Today we’d like to introduce you to Bradley Kim.
Hi Bradley, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I discovered my love for music with a creative “promposal” my junior year of high school. The *girl* I was asking to prom was heavily involved in music, so I taught myself how to play our family ukulele and sang her “Count on Me” by Bruno Mars. I was honestly terrible when I performed the song for her, but I loved every second of it.
About a year later, I graduated high school and was prepping to play football at the Air Force Academy. Having just recently discovered my passion for music, I hated the thought of not having the opportunity to pursue it, but I had trained my whole life to play division 1 football, so it didn’t feel like much of a choice. Serendipitously enough, within the first month or two of being at the academy (following basic training), I met who would become my best friend and the person I still make music with, Kaleb. Our friendship and music partnership essentially began the night we met when he was singing in the stairwell and I asked him if I could sing with him. He taught me how to play guitar and helped me get better at singing; we wrote a bunch of songs together, performed places together, and eventually started producing the music we have out today. A few of our songs gained some traction and that led me to meeting a lot of the other amazing artists that I have the pleasure of working with today. I made my way to Macon, GA in July 2021 after graduating from the U.S. Air Force Academy and getting stationed at Warner Robins AFB.
I write a lot of my music on my experiences as a previously closeted athlete and all of the anguish that went along with the coming out process; it was tough juggling academics, military, a division 1 sport and the prospect of everyone hating and/or judging you for discovering your sexuality. I went through a lot growing up and music allows me the opportunity to be vulnerable and reflect upon some of those experiences.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey have been a fairly smooth road?
It has not always been a smooth road and I don’t anticipate it will get any smoother. It’s difficult juggling a demanding full-time job with the music and attempting to have a social life. Music sometimes takes a backseat to my mental health needs and the demands of being active duty military.
On the music side of things, it’s always frustrating when things don’t move as quickly as you’d like. It took a year or two for me to see real growth and traction with my music, and seeing all of that is great, but when the growth stops and you become stagnant again, it’s hard to not get down on yourself. I get caught up in the numbers of it all and comparing myself to others sometimes and that’s not really a fun road to go down. There’s high highs in music and low lows… my goal is to stay within those bounds and keep the love and passion I have for music through it all. I know it’s not always going to be easy, but I’m enjoying the process as best as I can 🙂
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I make indie pop music. I’m proud of all of the music I’ve put it out because I think each song is a little piece of me and a little glimpse into what’s going on in my life at that time. I think my story and songwriting ability separate me from others; I think I have a unique perspective as a result of my story and with the help of others, I’ve worked really hard at becoming a good storyteller. I know my music won’t be for everyone, but I hope it finds the people who can relate or connect to it.
What do you like best about our city? What do you like least?
I’ve met some incredible people since getting here. Coming from the west coast, I had never experienced the south and I was pretty scared to move here. The friends I made here are definitely the highlight for me.
As far as dislikes go, I hate how hot it gets in the summer… can’t really think of much else at this point in time.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bradleykkim/?hl=en
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/bradleykkim
- Other: https://open.spotify.com/artist/3nJiC4ijSQZ1HHJB0gqJWM?si=heT9pqJJS8CLwBiEsBoj1w
Image Credits
Connor Barber Talon Saulino
