Rising Music Star Kirsten Evans on The Five Things You Need To Shine In The Music Industry
Continue to do the things you love even when you have a bad day. There will be days that will make you want to fall out of love with your vocation, but know that one bad day does not mean that your entire career is ruined and that you are on the wrong path. Take a breather and reevaluate the gravity of the situation.
As a part of our series about rising music stars, I had the distinct pleasure of interviewing Kirsten Evans.
Kirsten is a British, female media music composer who most recently completed her work in the music departments of the new MARVEL movie ‘Morbius’, and the Hulu Original documentary ‘I am Greta’. As part of Kirsten’s media music output, Kirsten also runs a Soothing music YouTube channel and co-founded a new coaching program with her partner Thomas Eggensberger, helping new freelance musicians, who struggle to monetize their talents, to create a range of passive income streams using social media marketing strategies, that enable their clients to follow their active dream music careers. Kirsten also works as a vocalist/ installation artist and was asked to act as co-composer and vocalist for Wales’s national entry to the Venice Biennale in 2017, at age 19.
Thank you so much for joining us in this interview series! Can you tell us the story of how you grew up?
I had a pretty normal childhood growing up on the south coast of England. I seemed to have some of the standard hobbies that young girls have: ballet, singing, drawing and I would take part in my hobbies whilst moving back and forth between my mum and dad’s houses every week.
Throughout my younger years, I had an on-again-off-again relationship with music simply because of a lack of confidence! I would sing in the school choir and play in the Steel Pan band (yes steel pans…) from around the age of 10, and would frequently commence and conclude a series of piano lessons over the course of several years up until the age of 18. Again, I followed a fairly straight forward academic path and completed my external music exams, in theory, piano and voice, alongside my core studies which finally led to my degree in Composition and Creative Music Technology at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama (RWCMD) from which I graduated during the craziness of 2020.
Can you share a story with us about what brought you to this specific career path?
My career is all based on a snap decision really. I remember being on the phone with my dad and talking to him about an academic music degree course that I had recently started, prior to my time at RWCMD (I did not end up completing this degree… I think I failed it actually!) and we spoke about how this course was simply not for me. My dad asked what I was going to do about it all and I was very unsure of my next steps so, in that moment, I decided that I would apply for a composition degree at RWCMD. I was pretty awful at composition at that point, and had actually been training to be an opera singer rather than a composer, so something just wasn’t clicking with the career path that I had planned out for myself until I made the choice to apply for a composition degree. Ever since then I have continued to make snap decisions, say yes to things that I hadn’t ever heard of, let alone know how to do, and it seems to have led me on a pretty interesting career path, so I think I am going to continue to make snap decisions and see where it takes me.
Can you tell us the most interesting story that happened to you since you began your career?
In 2018 I sent Swedish composer Jon Ekstrand an email from my tiny university bedroom, and asked him for the opportunity to complete a 10 day internship with him as part of my composition degree. Jon not only said yes but, pending a successful internship, Jon then offered me the chance to work on the new MARVEL movie ‘Morbius’. As someone with no experience in the world of film at that point, I was shocked to say the least that my first job in the film industry would be on a MARVEL film!
I moved out to Stockholm, Sweden in September 2019 and began working for Jon on a range of projects (including Hulu Original documentary ‘I am Greta’) only to have to move back to the UK in March 2020 when the virus really started to pick up. I thought that my part in these projects was going to be over and I was preparing to return to the UK to plough ahead with my work for the final few months of my degree, BUT thankfully I was wrong. I completed my work on these projects from my mum’s spare bedroom on a laptop, connected to the world’s longest Ethernet cable that would provide me with a fast enough internet connection to remotely control the studio computer still sat in Stockholm, Sweden.
Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?
Well… I was working late on an installation of mine, building a space for children to learn about the families of the orchestra through touch and play, and realized I had been working longer than I thought. It was 2am on a Friday night and I was still at the warehouse so, wearily, I went to drive home to find that I had been locked into the complex the warehouse was situated in.
In the next few seconds I planned a whole survival plan for the rest of the weekend! I had a sofa, maybe one sausage roll and a heater to keep me warm. After realizing this was a ridiculous idea, and that I couldn’t simply live in a warehouse for the next two days until someone came back on the Monday to open the gate to the complex, I decided to try and climb over the fence… I moved an enormous industrial bin over to the fence and started to climb over! I could have made it, but the drop on the other side was so long that I probably would have seriously hurt myself and not been able to walk the 2 miles that it was home again. So, I decided to see if I could wiggle my way under the gate. Again, I nearly could, but I probably would have torn my clothes on the sharp metal and maybe even cut my back trying. It was a no go.
After about 30 minutes I went back to my car and just sat. I looked at my keys longingly and realized I had not only been given the key to the warehouse, but to the padlock on the gate that was keeping me trapped. I was so tired after working since 6am that same day, and every other day for the past however many weeks, that I didn’t remember that I had had the key to the padlock the whole time as I tried to climb, wiggle and build my fortress.
Moral of the story, don’t work so long that you start to compromise your cognitive abilities or so long that you get locked into a warehouse complex…
What are some of the most interesting or exciting projects you are working on now?
As per usual, I like to keep things varied within my work life and I have a range of projects that I am excited about!
The two projects I am most excited about are two new ideas that are really pushing my creative and business skills all in one, and I am loving it! I recently started a new YouTube channel called Soothing Music that, funnily enough, uploads soothing music videos, with accompanying nature imagery, every Wednesday and Sunday. This new channel gives me the opportunity to not only have the excuse to write hours of calming, tranquil music every week, but to get stuck into writing music that genuinely offers viewers a moment of calm. I thought that this venture would be an easy side line and that the music would be easy to churn out every few days, but wow… I was wrong. There is more to building something that is genuinely soothing than just slapping a few stock images together and adding a drone, and I know that now. I am so excited to keep finding new ways of helping everyone to relax and de-stress during these strange times! To take a look at the Soothing Music channel, check out the link on my website.
The second project I am thoroughly excited about right now is a new company called UGLiCAT that I founded with my partner Thomas Eggensberger, in the middle of one of the lockdowns of 2020. UGLiCAT is our one-to-one coaching business designed to help talented freelance musicians get back on their feet and start making music again as a means of earning a living, rather than relying on non-music related income sources. If this pandemic has taught us anything it’s that you have to be resourceful in order to be a musician, and in order to become resourceful, we need to be relying on a web of passive income streams wherever we can. Thomas and I have distilled our experience of creating passive income streams, and building our dream music careers, and turned this into the coaching course that we now offer with UGLiCAT. We teach our clients how to create funnels that transform their followers into real clients, and how to network their way to the opportunities that they believed were out of their reach. Thomas and I are currently working with, and recruiting further free beta clients to finesse the way we present our course. We are going to be launching to the public in the coming months and will be rolling out an online course by the end of 2021. We are very excited!
We are very interested in diversity in the entertainment industry. Can you share three reasons with our readers about why you think it’s important to have diversity represented in film and television? How can that potentially affect our culture?
It is an obvious statement to say that diversity is important in any area of society, not just film and TV, but the reason that it is SO important in the world of film/ TV is because of how many people indulge in the craft and therefore are influenced by it. People gain a lot of their information from social media and film/TV, therefore we need to be role models where we can and promote a non-prejudice society, where those hired are hired for their talent and skill, not their gender, race, ethnicity or religion etc.
Did you know that only 5% of composers working on the top 100 films of 2020 were women… this is 1% less than in 2019. If that doesn’t show how much we need to diversify, then I am not sure what is…this isn’t even the smallest minority represented in film/TV.
It is hard to show young people who are starting out in the film/TV industry, that self efficacy is their most important asset, as there is currently no guarantee that the most highly skilled person for the job will receive opportunities, despite the boxes that they tick. Therefore, we need to show young people that there are new ways of building their own careers within the film/TV industry. With all of the technology that is available to us now, you can work on enormous Hollywood films from your bedroom (and I know because that is exactly what I did…) so make opportunities for yourself, perfect those skills, and learn to rely on your skillset as it grows.
What are your “5 things I wish someone told me when I first started” and why. Please share a story or example for each.
- There is a point where you don’t have to keep saying yes. We are told that we have to say yes to anything that is asked of us in order to make our way up the various ladders of our careers, and that if we get hurt along the way then that is just the way it is… however, that doesn’t always have to be the case because most people will be surprised at how things can be done another way if handled correctly.
- You don’t have to work every second you are awake, especially when you aren’t sleeping because of work. You think it will make you more productive when actually it will have the opposite effect. It can take a long time to learn that breaks are just as important as focused work.
- Continue to do the things you love even when you have a bad day. There will be days that will make you want to fall out of love with your vocation, but know that one bad day does not mean that your entire career is ruined and that you are on the wrong path. Take a breather and reevaluate the gravity of the situation.
- Let other people help you. Creative people tend to be perfectionists and often don’t like receiving help, however new perspectives, tips, tricks or working methodologies might make your life easier and allow you to do what you do even better. If you don’t like their advice, don’t use it.
- Go outside for at least 30 minutes every day. Stay healthy and remember that you are living a life, as well as working to live.
Which tips would you recommend to your colleagues in your industry to help them to thrive and not “burn out”?
Set boundaries at the beginning of every job or project AND stick to them!
Don’t let your hours creep up just because someone continues to ask you to do more and more tasks. If
you both agreed that you will work 20 hours a week, then only work 20 hours a week, because those extra hours are hours you don’t get back and is time that you could be spending growing your own career.
If you find yourself in the position where you are doing more than you both initially agreed upon, and you want to start working only your agreed hours again, calmly approach your collaborator/ employer and inform them that you will no longer be able to work to the same capacity that you have been of late. When informing your collaborator/ employer of this, ALWAYS provide multiple solutions/ compromises that will make the transition easier and will avoid any long term delays in your workflow. Just try it and, more often than not, you will be met with a reasonable response! You don’t need to think that you have to continue to work at a rate that is unsustainable just because you want to keep your job, as often your job will not be in question if you are working for the right people.
You are a person of enormous influence. If you could inspire 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. :-)
I have always thought that it would be wonderful if opportunities that require an online, non-verbal application did not ask for one’s gender/ ethnicity/ age when applying. I have been told directly that I have been picked for certain opportunities because of my gender, and I don’t believe that people see how demeaning that can actually be.
Judge the submission based on the quality of their work alone, not their gender/ ethnicity or age, etc.
None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful towards who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story about that?
I would have to thank Jon Ekstrand for simply replying to my cold, out-of-the-blue email. The opportunities that have arisen from working for Jon have enabled me to do many things that I thought would take me years to achieve. Most importantly, I now know that the skills that I have spent years honing are enough to see me through challenging projects, and without the opportunity to test that I would not have had as much confidence in myself as I do now.
Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?
“Done is better than perfect.”
I used to believe the complete opposite of this, but after reading about so many entrepreneurs or ‘successful’ people, it is clear to see that one of the biggest hurdles is getting started.
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 might just see this, especially if we tag them. :-)
What a great question! I think I would have to say Grace Beverly. She is a British, female entrepreneur who just seems to have a fair, responsible and creative way of working. Beverly utilizes all her skills and has created several modern, forward-looking businesses (including her sustainable sports fashion brand Tala and her fitness app Shreddy) and continues to grow. Beverly has been on Forbes list of 30 under 30, which is one of my goals, and, well… I would just love to pick her brain!
How can our readers follow you online?
This was very meaningful, thank you so much! We wish you continued success!
About The Interviewer: Growing up in Canada, Edward Sylvan was an unlikely candidate to make a mark on the high-powered film industry based in Hollywood. But as CEO of Sycamore Entertainment Group Inc, (SEGI) Sylvan is among a select group of less than ten Black executives who have founded, own and control a publicly traded company. Now, deeply involved in the movie business, he is providing opportunities for people of color.
In 2020, he was appointed president of the Monaco International Film Festival, and was encouraged to take the festival in a new digital direction.
Raised in Toronto, he attended York University where he studied Economics and Political Science, then went to work in finance on Bay Street, (the city’s equivalent of Wall Street). After years of handling equities trading, film tax credits, options trading and mergers and acquisitions for the film, mining and technology industries, in 2008 he decided to reorient his career fully towards the entertainment business.
With the aim of helping Los Angeles filmmakers of color who were struggling to understand how to raise capital, Sylvan wanted to provide them with ways to finance their creative endeavors.
At Sycamore Entertainment he specializes in print and advertising financing, marketing, acquisition and worldwide distribution of quality feature-length motion pictures, and is concerned with acquiring, producing and promoting films about equality, diversity and other thought provoking subject matter which will also include nonviolent storytelling.
Also in 2020, Sylvan launched SEGI TV, a free OTT streaming network built on the pillars of equality, sustainability and community which is scheduled to reach 100 million U.S household televisions and 200 million mobile devices across Roku, Amazon Fire TV, Apple TV, Samsung Smart TV and others.
As Executive Producer he currently has several projects in production including The Trials of Eroy Brown, a story about the prison system and how it operated in Texas, based on the best-selling book, as well as a documentary called The Making of Roll Bounce, about the 2005 coming of age film which starred rapper Bow Wow and portrays roller skating culture in 1970’s Chicago.
He sits on the Board of Directors of Uplay Canada, (United Public Leadership Academy for Youth), which prepares youth to be citizen leaders and provides opportunities for Canadian high school basketball players to advance to Division 1 schools as well as the NBA.
A former competitive go kart racer with Checkered Flag Racing Ltd, he also enjoys traveling to exotic locales. Sylvan resides in Vancouver and has two adult daughters.
Sylvan has been featured in Forbes, the Wall Street Journal, the New York Times and has been seen on Fox Business News, CBS and NBC. Sycamore Entertainment Group Inc is headquartered in Seattle, with offices in Los Angeles and Vancouver.
