Meet Kelly Robison

Today we’d like to introduce you to Kelly Robison.

Kelly, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
I used to frequent music festivals in high school and early on in college, but I didn’t take much interest in dance music until I came across an artist in 2016 at Hangout Fest, Alison Wonderland. I thought the name was entertaining and so my friend and I stopped by the stage to see what was going on. Turns out, she was a female DJ, and although I had NO idea what she was doing up there pressing all of those buttons, the songs were incredible and the crowd was absolutely CRAZY about her. My friend turned to me and said “that’s totally something you would do” I laughed it off and agreed. Following that weekend, I googled “How to DJ” and discovered that most artists that DJ also produce their own music.

The production is what really captivated me, but the DJing came more easily. I bought my first gear off random Craigslist ads, returned to UGA in the fall and immediately announced myself a DJ. I definitely didn’t anticipate playing as much as I did my last year at college, but the gigs kept coming and I found myself absolutely enthralled with DJing. I shortly after graduating in 2017, I moved to Atlanta and began seeking out more gigs. Little by little, I grew in the Atlanta scene and expanded into the House and DnB genres, finding myself DJing for Torch and Elevate in Atlanta, which expanded to New York City radio shows and for NYC DnB parties. That was probably when things got really exciting for me, I began traveling to New York super frequently for shows and that’s about when I realized I’d really done so much more than I thought I could by just DJing. Having gotten into it to initially create my own music, I began diving further into music production. I was fortunate enough to land the online version of Icon Collective music school, based in LA where a ton of really amazing DJ/producers had come out of. I really owe the teachers, mentors, and staff there everything.

I learned so much in those eighteen months than in the prior three years of dabbling in DAWs and pretending I could make any sense of music production. My capabilities grew exponentially, and I began making tracks I really really enjoyed. I released my first official track on all streaming platforms in July of 2019, thinking I was going to go more of the dark/trappy house direction with influences like Bijou. It’s still a great first track, although now I hear infinitely more flaws and critiques! But I soon figured out that wasn’t entirely my sound. I then proceeded to make a bunch of drum and bass. I actually submitted to one of my favorite DnB labels in NYC and they’ve considered a couple of the tracks which is really exciting! COVID kinda put the brakes on that for a while but I’m still hopeful they’ll pick up the track! I expanded through genres a bit with some different unofficial remix releases, but nothing quite in a specific genre or taste that I could pin down as my own.

Until recently! I took a course by an amazing mentor, Mike Monday, that absolutely jump started my music making process. I went from finishing a track a week, to having over 70 tracks in the worst, six finished and 8 close to done, all in about eight to twelve weeks. This is when I really took a different turn. Inspired by a recent release by one of my favorite artists, FLETCHER, I made my own vocally flipped remix. This was huge for me in my personal creative journey because it was the first time I put my own voice on a track. Soon after completing it, I was struggling with whether to release it, because of the context as well as my own voice ringing in my ears… My girlfriend, a graphic designer, videographer, and also a huge fan of FLETCHER literally looked at me and was like “Bitch. You’re releasing this. And I’m directing and shooting a video for it.” That was a TERRIFYING personal experience. But the product was absolutely worth every moment of unsurety and discomfort I felt filming my very first video.

The video was released back in August, and within the first couple weeks go way more views and praise than I could’ve ever thought. I was ELATED, inspired, and ready to do more. I got on a 6-week release cycle with my distributor and committed to having a track AND video released every six weeks. In September, my next track “Side Eye” was released and has gotten way more streams, saves, and playlistings than I could’ve anticipated with Spotify. I finally went in the direction that came naturally from this music making process that encourages creativity and expanded my productivity and music creation in ways I could’ve never anticipated. Now, with more confidence, I’m super excited to continue down this road with my amazing team, support system, and friends and family that continue to encourage me and push me forward. I’m SUPER stoked for my next coming release, and I’m learning more about continuing to create in a way that is most authentic to me, breaking my personal boundaries and barriers and really coming into myself as an artist. I wish 2016 me could see all I’ve done now! And this is just the beginning

Has it been a smooth road?
Oh absolutely not. There has been a lot of internal and external struggles I’ve had to deal with, and continue to deal with. I’ve had club residencies where I’ve been paid less than male DJs, or even the subtle stuff like only getting selected to play at certain places with “all female” lineups. It’s been frustrating because I’m just like. I’m an artist, not a “female” artist, and only getting put in certain places or on certain stages due to the fact that I’m a female has been quite a difficult obstacle to navigate. It can get really frustrating, discouraging, and stressful. Not to mention the difficulty of music production, learning how to use a DAW and then also learning how to translate all of my ideas into music. Something I really struggled for a while with, and something that has brought me to the brink of quitting, is perfectionism. You have this incredible idea in your head or you create something that just turns out like total garbage that can be one of the most difficult feelings to overcome. It leads to a lot of doubt and insecurity. Letting go of what you THINK a track should be and allowing it to be whatever it needs to be is such a struggle for me.

I’m learning, but slowly and incrementally, and still waiting for that moment of total liberation from judgment both from myself and others. It’s also just absolutely terrifying to release something you create. I used to not even let my family or friends listen to my music. My first release in 2019 was terrifying, and my first vocal flip and video was all but debilitating. These pressures, both internal and external, are constantly on my mind and constantly fighting my creativity and progress as an artist. I’m happy that I’m learning to work with these fears, although no progress is linear! The music industry can definitely be a dark and intimidating place. I’m just trying to use all of these experiences, fears, and lessons, to maintain my authenticity and honesty in the things I do and create.

We’d love to hear more about your work.
So I guess I primarily produce music. I’ve been producing seriously only for about two years, but I’ve been lucky enough to work with some really cool artists, which sort of segwayed into me eventually taking my own music production as an artists a little more seriously. I also DJ and have for about four years. I started off my final year at UGA in the local clubs and bars, moving to a couple of really cool events at the Georgia Theatre, and then eventually moving to Atlanta and continuing on there. At first I was playing a wide range of events and genres before really finding my niche and my sound. Now I’m primarily playing Drum and Bass and house music. I’ll occasionally snag a gig here and there doing something a little different, but those are my specialties. Production wise, I’d like to say I’m pretty well rounded. I’ve produced house and DnB, but really have find quite a different sound with my personal music. I also enjoy writing for hip hop artists and friends and definitely specialize in things of a darker tone.

I also just got asked to score my first short film?? Which I’m so excited about, it’s always been one of my production goals to score a horror film, and one of my good friends is about to start putting together his horror short and asked me to write the score! I’m stoked for that experience and am always looking for challenges and projects. It’s hard to think about what I’m particularly known for, besides the generic answer of which genres I play or create. I think the thing that most differentiates me is the unique taste and flare I’ve developed by simply loving what I do. The darker and edgier tones, honest writing, and authenticity I really work to maintain are definitely staples of my art, and things that I really hope translate to the listeners, whether behind the music or behind the decks.

How do you think the industry will change over the next decade?
What an interesting question, especially at this particular time. I absolutely think the industry is going to change quite a bit. I think music and artists will start to focus A LOT more on online presence, products, and music releases. Now that live shows are few and far between and virtually nobody is performing, I feel like it almost levels the playing field for aspiring artists like myself. I mean, right now, at this moment, I have the exact same amount of shows as Halsey, or Alison Wonderland, or any artist out there. I know things are slowly coming back to life and shows are popping up here and there more frequently, but for a hot minute, as an artist, it almost seemed like the opportunity had arisen for me to get my footing and push forward.

I had nothing but time to create content, I had an amazing team to help with visual content, amazing mentors and friends and a LOT less personal comparison to other, bigger artists. Their lives and events were on hold too. It’s been a terrifying and trying time, especially for entertainment, and I believe we’re going to be feeling this hit for 5-10 years, easily. I mean, it’s absolutely heartbreaking that I’ll never get my debut at the Sound Table in Edgewood, or ever get to grace the decks at Music Room again, or see a show at the Buckhead Theatre. Venues and live music is struggling so much, and I hate that so many beautiful experiences will never be had at these iconic venues. I can only hope that the industry comes together rather than breaks apart, and we support the venues we have, and as we begin to grow out of the pandemic, really bring ourselves to accept any new places that emerge and continue to foster a positive regrowth.

It’s devastating and so hard, especially when it’s the well-loved, timeless venues we’re losing. Not only that, but the artists who base most of their income on live shows are really suffering as well. I definitely believe that internally there will be a huge shift on artist revenue streams and what we primarily focus on. Losing live music has been devastating across the board, but I think the forced shift will cause more artists to base more heavily on online presence, merch, rapport and relationships with fans and communities, and actually music, singles, EPs, albums than on live tours and shows. It’s been an earth shattering experience, as somebody who was quite literally a gigging DJ for a living prior to the pandemic, and I can’t imagine the effect it’s taken on other artists and industry professionals. I just hope we grow out of this stronger and more supportive than ever, fostering an inclusive and sturdy foundation for whatever the new music industry is going to look like

Contact Info:

• Website: www.kellyromomusic.com
• Email: sonatradj@gmail.com
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/kellyromo8
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/kellyromo8
• Other: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCfxYpSJb2ZffgEbAf8ci6rQ

Image Credit:
Ocie Clelland, Soul Phocus Photography (cover photo)
Julianna Freed (side profile photo)
Kaileb Flowers (all other photos)

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