We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Kyleigh (Ca$hk) Jehlicka. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Kyleigh (Ca$hk) below.

Kyleigh (Ca$hk), looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. How did you learn to do what you do? Knowing what you know now, what could you have done to speed up your learning process? What skills do you think were most essential? What obstacles stood in the way of learning more?

I’ve been singing since I was a little girl; I was writing songs, performing on stage in choirs and musicals since age 9 and have never looked back since. I think that having those experiences is really what opened me up to wanting to be a performer and really allowed me to find my comfortability on stage. My stage presence and confidence definitely comes from my background there. As far as singing and technique and style, I received so much influence from the music that my mom had listened to as I was growing up. R&B legends like Alicia keys, Mary J Blige, Prince, Kem, Beyonce, Lauryn Hill, Charlie Wilson, Boys 2 Men, Maxwell, and many many more have shaped the way my heart connects with music, shaped my style and influenced my music overall.
I’m still on my learning journey as far as musicianship. Being self taught I have had a few delays and challenges and have had a greater learning curve to overcome. But I’m grateful for my journey and know that I’m going on my path at my pace for a reason. But if I had to change anything to speed up my process I would say that I would have taken music theory more seriously in high school and gotten into playing guitar years earlier. I am just now this year starting out with guitar and so that has been a challenge but has also been very rewarding. I’m loving expanding myself as a musician and loving the satisfaction and creative freedom that it gives me as a songwriter.
I think the most essential skills I’ve picked up over the years being a performer and a songwriter is having a great ear. I’ve had a ton of training in that arena and use those critical listening skills to be able to articulate what I want from my band and producers sonically which I think is a great strength. Also the ability to be flexible and openminded, willing to learn from and accept what others have to say and offer is really important as a creative. It makes you more fun to work with and gives a better creative environment while also expanding your personal growth which is essential.
The only obstacle that really stands in my way of learning more is myself and the time that I have on my hands to dedicate to the craft and to the work. I’ve been a student for my entire life and balancing school with work and self care and music and creativity gets to be challenging at times. Especially when you’re surrounded by hundreds of other kids in the same position, you get influenced by the pressure and the self sabotaging thoughts when you compare your process to others. So I would say comparison and time are the two biggest obstacles that have stood in my way of learning more, both of which I am overcoming daily.

Kyleigh (Ca$hk), 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?

So my name is Ca$hk, I am a R&B singer songwriter performer here in Nashville, TN. I’ve been in love with music for my entire life. I’ve been writing songs since I was probably 8 years old and have been at it ever since. I find songwriting the best way for me to express myself emotionally and to really make beautiful sense of the things that I deal with in my personal life. The way I got into recording music was in my junior year of high school I got a bunch of recording equipment and started producing music and putting it out on Soundcloud. From there I’ve gradually graduated to streaming on all the other platforms.

The kind of music I make now is very much R&B with a bit of singer songwriter influence. I love using my voice and my perspective to tell stories that although are my personal anecdotes, have the power to translate to other people’s lives and situations. It is the most gratifying feeling when people tell me how my songs have helped them through hard times or have helped them make sense of their feelings. There’s nothing greater for me.

I think what sets me apart from other R&B is the content of the music and that I play with a live band. My band The Bankroll and I play all over Nashville. We all met through school at Belmont University and have been working together for a couple of years now.

What I’m most proud of is how much buzz around campus I’ve been able to create for my brand. People know me before I know them when I say that I’m Ca$hk and I think that’s pretty cool. I can’t wait to make that reach much bigger to the greater Nashville area and one day the world.

What I want future clients and fans to know about me and my brand is that I’m telling my stories from the heart and that these are real things that I go through, and that my music is me. I want people to feel connected to me through the music, to feel like someone understands them and that they’re not alone. My brand is just me as a person. I’ve honestly struggled with that personally because in this industry it’s all about that THING that makes you different and sets you apart and that can get super gimmicky. I think that my thing is ME. Me being myself, having the energy that I bring and my personality is what I want people to know that sets me apart. I want my talent and my personality to speak for me. I work hard at what I do and I’m looking forward to it paying off, I’ve already had this taste of the experience of being a performer for a living and it is the most fulfilling thing in the world. I am addicted to this life of a musician and I can’t wait to keep going and make all my dreams a reality.

In your view, what can society to do to best support artists, creatives and a thriving creative ecosystem?

Society can COME TO THE SHOWS!! That is the biggest thing right now especially in the Nashville area because that’s how you continue to get booked at shows is for people to come and check them out. I think in the close knit community surrounding Belmont especially, there are so many incredible artists and so many incredible students putting on these shows and showcases and it’s so important for us to show up for each other and to support one another since we’re all in the same boat as emerging artists.

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

The most rewarding aspect of being an artist is the love and gratification that comes from someone telling me about how my music has spoken to them or changed their lives in some way. To me, just knowing that the art that I’ve created has impacted people makes it all worth it. It reminds me that this work that I’m doing is not in vain and is not just about me and means more than just being creative and having fun doing it. It means something to more than just me and that is the most rewarding thing.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: cashkcashk
• Youtube: cashkcashk
• Other: tiktok: cashkcashk

Image Credits
Jolie Adams Josef Lloyd Jacob Jones