We were lucky to catch up with Kemi Adegoroye recently and have shared our conversation below.

Kemi, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. The first dollar you earn is always exciting – it’s like the start of a new chapter and so we’d love to hear about the first time you sold or generated revenue from your creative work?

I can’t quite remember when I earned my first dollar as an artist. Most likely it happened at the beginning of my college experience, when I joined my university’s chapel choir. The chapel choir was the only paid singing group on campus, and if I had to choose between checking in books at the library or singing every week, the choice for on-campus jobs was easy. I was a member for all four years of school–rehearsing twice a week and singing on Sundays, and for special events around campus.

I quickly realized that chapel choir wasn’t just a job, but a four year experience that would change my life in colorful ways. Throughout that time, I practiced and sang beautiful songs; performed in breathtaking spaces; studied at the feet of renowned professionals (notably our conductor Penna Rose); traveled the world; and met my lifelong best friends. I also grew–as a singer, as a student, as a performer, and as a member of one musical body that worked in tandem to produce stunning sounds.

Chapel Choir was more than my first dollar and it was more than my first paid job as a singer. All the early Sunday mornings and the complicated sheet music were more than worth what I got in return–relationships and lessons that sustain me as a professional to this day. I’m more than grateful for my first dollar and my first job as a paid singer as a member of my university chapel choir. I couldn’t have imagined a better start to my professional singing career.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I am a jazz and soul-inspired singer-songwriter based in the DC Metro Area. I started performing at a young age, taking voice and piano lessons and studying music and theatre extensively in school. Currently, I write and perform as a solo artist and band frontwoman in soul and jazz ensembles along the East Coast.

Over the last few years, I have been very proud and grateful for the experience of releasing my original music, in collaboration with incredibly talented musicians. As a kid, I had dreams of writing and sharing my own songs with audiences who would sing along with me. It has been a real gift to have several singles, EPs, and albums out in the world for people to listen to and love.

This year I released two of my favorite new songs: a ’90s and early 2000s R&B love song called In My Corner, and an introspective ballad called those rainy days (both available for streaming and purchase at www.kemiadegoroye.com). It’s been a real gift to share my music with the world, and I’m excited for more opportunities to do so in the future.

Have any books or other resources had a big impact on you?

Many people don’t realize how important project management and people management skills are in creative professions. Whether you are going into the studio or putting on a show, you often have to manage relationships, discussions, and disagreements in a way that moves the project forward without causing undue conflict; often while facing unexpected challenges. As important as it is to study your craft and hone your creative skills, it’s also very important to develop administrative, management, and people skills.

One book that helped me a lot in developing my business skills is Getting to Yes: Negotiating Agreement Without Giving In. The book goes into detail on the best negotiation and mediation tools one can have for different types of interactions. I read the book almost ten years ago and I still find myself using the concepts I learned, such as developing one’s BATNA (Best Alternative To a Negotiated Agreement) and focusing on “interests” and not “positions”. I would highly recommend it for artists who need to negotiate in creative collaborations or customer contracts. Having resources like Getting to Yes empowers artists to make good choices for themselves, their art, and their audiences.

How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?

When I released my debut soul EP For the Record in 2021, I had grand dreams of producing a release show to celebrate my very first foray into original music. But the continued shutdowns (due to the COVID-19 pandemic) threw a wrench in my plans. We couldn’t throw an in person concert just yet and would not be able to for a while. So I had to make a choice–delay any EP celebrations indefinitely or pivot and find a safe alternative. I chose the latter option and decided to throw a virtual EP release show.

I partnered with S.N.R.G. (a duo of talented musicians and powerhouse producers) to find a venue, filmmaker, and date to film my live release show. I negotiated the production and musician costs to fit within my budget, hired the band, set up rehearsals, and worked with S.N.R.G. to promote the virtual show. We were faced with various challenges, including scheduling difficulties and delays. But through sheer perseverance, will, and quite a bit of divine luck, we were able to put together an incredible show to celebrate my EP and all the hard work our production team put into developing it.

The show turned out better than I could have dreamed. As much as I had hoped to celebrate my music with an in person audience, being able to stream it meant that people from around the world were able to tune in live and comment online, bringing in a much larger audience than we would have had if it had been in person. And now, as a result, I have a recording of my first live EP show with commentary from fans, family, and friends all over the world who tuned in to celebrate my music. That’s a gift I couldn’t have expected; but one that I will always treasure.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.kemiadegoroye.com
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/mskemiadegoroye
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/mskemiadegoroye
• Youtube: www.youtube.com/13rosesproductions

Image Credits
Kate Andreya, Norman Jones, Caroline Marney, Federico Guendel