We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Kanika Feaster a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Kanika thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Coming up with the idea is so exciting, but then comes the hard part – executing. Too often the media ignores the execution part and goes from idea to success, skipping over the nitty, gritty details of executing in the early days. We think that’s a disservice both to the entrepreneurs who built something amazing as well as the public who isn’t getting a realistic picture of what it takes to succeed. So, we’d really appreciate if you could open up about your execution story – how did you go from idea to execution?

Being an entertainer, especially one that writes and records songs, I am always in the idea to execution process. As the saying goes, “content is king”, so to be in my line of business means you must have lots of products (i.e., songs, photos, videos, merch) and more to stay relevant. Unfortunately given the rate of consumer consumption and the overwhelming numbers of artists also promoting their products across the internet, if I’m not constantly moving from idea to execution my brand is quickly forgotten.

Writing a song can happen in various ways. Some artists write lyrics first, some write lyrics to music, while many do both. Regardless of preference, you must find a good producer -who creates the music so a song can be written. Song writing is an interesting process that can either take hours, days, months, or years. Then you must find a studio to record. The recording process can be short or long depending on the song and budget. Since I have my own studio, I like to give the song and vocals time to develop. Typically, after all the vocals are complete the song will go through a post-production phase. This is where additional musical elements are added since the voice – which is also an instrument, wasn’t included when a producer created the music. After this, the song must be mixed and mastered. All these steps can take days/weeks.

Like all products, a song must also be marketed. To spare a boring read, the steps leading up to this process are important and time consuming. I must copyright the song to protect the words and music and publish it to ensure compensation when the song is played commercially. I also need lots of visuals (i.e., album cover, music videos, artist photos, and more), song distribution so people can stream/download. In reading this, hopefully you are thinking to yourself, “how much does all of this cost?” This is one of the major differences between my industry and others. To create music, the overhead costs are high. To get my music out so the world can hear, I must then give away my product for free. For example, streaming platforms like Spotify and Apple pay artists pennies, literally, despite the billions of streams received and the billions these platforms make from our art yearly. This ultimately means despite my expenses; I receive very little ROI. This is why to be an entertainer you must really love what you do!

Kanika, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I am a singer, songwriter and artivist who lives in Baltimore, MD. I’m married and have a vibrant 5-year-old daughter. I’ve been in the entertainment biz all my life, starting off as a child model, dancer and public speaker. I’m also an actress- with a feature in an upcoming tv series coming out soon. I’ve dabbled in TV as a producer and host of a few radio, podcasts and live talk shows that have aired locally on This TV, FOX45, WEAA 88.9 FM, Amazon and Apple TV.

My music taste came from the music I would hear my parents play at home (classic Motown soul, gospel, pop, classical). Growing up in the church and singing in the choir was also a huge influence, along with performing in high school musicals. It wasn’t until college that my love for poetry would turn into rapping and singing. Performing as a background singer for an alternative rock band, helped me learn about the art of live band performance. It also led me to get professional vocal coaching, start my own band and eventually co-create Rock/SKA band, The Upstarters (www.upstarersband.com), which I have been the lead frontwoman of for over 10 years. I’ve had the chance to perform at many festivals, tour, and open up for some amazing national artists. Along this journey I have been groomed by John “Babyboomer” Gordon a producer, songwriter and professional recording engineer who has worked with so many musical legends!

My catalog is a little bit of rock, pop, soul, afrobeat and dance (edm and house). An artivist, I like to write music with a message that makes you dance. Some songs are political or touch on social themes like female empowerment, while others are conventional topics written in a non-typical way. As a songwriter I love being able to tell a unique story that’s relatable and take the listener on a journey with me. There’s nothing like the intimacy of musical expression through lyrics and melody and sharing this powerful connection with someone else. My sound can be described as high energy vocals. Although lyrically thoughtful, I’m all about songs that make you feel good and have fun. I am a healthy mix of Lizzo, Pink and Dua Lipa, with a little Tina Turner sprinkled in.

Last year I released the first single from my 3rd solo album, a protest anthem called ‘It’s My Body’, which is about a woman’s right to choose. The release was inspired by the Supreme Court’s decision to end a woman’s right to abortion-although the song was written almost 1 year before Roe v Wade was overturned. ‘It’s My Body’s’ message has been supported throughout the world and also raises critical issues affecting humanity such as gun violence, climate change, and voter rights. It questions the priorities of our leaders when making laws and makes bold statements that a woman’s body should not be used for political control. There is also an EDM remix of this song which organically grew from dancers and choreographers alike, who posted videos on TikTok. because it made them feel proud to use dance as a form of protest. Check out the song, lyrics and videos at www.kanikamusic.com

In the very near future, I’m looking forward to releasing new single, ‘See Me In You’. A social statement, ‘See Me In You’ is a dance song encouraging us to look into one another’s eyes so we can see the beauty in one other. As the lyrics go: “See me in you, then you won’t see my house, won’t see my car no, no. /You won’t see my skin or my gender, no/I just want to see you, see me in you.” Here is a sneak peak: https://youtu.be/rLxuv4qCqUg

What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?

Creating quality music and giving a high energy; make you dance live show is how I built a strong fan base and good reputation in the DC, MD, VA and DE regions. I’m very proud of the hard work accomplished which led to opportunities to open for international touring acts The Toatsers, The Slackers, to name a few. Along with features at many regional and local festivals and nightclubs because of our [The Upstarters] good reputation of being a band that played a fun filled, family friendly show. I also think having an online presence has been another important factor. Giving people not only radio ready music to stream but creative visuals has helped me in connecting fans to my brand, new music and its lyrical meaning. As I am venturing out as a solo artist promoting my new brand ‘Kanika”, I’m excited to connect with other creatives, do more local performances and take part in more collaborations whether that is in music, film, or TV.

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

Some days I wonder, “why did I pursue music, again? The music industry is a tough career choice!” Lol. I’m amazed at all I have accomplished in the world of entertainment from a child model, actress, dancer, and public speaker, to continuing this path as an adult. The countless number of late-night studio sessions, standing in long audition lines, many times changing in bus or train station bathrooms to get ready. The hours upon hours of rehearsals. The begging to be seen, heard, and praying to be liked! The nights when all I could do was cry because of not having enough support. It’s hard to be a full-time entertainer when you must juggle a full-time job and life. The too many counseling sessions with myself to not give up and keep on pressing forward. On the other hand, there are the shows, the fans, the ability to create beautiful music….art, that inspires, entertains, and has the power to amplify change.

I share this all to say my journey hasn’t been easy, but it has been rewarding. Rewarding in witnessing how my gifts of music, voice, etc. have impacted my community. For every person who has attended a show and shared how the good energy they felt made them feel better, or the message in a song inspired them to not give up on life. These types of reminders keep me staying resilient. Now is not the time to give up, because I have lots more work to do!

Contact Info:

• Website: www.kanikamusic.com
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/kanikamusic
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/kanikamusic
• Twitter: www.twitter.com/kanikamusic
• Youtube: www.youtube.com/@kanikamusicwcm

Image Credits
White Collar Entertainment Jeff Butler TMI Project Mrstrictlygp