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

Hi Kia, thanks for joining us today. If you could go back in time do you wish you had started your creative career sooner or later?

Being creative from the age of three, my parents began investing time and money into the potential that I had. I began not to just compete in beauty pageants but also winning beauty pageants on the local and state levels. Pageantry has helped me to hone my creative skills as I had to learn to be prepared for whatever questions a judge may ask and to also keep my skills and talents refined. However, I do wish that I had pursued my singing career sooner than 2020. With the advent of social media platforms such as TikTok and Instagram, I could have made many more connections and been further along in my music career than I am today. So, I feel that had I started my career sooner, I may have been signed already to a record label or even invited to collaborate with some artist that are already established in the industry. I believe balancing and developing my career at a younger age would have been much easier than starting it at this point in my life. My advice: DON’T PUT OFF TILL TOMORROW WHAT YOU CAN DO TODAY.

Kia, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I have been in love with the entertainment industry since I began acting in the 5th grade. Not only did I love acting but singing became a passion as well. With that I began to feel the desire which also led me into dancing and modeling. With this love for entertainment, it was made sure I understood the commitment that it was going to take to achieve my dreams. There are literally thousands of young girls with the same hopes, dreams, and aspirations as I have, but I am and have always been determined to reach my goals no matter what setbacks, distractions, or disappointments that life has thrown my way (and there have been many of them). But even with the speed bumps and roadblocks that come along with life, I was able to move to Los Angeles, make a couple of commercials and co-star in a movie titled If not for His grace. This experience alone has afforded me the opportunity to see the industry from behind the lens, the setup, executive decisions, casting decisions, editing and so much more. Recently I have been casted in music videos, fashion shows, promotional ads, and even did a nationwide commercial for ‘The Sound’. I am currently working on releasing more music this year !

Is there mission driving your creative journey?

It is my burning desire; it is my mission to leave behind a legacy that my daughter is proud of. I want my daughter to not only hear but to see that you can accomplish what the naysayers cannot. I want my daughter and all the little girls to see that with hard work, dedication, and commitment to what you love, you can obtain greatness at the highest level. It is also my goal to create generational wealth for my family which is important for many reasons but one being because I promised my father that one day, I would buy him a Lamborghini since my mother forbade him from naming me Lamborghini (This is a true story). Also, a private desire of mines is to be an encouragement to all the single mothers so they can see that even as a single mother, you can still follow any dream no matter how little or big and be successful both in and outside of motherhood. At this point in my life, I believe I’m on track to do just that, but there’s still more work to be done.

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

In my opinion, one of the greatest things societies can do is BE PRESENT, especially to local artists. This can be online and in person. There are people who express themselves through art and do their best to sell their paintings or drawing while trying to make a living. There are singers who display their vocal skills at local night clubs or other social events looking to gain fame and support. As a young child I remember riding the trains in NYC and seeing people performing on the trains through singing, comedy and playing all types of instruments with the hope that the generosity of society would help to grow and foster their creativity. Aside from financial support, a simple share, comment, repost or like of an artist’s work helps to go along way. My mother used to always say “word of mouth is a powerful tool” and with the expansion of social media it has made showing support that much easier.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://linktr.ee/kiashaw
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thekiashaw/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kia.shaw.10
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@kiashaw3347
• Other: TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thekiashaw

Image Credits
Ariana Saucedo – https://www.instagram.com/aricreatesart/ Demigawwd Media – https://demigawwdphotography.mypixieset.com/ Cyan – https://everythingiscyan.com/