We recently connected with Kailey Shaffer and have shared our conversation below.

Kailey , looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Are you happy as a creative professional? Do you sometimes wonder what it would be like to work for someone else?

I am so happy being an artist and creative. To be able to wake up and do something I am passionate about is something I am eternally grateful for. Over the years, I’ve had numerous people tell me how lucky I am to have a career that is also my passion. While this is true, most people don’t see the struggles and battles you still have to overcome– even when you’re career is your passion. I’ve had moments when times were tough and I wasn’t getting a lot of work where I’ve wondered if having a regular job is a direction I should consider. I’ve had moments where I’ve thought, “you know, it would be really nice right now to have a job that would offer stability”. As a freelancer, you have some months where you have a ton of work, and other months where you’re barely booking… and those can be tough moments, because it’s not like you can just go apply somewhere to get a new job. However, I’ve ALWAYS had the stance that I will do anything it takes to be successful in pursuing my passion. The truth is, we spend our entire lives working once we’re out of school, and I made the decision a long time ago that I would rather take the stresses that come with pursuing my passion, than to spend every day working a job that I don’t enjoy. It is so important for our mental health and overall quality of life to enjoy our work, no matter what you do. Ultimately, I’m proud of myself that I’ve never given up despite the hardships I’ve experienced!

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 the arts from a young age. I started piano and dance at the age of 3, followed by singing and violin at the age of 10. I fell in love with playing violin, which ultimately led me to my college studies at the Berklee College of Music, where I graduated in 2013. Since graduating, I’ve pursued a career as a professional freelance musician. My work ranges from performing & recording with artists and singer-songwriters, writing songs & producing with artists, writing songs for music libraries, and also for my own artist project. Some of my career highlights include performing with Rod Stewart, Willie Nelson, Annie Lennox and Lalah Hathaway, as well as co-writing Billboard Top 40 hit “Chess Game” with artist Jasmine Crowe.

I’m very passionate about everything I do, but especially writing and recording real strings with current music, and showcasing what real strings can add to a piece of music. With today’s technology, many producers use string sounds from instrument libraries, which can be great, but there’s ultimately nothing like having the real thing! I’ve been very blessed to work with many artists that have given me creative freedom on their projects. I’ve used my own artist project as an example of this, and will continue to do so, as I love writing and recording my own music!

I believe what sets me apart from others in my field is my ability to truly capture an artists vision and bring it to life with my unique sound. I’ve played so many different genres of music and picked up little nuances from all of them, which allows me to create unique and captivating parts that seamlessly mesh with any artists sound.

Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?

I think one of the main lessons I’ve had to unlearn is the idea that if you have the talent and skills, you’ll make it. While it’s so important to have talent and skills, this is only a small part of success. It’s not only that, but it’s about the connections you have and the drive that you have. Even with all of the talent, connections and drive, you still have to hustle day in and day out to make a name for yourself and get opportunities. This industry, like many, is highly competitive and there is so much talent, it’s important to lean in to your strengths and what sets you apart, and just really go for it!

What can society do to ensure an environment that’s helpful to artists and creatives?

This is such an important question, because in todays time of streaming services, it’s extremely hard for independent artists to get their music heard, especially with 50,000 songs being released on spotify every day. It doesn’t matter how great your song is, there are a million other songs equally as good… so it is always a challenge to figure out how to cut through. Every like, share, stream, comment and save helps… but especially sharing our music so that more people can hear it! You can support us by buying our music, merch etc… anything helps! Many independent artists, like myself, completely fund our projects ourselves, so all of this is a great help! Building an audience takes time, and the more people there are sharing your music and name, the better chance we have of getting it heard to larger audiences! We put everything we have into our work, and to have it heard and shared is the ultimate and helps more than you know!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://linktr.ee/kaileyshaffer
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/iamkaileyshaffer
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@KaileyShafferMusic

Image Credits
Uchy Arechederra Brennan Spark