Today we’d like to introduce you to KayLa Starks.
Hi KayLa, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
It started off as a cool hobby that matured into a career! I remember growing up in church and being a part of the band, as a drummer. There was also concert and marching band I was a part of in middle and high school! I grew up around music, but, my first love was basketball! I thought I was going to go into the league and play pro. I had been playing since 5 years old and my family and I were heavily invested in seeing it all the way through. My dad was in the army, so we traveled a lot! For majority of the first half of my life, we lived in Germany, (which is actually where I was born.) I cultivated my love and skill for basketball overseas, then in 6th grade, we moved to the states. The style and feel of the game is much different in many areas of the world. So! Coming to the U.S. took me for a weird surprise. As time went on, I sorta fell out of love with the sport and into the swing of music.
It started with journal entries and poems, which finally lead to some of my first original songs. I used to burn CDs with all of my favorite producers and freestyle to them every day after school, with each of my vocabulary words! I finally learned and locked in on my own production/engineering and released my first album at the age of 14. That’s where it all started for me. Here I am today, still doing what I love, almost 20 bodies of work in!
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Definitely a long and bumpy journey. I wish I could say it gets easier with time, but the reality is that it’s a “climb.” As a female, who is STILL young and who started EVEN younger, I can say I’ve learned some valuable lessons. One thing is for sure. I learned it’s important to know your strengths just as much as you explore your weaknesses. As a teenager, I was uneducated for the industry I was pursuing. I was so passive that it made me very impressionable, and so entrusting that I wasted time, that I can never get back, on “dead ends.” I learned a lot of business etiquette lessons the hard way. But… This isn’t a complaint. The process has only made me stronger and taught me how to “fight back.”
The key to it all is research, experience, consistency, and good community!
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I am a female recording artist, songwriter, producer, engineer, and curator! I’ve had the privilege of doing some major things, but one thing I’ll always be most proud of is rebranding into who everyone knows today: K. LA. Back in 2017, I took a 2-year break from releasing music and decided to study all of my previously released music. In that time, I took lessons and learned how to engineer and produce. I came back, beginning of 2019, with a new sound and a new image! I made my new appearance with a confidence that I had never had, I decided to release my “first song” for MLK day and, to this day, it is my #1 streamed song that I have on any platform! I took that as a sign from God that I’m exactly where I’m supposed to be.
I also want to take the opportunity and state that I have just released my debut album as KdotLA, called “Promised to Happen.” For years, people have asked for what my new sound was, or what was the direction I was headed. All I could tell them was sit tight for the album! Finally, there are no more stones unturned and the cat is out the bag. I’m very proud of the body of work. It has truly set the bar and tone for what’s to come, for K. LA!
Do you have any advice for those looking to network or find a mentor?
Don’t be afraid to ask! The world we live in right now is all about an individual’s network and resources. That’s your ticket. I know that “putting yourself (and your intentions) out there” can be nerve recking… But, so is being a creative and functioning in the everyday life of the entertainment industry! Confidence is key. Your dope, sell that.
Pricing:
- BOOKING: STARTS AT $500
- FEATURES: STARTS AT $350
- PRODUCTION: STARTS AT $175
- MIX/MASTER: STARTS AT $125
- SONGWRITING: (PRICES VARY)
Contact Info:
- Email: K.LAOfficialNetwork@Gmail.com
- Website: www.KdotLA.Co
- Instagram: www.Instagram.com/kdotlaofficial
- Facebook: www.Facebook.com/kdotlaofficial
- Twitter: www.Twitter.com/kdotlaofficial
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/KdotLA/videos
- SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/kayla-starks
Image Credits
@Shotbyswayyy
