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

Hi Kerry, thanks for joining us today. We’d love to hear about when you first realized that you wanted to pursue a creative path professionally.

I grew up playing baseball from the age of four up until my Freshman/Sophomore year in college, at NC State. Throughout that time, I thought that baseball was my purpose in life and had huge aspirations of going pro. However, during my second and third year in college, and after a few life experiences including injuries, my passion for baseball started to slowly fade and I realized that it was most likely not my purpose.

That realization started my journey to music. Initially I started singing only for fun and never planned to do it for anything more than a hobby, but I had friends in my life who thought I should do otherwise. During my last year at NC State, there was a competition to open up for the homecoming concert. I had no plan to enter, but my friends kept asking me to enter, so I sent in a video submission just to get them to stop asking. I expected that it would simply be looked at and that would be it, but surprisingly I got an email back from them saying that I was selected as one of the finalists. To select a winner, all the finalists had to compete in a competition where we had to perform at the student campout, in front of 200-300 students.

There was only one problem. I had never really performed in front of people and I only had a week to prepare! I went to a few open mics that week to practice, and before I knew it, it was show time. I remember that night like it was yesterday, and legitimately cannot remember a time when I was more nervous, as was my bladder as well. I probably went to the bathroom at least 10 times within the 30 minutes I had backstage before the performance. Not only was this my first time performing for a big crowd, but it was also the first time I would be sharing a song that I wrote as well.

Long story short, I did not end up winning the competition, but it wasn’t really about that for me. Initially, it was just about me following through on a promise made to my friends with the video submission, but by the end of the night, it became so much more. Just a week prior I had never performed in front of people, and that night, seeing everyone waving their phone lights in the dark, hearing them singing along to my song that I did not think was good, while I was up there doing something I didn’t believe I had a future in; that was when the switch flipped for me. My friends & family had believed in my talent for music for so long, so I figured it was time I finally started to believe in myself as well.

What are you most proud of and what are the main things you want potential clients/followers/fans to know about you/your brand/your work/ etc.

I am most proud of my willingness to push and pursue my passion despite the negative thoughts that come every now and then. I’ll admit, there’s a small part of me in the back of my mind that asks “What if it doesn’t work” and “Is this what I’m really meant to do.” However, I truly do feel this is my purpose, and have to make the decision each day to continue to pursue music and believe in myself to successfully do so. With that being said, to anyone who has a passion for something other than what they are currently doing, I say go for it!

How did you build your audience on social media?

When it comes to getting started posting on Instagram, I think posting quality content is somewhat important, but not as important as consistency. There were times when I first started that I was so worried about a post being “perfect” that I wouldn’t post for a week, or sometimes multiple weeks. Just try to do your best and realize that that quality will generally get better over time if you keep at it. As far as networking goes, go to events that are related to your passion and connect with people. For example, for myself, I went to multiple open mics every week. While that was a good way to work on my craft of performing, it was also a great way to meet others doing exactly what I’m doing and trade numbers, socials etc. Also, don’t be afraid to ask for follows and plug your information when the chances come, but make sure you do it in a genuine way as well. Most importantly, be patient. Yes, it is possible to “blow up” or go “viral” but I think it’s important to remember that in most cases, building an audience on social media takes time.

How can we best help foster a strong, supportive environment for artists and creatives?

For music locally, I think it would be great to have more “Writers In the Round” type of events. I enjoy playing out and playing cover songs but would love to have more spaces where you can get paid to share original songs with other artists, and people come for the purpose of hearing your original music as well.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://kerrylongmusic.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kerrylongmusic/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kerrylongmusic
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/kerrylongmusic
• Other: https://www.tiktok.com/kerrylongmusic

Image Credits
Mehmet Demirci Ryan Best Roth Gray