Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Kayla Phillips. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Kayla , appreciate you joining us today. We’d love to hear about a project that you’ve worked on that’s meant a lot to you.

Track five of my debut album, “Making Shit Up”, is both a song and fundraising opportunity. The song, “Indiana”, is an ode to my hometown; feeling homesick and battling the guilt of carving my own path in the world all while my mom was sick back home in Indiana. When I had first arrived at college in the Fall of 2021 we had found out that my mom, Kelli McLaughlin, had a brain tumor. Upon its removal, it was discovered that it was more than just a tumor, it was stage 4 Glioblastoma. All of this was happening while I was 1,000 miles away in Boston.
In my second semester I had taken a class where we were given a songwriting prompt and we had to return to class the next week and present a new original song within the premise of the assignment. One week we had been given the task of writing a poem first and setting music to it as the final step. At the time I was extremely homesick and feel so much guilt for being so far away from my mom. The poem just spilled out of me, and it’s still one of my favorite pieces of work to this day.

When I was in the recording phase for my debut album I knew I wanted to keep this song as raw as possible. We ended up pulling my producers (Garrett Langebartels) upright piano into the center of his living room with a few microphones to capture it all– I think we got it in about five takes.

After recording the entire album throughout the summer of 2022, we had found out that my mom’s cancer had come back in the fall and they were estimating about six months left for her. I had made the decision to take some time off of school and move home to be with my family as we were staring down the end of her life. She passed away on April 21st, 2023. I decided to honor her with the song by releasing it on her birthday (July 12th) and committing all streaming revenue to be donated to the American Brain Tumor Association. It still stands as my most significant song for a multitude of reasons.

I’m lucky enough that she was able to hear the entire album.

Kayla , 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’ve been bathed in music for as long as I can remember. I was blessed enough to have a very talented musical family; my mother was an incredible piano player and my dad is multifaceted with many different instruments but known for his voice. Growing up my siblings didn’t really have a choice… even though I would kick and scream at the piano bench, my parents were hell bent on us learning the language of music. It all changed for me when my dad started teaching me how to play guitar. My sister was excelling in piano and my brother in drums, so I began crafting my own musical identity around the acoustic guitar.

Throughout most of my life, my dad was the worship pastor at our church, so I was up singing and playing on that stage as early as the sixth grade. I gained so much confidence on the stage starting that young. I started writing my own songs and playing at local coffee shops when I was in seventh and eighth grade. I continued to learn and grow and write through early high school. I think i really began to feel like an “artist” during the pandemic where I had nothing to do but practice and write. I vividly remember writing this one song called “Silver Linings” and for the first time I remember thinking “man, this could actually be something”. I decided to take a voice memo of it and upload it to Sound Cloud just to share it with some friends. I think the amount of positive response I received from my friends is what really pushed me to write more and eventually release it. I continued writing and finding my voice and it eventually lead to me studying songwriting at Berklee College of Music for a few semesters.

Once I was in college I got a phone call that changed everything: my mom had terminal cancer. My entire world had turned upside down–I had only been in college for a week! It was such a delicate balance while I was in Boston. I was starting to carve my own path in the world all while feeling homesick and guilty for being away from my family (and especially my mom) while she was going through treatment. This inner turmoil was the main theme of my debut album, most of which I wrote my during my first two semesters at Berklee.

My relationship with music changed after she passed. She was so involved in my artistry and musical development. It was difficult for me to create new art because I knew she wouldn’t be the first person I got to show it to anymore. I would fear getting too ‘deep’ in songs because I was afraid of the bounds of my grief and how that would translate into song. We were connected through music; from the time I was a child learning my scales, or a teenager playing at a coffee shop with her accompanying on piano, or singing harmonies in the car, or at my first real show with a band which she flew out to Boston to see. She was more than just a support system, and I suppose the best way I can honor that is by continuing to chase the dream we both wanted so badly.

I discontinued my studies at Berklee after my third semester so I could move home to be with my family as my mom continued to decline. I had every intention of going back to school but my relationship with the city had drastically changed. From the moment I started classes, all my time in Boston was diluted with guilt and anticipating grief. My mother passed away in April 2023. That summer I drove down to Nashville to visit a good friend of mine a few times and I ended up relocating there in September. As of right now, I’m writing and collaborating and getting the opportunity to meet amazing artists every single day. I feel so inspired by this city and I’m so excited for what’s to come in the future.

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

In my mind, supporting creatives is directly correlated with supporting local everything. My mom ran a non profit boutique out of Indianapolis and I was able to see firsthand the struggles small business owners are tasked with. Her shop, Clothes With A Cause, was a small boutique that would donate 100% of their profits to Indiana charities each month. She would also partner with other small artists in the area to sell their product in store to support as many people as possible. Being a small part of her business gave me a strong passion for both fundraising and supporting local businesses wherever I am. It also helped me see the similarities between small businesses and small independent artists like myself and identify great practices to support local everything.

Musicians as a collective are already similar to small businesses in the sense that many operate independently. There’s the more ‘on the nose’ ways to support your local artists; going to shows, buying and streaming their music, engaging with their social media, etc. But I think building a creative ecosystem encapsulates more than just the artists in your community.
With the way streaming services and social media have impacted the music industry, being an independent artist is often more common than not. The power lies in longevity. Anyone can show up to a show or listen to a song when it’s released. But continuing to show up for your friends and favorite small artists is an essential piece in the longevity of their career.

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

My favorite and most rewarding part of the creative process has always been live performance, whether that be my own or witnessing my amazing friends and their live bands. Growing up in the church, I would spend my Wednesday nights and Sunday mornings watching my dad direct the band and lead it for the services. I loved the way the drums sounded. I loved the way you could feel the bass ringing through you. I love how a voice can move you. It’s so intimate the way that a band can communicate with each other without words– its a mutual understanding.

I have a lot of love for all the different facets of myself I get to unlock through the cycle of crafting a song, but the magic lies within the live performance for me. I absolutely loved finding my voice and my sound with a band and getting to experience that relationship firsthand. Some of my favorite memories have been with my band in college. It was my first real attempt at giving my songs to other people and building them from the ground up into something we were all proud of.
I think there is something so beautiful about handing your song, a very vulnerable piece of yourself, to a group of people and letting them into that piece of your heart. And then proceeding to step on a stage and hand this collection of songs to friends and strangers listening. It’s just a beautiful display of vulnerability.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.kaylaphillipsmusic.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kaylaphillipsmusic/?hl=en
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kaylaphillipsmusicc/
• Other: https://open.spotify.com/artist/3jr7C84UECf0QuwY0pbk2s?si=P1iFsKN7Q6-d2Uz8_TfXLQ

Image Credits
Jason Gaskins Arselia Kent Sara Baldwin