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

Hi Kisos, thanks for joining us today. What was the most important lesson/experience you had in a job that has helped you in your creative career?

When I moved to NYC to pursue music I had no experience in the industry. I studied international relations and languages in college, never expecting to be pursue a creative path. So when I decided to make the cross country leap, I was set on finding a music job. No Plan B.

Luckily it worked out and I found my way to working at a music PR firm. The bosses and work was pretty cursed, and PR in general is TOUGH, but the knowledge I gained was priceless.

Before that job I plinked on the piano and uploaded covers to YouTube, but I had no idea how releasing music worked, how building a fanbase worked, how creating a brand worked. I had no concept of what indie artists could accomplish because an “underground” artist to me was at least selling out theaters/halls, had been on the radio, signed to a small label.

And that’s a BIG gap in knowledge! I honestly only stayed at the job for about 8 months because it was a toxic environment, but that’s all I needed to gain enough strategies to grow from zero to 10 to 100+ fans, and even run my own PR firm for a few years!

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

I started in school band as a 9 year old, playing flute all through high school, doing marching band circuits, joining drumline, and although I stopped playing instruments in college, I joined my university’s gospel choir and fell in love with singing.

I moved to NYC about nine years ago, and have been pursuing a full-time music career ever since! My philosophy with creation is extremely community centered, introspective but unafraid to share the vulnerable learnings from those dark moments.

Beyond music I’ve always felt drawn to uplifting others as I uplift myself, and ran a music PR firm for three years, specifically working with LGBTQ+ artists and creators of color. The music industry is so confusing and filled with predatory people, so I felt compelled to hep guide people, show them what they’re capable of, and give them tools to push themselves on.

Once I wrapped PR up, I started a music video showcase for LGBTQ+ artists called QUEERANTINE. I’m sure I have the numbers wrong but I think we ran about 50 episodes in two years and featured 300+ unique artists. It was a beautiful rallying point during the pandemic and even became an in-person tour.

Last year I spent a lot of time reconnecting with myself, learning, creating, thinking and released my third EP, Autophagia, an alt-pop diary of my mental health journey from rock bottom to a hard-fought, lasting happiness. I produced, mixed, and mastered it myself, except one song, and it’s a testament to believing in my worth and vision that I hope stands as an example for others!!

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

Community 100% there is something so special about being in this indie ecosystem, cheering on each other’s wins, trying to solve this puzzle of breaking through to the mainstream. Recently I’ve started tearing up when I go to friends’ live shows, because I know how much we sacrifice every day to pursue this career.

Not to mention working with your best friends as often as you want! That’s not typical for a 9-5 haha but I can call up a friend right now and say hey let’s write together. Let’s film together. What do you think of this art concept? And get lost in these beautiful creations.

Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?

To be in music is to pivot endlessly haha. And I do NOT mean in that in a way of changing yourself, but there are all these goal posts to hit and a billion spinning plates to balance.

I started with a 9-5 that paid terrible, and realized I could work a part-time that paid just as much, and have more time for music. Then I realized I should start my own music marketing business. Then I switched to more group consulting, all these pivots to slowly circle towards the work I find most fulfilling, and of course that leaves the most time for music.

And that’s not to mention the constantly changing algorithms on each social media to keep track of, the game of getting playlists and PR features as music publications dwindle. I’m always watching what other people are doing, taking what serves me, and ignoring the rest.

That way I can upgrade my impact but not sacrifice what makes me unique.

Anything exciting coming up for you?

Contact Info:

• Website: https://linktr.ee/kisos
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/itskisos
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/itskisos
• Youtube: https://youtube.com/kisos

Image Credits
Adam Ouellette Miss Ash Productions Aphotic Photon