Today, we’d like to introduce you to Kyla Simone.
Hi Kyla, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
If you had met me as a kid, you would have never thought I’d intentionally get up to sing solos in front of people, considering how shy I was. But for some reason, music was always that thing that brought me out of my shell.
Hey, loves, my name is Kyla Simone. I’m a singer-songwriter and guitarist and the Founder of Girls and Guitars, a growing organization that creates performance opportunities for and community among women singer-songwriter-guitarists.
One thing I always had a passion for was music. I had no choice as my mom played piano and sang with varying gospel groups throughout my childhood. My dad (in all his high-top fade glory) was on the road, gigging as a lead guitarist. Family reunions turned into sing-a-longs as nearly every family member had a musical talent. Meanwhile, I sang in every school and church choir known to man and wrote songs, (some super silly) with my childhood best friend, who also came from a musical household.
Towards the end of high school, I linked up with a schoolmate, and we formed a duo and recorded a hip-hop and R&B album. My dad actually helped produce and record us in his studio. Oh, did I mention I rapped in those days as well? You will NEVER hear that footage, EVER!! Things didn’t pop off as expected, and we graduated and moved on, but my passion for music remained.
Throughout my early years of artistry, I joined a local music label a great friend of mine started, recorded an inspirational album, and then punked out of continuing forward as a solo artist. My introversion got the best of me, and I was mortified to be in the forefront. I think the scariest part was the public speaking to introduce my songs. So, I hung up the mic, feeling like maybe it wasn’t for me.
Everything changed the moment my mom placed an acoustic guitar in my hands just before I was set to head off for my first year in college. I feel like God knew this was just what I needed to get me reinspired to pursue music again. And that it did! By the end of that day, I’d written and picked out a new song.
Months later, I started singing out, and though I was still afraid, my guitar was a beautiful security blanket. Once my dad caught wind of my new found passion for his native instrument, he started making a tradition out of giving me his old guitars and now his amps. I cherish the fact that we can bond over music.
In 2016, after many years of performing as a singer-songwriter-guitarist, I grew curious to see more women of color who play guitar and sing, which, at the time, wasn’t as much at the forefront as it is growing to be now. Upon discovering a few initial artists via Instagram, it’s like the more I reached out, the more girls recommended other artists they knew. Realizing we really were out here and just needed more visibility, I started our Girls and Guitars showcase events, which featured up to 6 talented women artists/musicians, and we packed out local coffee shops throughout the DC/Maryland area and even produced shows in Norfolk, VA, Atlanta, and Nashville where we traveled with select artists.
It was a beautiful thing to see, and we’ve since had well over 70 acts on our showcases, hosted a few guitar clinics, held virtual showcases and meet-ups during the pandemic, relocated from Maryland to Atlanta and started hosting showcases here, and are expanding our plans to create space to help current and aspiring singer-songwriter guitarists grow their musicianship and artistry through music education initiatives for women and girls.
Can you talk to us about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back, would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Every journey towards one’s goals is laced with highs and lows. If we aren’t challenged along the way, then we will never evolve into our best selves as a person nor as a creative. So, no, the road has not been a smooth one. Some of the biggest struggles have been moments of feeling inadequate, like what I bring to the table isn’t good enough. It’s easy to get trapped in the rabbit hole of comparison. I have had to give myself permission to be 100% me and allow that to be good enough.
If I love myself fully and accept myself fully, then what everyone else thinks of me or my talent is not so vital. I also had to remember why I love music so much and to get back to making music for the love of it, not being so focused on the end game but appreciating the process of becoming. I want to be a person of impact that gives people (especially girls and women) hope and the courage to pursue their dreams unafraid. That means I must do just that.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. What can you tell our readers who might not be as familiar with your work?
Truthfully, I have my hands on a lot of creative projects. I’m a full-time Graphic Designer. That’s my bread and butter. I then, of course, have my music career, but I also have Girls and Guitars, which I mentioned in depth earlier. I am also very passionate about events, so I’ve been partnering with a local Atlanta creative and venue owner, the Marclee Co., to host immersive music experiences (we have another event coming this fall!).
I am most proud of Girls and Guitars. I’ve put in so much work over the years and have had so many amazing women who have helped along the way, some fellow artists, and others just really good friends who sincerely support my ambitions. I am also so proud of the friendships and connections that have been formed with the women who have participated in our events. Community is so important to me. Artists weren’t made to sit alone on an island.
The only thing that sets me apart from others is just being Kyla. I am not trying to look like, sound like, or be anyone else but me.
What do you think about happiness?
I’ve been recently learning more about what happiness truly is. Honestly, things, people, or accomplishments don’t make me happy. Sure, they all add to and enhance my happiness, but I feel like happiness is best experienced when I am secure in who I am, detached from the world’s expectations of me, and connected to the heart of God.
This helps me see life, people, and experiences through a fresh lens. This inadvertently allows me to be happy in nearly all circumstances (as, yes, some things in life just aren’t so pleasant, and we’re all human). But I am doing my best to adjust my perspective on this as I desire to be my happiest self.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://kylasimonemusic.com
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/kylasimonemusic
- Youtube: https://youtube.com/@kylasimonemusic?si=3BZq4DAPJAKBBGiP
Image Credits
Marcell McDowell and Caio Jardim
