“If I could give the gift of laughter to everyone in the world, I’d do it in a heartbeat!”
With singer/songwriter Caroline Kraddick
They say laughter is the best medicine and I honestly believe that. Some of the best moments of my life have been hanging out with my friends and laughing until we literally cry. If I could give the gift of laughter to everyone in the world, I’d do it in a heartbeat!
I had the pleasure of interviewing singer/songwriter Caroline Kraddick, daughter of late radio legacy Kidd Kraddick. Caroline currently serves as CEO and Chief Happiness Officer of Kidd’s Kids, the charity founded by her father and just released her first single ‘This Love’ co-written by Ryan Cabrera. 100% of net proceeds from this song through November 19, 2018 go straight to the charity.
Thank you so much for joining us! Can you tell us a story about what brought you to this specific career path?
I’ve been singing and performing since my dad, the late Kidd Kraddick, put me on the radio when I was 3 years old. So, no one is surprised that this is the direction I ended up going. But how I got here is the surprising part. I ended up on American Idol after a friend signed me up to audition. Obviously, it didn’t work out on Idol, but the experience brought me to where I am now.
Can you share the most interesting story that occurred to you in the course of your music career?
My life has been a series of full circle moments. My dad was the host of the syndicated morning radio show, “Kidd Kraddick in the Morning”. The show was nationally syndicated in over 70 markets which led to a pretty unique childhood. My dad was a wonderful mentor to a lot of artists including Justin Bieber, Ed Sheeran, Demi Lovato and Ryan Cabrera. Ryan and I have become close over the years and he was a huge catalyst in the start of my music career. When I finished my stint with American Idol, I called Ryan to ask for advice on what I should do moving forward. Instead of giving me advice, he agreed to work on my album with me and to write with me on my project.
When Ryan was first starting out, my dad brought him on stage at Jingle Ball in Dallas for an impromptu acoustic performance. That was really the start of Ryan’s career, and on November 27th, I’ll be opening Jingle Ball in Dallas (with acts like Calvin Harris, Shawn Mendes, Alessia Cara, etc.) singing a song Ryan wrote WITH Ryan on guitar. It’s kind of the ultimate full circle moment.
What are some of the most interesting or exciting projects you are working on now?
Currently, I’m working on my album debut and hope to have it ready for early in 2019. Most of the songs are done and I can’t wait to share them with the world.
Which people in history inspire you the most? Why?
I’m inspired by every woman who has fought to live life on her own terms. Since the beginning of time, society has dictated every aspect of the lives of women. Right now, I think women are truly redefining our “role” in society and that’s thanks to all the amazing women who have come before us.
How have you used your success to bring goodness to the world?
Kidd’s Kids was started by my dad and it was truly the best part of him. Being able to do things like donating the proceeds from my debut single to Kidd’s Kids allow me to continue my dad’s legacy.
You are a person of great influence. If you could start a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. :-)
They say laughter is the best medicine and I honestly believe that. Some of the best moments of my life have been hanging out with my friends and laughing until we literally cry. If I could give the gift of laughter to everyone in the world, I’d do it in a heartbeat!
Which tips would you recommend to your colleagues in your industry to help them to thrive and not “burn out”?
I think remembering to sing for fun is super important. When singing is your career, the line between singing for fun and singing for work can become blurred. Whenever I start to feel like singing is work, I sit down at my piano and sing things I would never sing in public. Songs from my childhood, guilty pleasure songs, one hit wonders … anything that reminds me why I fell in love with music or brings back good memories.
What are your “5 things I wish someone told me when I first started” and why. Please share a story or example for each.
1. Don’t be afraid to be unique. I spent the majority of my formative years resenting that I didn’t fit a particular mold that I felt you needed to fit in to be successful. Now, I completely embrace it.
2. There will be highs and lows but even the lows of singing beat the highs of doing something you don’t really want to be doing.
3. Write everything down. All your feelings, all your innermost thoughts … you’ll never regret being able to go back and see how far you’ve come.
4. If your gut tells you it’s a bad idea, it usually is.
5. Always go to the party. Always network. Go to every concert. You never know who you are going to meet! I once ended up in the back of Desmond Child’s Bentley wearing yoga pants and my mom sneakers from 1995 because of that mentality!
I have been blessed with the opportunity to interview and be in touch with some of the biggest names in Business, VC funding, Sports, and Entertainment. Is there a person in the world, or in the US whom you would love to have a private breakfast or lunch with, and why? He or she just might see this, especially if we tag them :-)
Jenna. Bush. Hager. While my experience was on a much smaller scale, we both lived a public adolescence due to our fathers’ careers. I’ve always felt like I related to her in a lot of ways and I really cheered for her when the photo of her sticking her tongue out at the media made all the papers. I also love that she’s been able to take her father’s legacy to help create an incredible legacy for herself. Plus, I GEEK out for the Today Show so that just makes me that much more obsessed!
How can our readers follow you on social media?
Twitter: @CarolineKraddic
Facebook: @carolinekraddick.
Instagram: @carolinekraddick
