and understood me. At the age of 15, I ran away from home and my life started to go in many directions. I lived a nomadic life and at one point wanted to give up until I landed in Kansas City, MO where I was offered to stay with a family that wanted to help me with my life struggles and with my music career. I was 24 years old when I moved in with them and life took a complete different direction. So much so that I still to this day can’t believe how lucky I am. Something I wished since I was a little child and found with my new family. They own a recording studio with all the best technology and the lady of the house who is also a musician became my manager and together we worked on creating the sound in my music as it is today.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
At the age of 4, my brother, sister and I were given up for adoption and were placed in 8 different foster homes in the first year. At the age of 5, my brother Cody and I were adopted into the Kessler family with 5 children who lived in Washington IN. Three of them also adopted children and two of their own.
Early on in my childhood, around the age of 5 I felt that I was different from other children but couldn’t share that with my new parents due to their religion and strong believes. Living with a secret was at times unbearable as I found myself wanting to be like my sisters. Constantly hoping and praying that one morning I would wake up exactly how I felt in my head. I didn’t understand why, I just knew I wasn’t myself and cried myself to sleep many times wishing I didn’t have to feel that way. It was a constant struggle with my adoptive mother who often made fun of me and had a hard time loving me as I thought a mother should. Saying that she wished she never adopted me and time after time made me feel unwanted.
At the age of 15, it was apparent that I no longer could live in a home with people that couldn’t accept me for who I was. It became too painful for me to stay, so I ran away from home to be free from constant rejection. I spent the first years living with friends until I found my biological mother and reached out to her. She took me in but after a year I decided it was best to move out and moved in with other friends. I dropped out of high school and worked full time to support myself and performed in coffee shops and small gatherings to make some extra money.
A few years later I was introduced by a fan in Washington IN to a musician in Missouri who had just finished building her recording studio to help young musicians pro bono so that they could record their music without the expensive costs and start their music career. She took notice of my talent as a singer/songwriter and performer and was also made aware of the struggles in my life. She didn’t know however that I was transgender at that time as I kept it to myself. After a short phone conversation, she immediately invited me to stay at her and her husband’s home and work with me in the recording studio on my music. It was encouraging to hear that someone would do that for me, but at the same token, I had suffered so much through my young life, was constantly judged, ridiculed, and laughed at to the point that I wanted to shelter myself from any pain. So, I declined her offer, but we became friends and talked often about ideas for my songs.
When I turned 22, I moved to Oklahoma with a friend to find myself, get a job and try to make it as a musician. I had been writing music since the age of 14 and felt that removing myself from the toxic environment I lived in would give me a chance in Oklahoma City. Once there, I searched the internet to understand more about my gender identity and discovered that I was transgender and related to the stories of so many that walked in my footsteps. I started a band and performed for some events, but the band fell apart. However, I continued to write music while learning more about myself as a transgender person.
While living in Oklahoma, I became friends with a transgender woman that I met on the internet. She wanted me to move in with her and help me with my transition. I was excited to finally be with someone who understood me and after transferring my job at Walgreens OKC to Seattle, I began a new life with hope for the future but after two months living there, I realized that I made a mistake and needed to leave. I remembered my friend in Missouri who had been helping me with my music, but I was scared to ask if her offer to help me was still standing. I was so desperate to get out of the situation I was in and there literally wasn’t anyone who could help, so I called my fan in Washington and she in turn called her. She immediately called me and invited me to come stay with them. After our phone conversation, she scheduled a flight to Kansas City, MO and two days later I arrived at MCI airport where they welcomed me with open arms. We hit it off right away, jammed in the studio that first evening and even wrote our first song together. I have been with my new family since 2011. They didn’t know about my gender identity until several weeks after moving in, but it didn’t matter to them. They wanted me to live my life as they have always encouraged their 4 children to live theirs. That was then, in 2011 and here we are 2021. 11 years later. I found my home! That silent wish I had since I was little child became reality and I’ve never been happier to finally have a home where I feel safe, a family that loves me and will do anything to make me happy.
Not only was I able to continue working on my personal life but spent my days recording my songs and writing new music. Being a multi-instrumentalist, I began refining my performance style, using digital looping pedals to stack harmonies and guitar parts live on stage, giving my solo shows the feel of a full band. I quickly attracted an intense regional following and by 2013, I was playing regularly in and around Kansas City and by 2015, released my the first EP ‘Ready Get Set’. While the EP helped spread the word and got much attention from regional radio and TV stations, a big break came in 2017. I entered NeXt2Rock, a nationwide talent search with over 1800 artists/bands who applied to find fresh and promising rock artists.
The top 5 national bands battled it off for the win in Los Angeles CA at the legendary Viper Room, with judges Scott Borchetta (BMLG), John Varvatos (fashion designer), Steve Jones (Sex Pistols Guitarist and Host of “Jonesy’s Jukebox”), Desmond Child (Musician, producer), Chris Lord- Alge (producer), I won over the judges and became the grand prize winner! I won the contest and a one-year record deal with BMLG who re- released the song Ready Get Set from the 2015 EP. The re-release of ‘Ready Get Set’ undauntedly received National and International airplay within weeks.
In February 2020 and after studying the craft of recording and self- producing, I released ‘Elite Dreamland’ and in September released ‘Half A Life’, following ‘Family Tables’ that was released on Sept 7th, 2021.
I produce all the tracks except for Drums and Bass and am currently working with Lester Estelle (Drummer for Kelly Clarkson), Craig Kew (Bass) KC, Kurt Festge (Mastering | Citizen Kane & Vilent Femmes) NC. and Nick Poortman (Los Angeles, CA based Producer, Engineer, Mixer, and Songwriter) Nick has worked alongside producers including Justin Gray, Gil Norton, Big Tank, and Greg Haver on sessions throughout the USA, UK, Europe, and New Zealand to finish my debut album ‘Compound Heart’ that was released in January 2022 following the ‘Red Light’ single and ‘ Starlit Love Child’ which releases on October 14 2022.
On Aug 18 2021, I signed with SoundBallistics Music & Publishing who has been working hard to get me noticed in the music business. Through them I had an opportunity to perform during the 2022 Cutting Edge Music Conference in New Orleans and shortly after that my current manager, Klaartje Van Lue was contacted by Vicky Hamilton, former manager of Guns N’ Roses, Mötley Crüe, Poison and other famous bands. She expressed her love for my music and is now co-managing together with Klaartje Van Lue to get me to the next level.
Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?
I don’t think that there’s a person in this world that hasn’t experienced ups and downs and in my music career there have been many. At times I thought nothing would come of it, but now I realize that a “fail” was only telling me I wasn’t on the right path or that some people weren’t meant to be part of my music career. The hardest fall was when BMLG decided not to help me anymore. I’ll never forget how defeated I felt and it took me a couple years to get over that but looking back, it was meant to be, learned a lot from the experience and now appreciate it. I also learned that no matter what, I will never give up doing what I love most and really can’t imagine me doing anything else. It’s me and why I live.
What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?
My goal is to be able to sustain an income for myself. I’m not looking for millions or being famous. I just want to be able to live my life so I can take care of myself and hopefully give back to people that have donated so much to get me where I am today. I have love for so many things this world offers and hope that one day I can give back to the community, do something to make a difference in a person’s life.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.ivorybluemusic.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ivryblue/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/IVORYBLUEMUSIC
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/error_pages/unsupported-browser.html
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/IvoryBlueMusic1
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/ivorybluemusic
- Other: TIKTOK – https://www.tiktok.com/@ivorybluemusic?lang=en LinkTree. – https://linktr.ee/ivorybluemusic