Rising Music Star Kelsey Lamb: “Don’t lose yourself in who you think you’re supposed to be”
Don’t lose yourself in who you think you’re supposed to be. It’s so easy to get wrapped up in what’s on the radio, and what you think you’re supposed to be singing about and what you’re supposed to sound like / look like. But, I’ve learned that it’s more important to be yourself and let that shine cause that’s what people want… they want to know YOU!
As a part of our series about pop culture’s rising stars, I had the distinct pleasure of interviewing Country songstress Kelsey Lamb. Kelsey is a multi-talented singer-songwriter based in Nashville, TN. Her latest single “Where Do You Go” is available now.
Thank you so much for doing this with us! It is a great honor. Our readers would love to learn more about your personal background. Can you tell us the story of how you grew up?
Thank you so much for including me in your Rising Star feature!
I was born and raised in Little Rock, AR. I am one of six kids to my two amazing parents! I absolutely loved being in such a big family, and getting to experience so much growing up… from spending a couple of nights every week at church to traveling the world with my family. There just weren’t a lot of dull moments in the Lamb household! My mom had me involved in all the activities, from church choir to dance team to cheerleading to soccer… you name it, I’ve probably at least tried it. But, my favorite part of growing up had to be traveling. My parents loved to show us the world and they did their best to make sure that happened as often as they could! My parents were always so supportive and made sure they gave us every chance to explore our dreams and find our place in this world. I am so thankful for growing up the way that I did and that I can now do the two things I love… music & travel.
What or who inspired you to pursue your career? Can you share the story with us?
Honestly, so many people have inspired me to pursue music. From my parents, my siblings, my teachers in school, and so many musical influences like Blake Shelton, Alison Krauss, Avril Lavigne…. but the first memory I have that made me feel it in my soul was when I was probably 12 and at a summer camp in California called Pali Adventures. Every camper got to pick a specialty that they wanted to focus on for the week and mine of course was “Rock Star” camp. I remember walking in on the first day and hearing this girl play her guitar and sing the song “When You Say Nothing At All” (Alison Krauss), and something about that song made me feel the music in a way I never had before. Something about that moment and hearing it acoustic made me fall in love with music in such a different way.
Can you share the funniest or most interesting mistake that occurred to you in the course of your career? What lesson or take away did you learn from that?
This is so silly, but it’s one of those moments that I just cannot forget. I have played The Bluebird in Nashville a handful of times at this point, and I am already halfway into mentally recovering from a bad joke when I start singing my first song of the night and a massive hiccup gets stuck in my throat…I sounded like a frog for at least two words out of the first verse. The good news is, it actually ended up being a great save from my bad joke before that and it really bonded me with the audience. I’ve learned from that, that the crowd really doesn’t care if you mess up… They just wanna hang out with your most authentic self when they come to a show!
In our work, we often focus on how one can thrive in three areas, body, mind, and heart. I’d like to flesh this out with you. You are a very busy leader with a demanding schedule. Can you share with our readers any self-care routines, practices or treatments that you do to help your body, mind or heart to thrive? Kindly share a story or an example for each.
Self-care is so important. For my body, eating healthy is the most important way for me to stay on track. I learned very quickly that if my body isn’t healthy, and energized, then I can’t be my best self everyday. I probably do the opposite of what any nutritionist would tell you to do, but I start my day eating light and then eat a larger dinner. It just works for me, and I think that it is super important to figure out what works for your body and not get hung up on how you’re being told to treat your body
For my mind, I workout… even if I only have 20 minutes. IT IS SO IMPORTANT TO MOVE EVERYDAY. Find a workout you enjoy and just do it, make it part of your routine. I started doing Pilates about 5 years ago and it has changed my life. I follow this girl Cassey Ho on Instagram and she has all these amazing workouts that I follow along with, my favorite part is that she motivates you and reminds you of your worthwhile you’re working out.
For my heart, I pray. I wish I was a little better about that, but it’s honestly the only way I know how to calm my heart. I think that we all have a lot going on and we forget to check in on us sometimes (I know I do), and prayer is the best way to just check yourself and talk it out.
But honestly, all three of these things are things that I do everyday to be and feel my best, and are all essential for the mind, body and heart!
Ok super. Let’s now move to the main part of our discussion. How have you used your success to bring goodness to the world? Can you share with us the meaningful or exciting causes you are working on right now?
A cause that has always been near and dear to my heart is the American Heart Association.
Can you share with us the story behind why you chose to take up this particular cause?
My family has been a huge supporter of the American Heart Association. It hits very close to home for me. My sister’s firstborn (my nephew) was born with only half of his heart… The condition is called hypoplastic left heart syndrome. This was almost 13 years ago and we’ve been involved with the walks and fundraisers ever since. I think this organization will always hold a big spot in my heart!
What are your “5 things I wish someone told me when I first started” and why. Please share a story or example for each.
Oh boy, this is a good one!
- Start with small goals, to lead to your big goals. I wish that when I had started, I had this mindset. It’s so easy to get discouraged when you’re starting out and have these huge dreams/goals and don’t realize all the small things you have to accomplish first!
- It doesn’t happen overnight. This seems like a silly thing to point out, but it’s so easy to come to Nashville and hope that you’ll be the next overnight success. I was definitely guilty of that!
- There is no timeline. Your career will look different than everyone else’s and that’s a good thing! Everyone has a different path and timeline, and that’s sometimes hard to accept!
- You’re going to fail, but that doesn’t mean you won't succeed. I wasn’t completely unaware of this, but I definitely needed to hear someone say it out loud to me for me to be okay with the idea of failure in the midst of chasing success!
- Don’t lose yourself in who you think you’re supposed to be. It’s so easy to get wrapped up in what’s on the radio, and what you think you’re supposed to be singing about and what you’re supposed to sound like / look like. But, I’ve learned that it’s more important to be yourself and let that shine cause that’s what people want… they want to know YOU!
You are a person of enormous 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. :-)
Something that is extremely important to me is being confident in your own skin. If I could start any movement it would be to create a community that focuses on loving yourself and knowing your worth. I’ve known way too many people who have struggled with eating disorders, or found their worth in other people, or just not been able to see how beautiful they are inside and out, which I think we all struggle with at some point and I would love so so much to see a world where people are learning to love themselves and the body they are in!
Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Do you have a story about how that was relevant in your Life?
My favorite life quote is the golden rule “Treat others the way you want to be treated”. I literally live by this quote, and I think it’s so important.
I was super shy as a little girl and would sometimes get in my head about whether or not people liked me, you know normal girl thoughts haha, and it often took someone including me to make me feel like I was a part of the group and that I could be myself. Now that I am older and alot more confident in who I am, I never want someone else to feel like they don’t belong or that they can’t feel comfortable enough to be themselves. I think that all goes back to treating people the way that you want to be treated :)
What are the best ways our readers can follow you online?
You can find me absolutely everywhere! On Instagram & Facebook @kelseylambmusic and twitter @kelsey_lamb or at my website www.kelseylamb.com, you can also find my music anywhere that you can stream music!
Thank you for these fantastic insights. We wish you only continued success in your great work!
