Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Kt Ruth Harms. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Kt Ruth, appreciate you joining us today. What did your parents do right and how has that impacted you in your life and career?
When it comes to my career, where I’m at now, my parents did a lot right. Growing up, my mom always had music playing. She used to make these monthly mixes… the stuff on there was all over the map. Not just classics, but indie artists, the kind of music that usually gets forgotten. I couldn’t have gotten a better introduction to music, honestly. Another thing they did was sign me up for a bunch of extracurricular activities. Like an absurd amount. That’s an underrated parenting strategy. It kept me busy and introduced me to a variety of different career options (or hobbies, we don’t have to monetize everything). The point being, I didn’t have to spend years in college, expensive years, figuring out what I wanted. Music was just the thing I kept doing while other things fell by the wayside.
Kt Ruth, 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?
Like most people, I took piano lessons as a kid and hated it. Unlike most people, my parents didn’t let me quit and thank god for that. I started learning more instruments, joined the school band, got really into music theory, and ditched all of that for rock ‘n roll… Eventually, I got into songwriting and that’s what stuck. I’m very proud of how my yet-to-be-released album is turning out. I have music coming out soon, no hard dates on it yet. But soon. The one quality that has set me apart from others my whole life is that I don’t settle for anything less than the best. So of course this album is taking forever.
What can society do to ensure an environment that’s helpful to artists and creatives?
I can put it simply. Value the arts. Now, this can mean a lot of different things, but I’ll give just one example: Streaming cannot be the model for the music industry. Even digital downloads were a sketchy model, with plenty of opportunity for theft. The physical formats have always been the most profitable. If I sold one CD at ten dollars, it would take thousands of streams to earn the equivalent from Spotify. I find it to be a losing battle, begging for a higher percentage from streaming platforms. Paying a small amount for a monthly membership that gives you access to all the music you can imagine? It’s a dream, but it should stay just that… a dream. Music is worth more than that.
Do you think there is something that non-creatives might struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can shed some light?
I think people would be surprised to know that many creatives, myself included, don’t aim to be rich and famous. I simply want to make a reasonable living. I want to work one job, and I hope that later in my life I don’t need to supplement my income as an artist… whether that be by teaching music lessons, playing in a cover band, or god forbid — working in a restaurant. This goal, of achieving even a moderately successful career, can seem out of reach for people in the music industry. I hope that the future looks different.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.ktruthharms.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ktruthharms/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ktruthharms/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kt-ruth-harms-b260091a5
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/ktruthharms
- Youtube: https://youtube.com/channel/UCkvZqEmV3-inNdvht1YMVbg