[caption id=”attachment_2984" align=”alignleft” width=”242" caption=”Photo by James Levin”]
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Our photographer, James Levin, scored a chance to speak with singer and songwriter Kina Grannis after she performed at the 9:30 Club in Washington, D.C. on April 24. Hailing from California, Grannis went from singing songs to her stuffed animals to playing sold-out concerts to thousands of fans.
James: Who are the people who have helped you get to where you are today?
Kina: It’s just my supporters and no one else. Well it’s me, my family, my manager, and then the world of people that have decided to support me, and the Internet, of course … I’m very, very grateful for the internet and all of those people for sure.
J: What was the decision behind turning down that record contract that you won in the [Doritos Crash the Superbowl Contest]?
K: It was very obvious that it was a very bad fit for me… We finally had a plan, it was to develop me and have me write with a bunch of different songwriters, and then we’ll make that album. But for me, music had always been really personal, something I do by myself in the middle of the night. The idea of giving that up to make the album that they felt would be right, it just didn’t seem right at all. So I left and started making Stairwells on my own.
J: How has being famous affected you? Has it changed you as a person?
K: I don’t think it changes anything except that more people would like to say “Hello” to you which is nice and fun. But I feel like the exact same semi-shy semi-awkward person, and my world itself when I’m not on tour and when I’m not doing meet and greets, is very small — it’s like me and my family and my closest friends. That’s just how I’ve always been, and I don’t like go out a ton and go to clubs and stuff. My world has stayed exactly the same, except I get to go to all these cool places and get to meet all these really lovely people. So I don’t know that it’s changed other than knowing that people know my music, and that’s a really good feeling because all I could ever hope for is that maybe someone could find something to connect with [in] my music and stuff like that.
J: Have there been points in your career when you’ve met a lot of difficulty and if so, how have you been able to overcome that?
K: When I started writing in high school and I was gigging all throughout college, I hadn’t put anything on the internet. At that point, it was very much just like the struggling artist doing every open mic and every coffee shop gig, and I loved it. But, it was hard, and you don’t see a lot of progress, so that can be mentally difficult. There is still…negativity you can find online. Granted the vast majority is positive, but if you ask any YouTuber, they’ll scroll down the comments until they find the mean one and that’s where they’ll end and it’ll just stick with them… What it all boils down to when you have any sort of negativity or hardship like that is that you just have to remember that you’re doing it because you love it and if it’s for any other reason, then you’re not gonna get through those things. If you’re doing it for money, if you’re doing it for fame or to feel cool, those things won’t last or be meaningful at all. You have to just make music or do what you’re doing because you need to and it’s part of you.
J: What’s your advice for a struggling artist?
K: Play, sing and write as much as humanly possible, just because there is always room to grow and improve. When I was a freshman in college, I was like, “Why can’t I be discovered and be signed?” But if I look back to where I was then, I was not ready. I had so much to grow as an artist. Second, get [your songs] all over the Internet and share it. Don’t be afraid to put it in front of people, just get it out there in every way possible. The third one, do it because you love it and make what’s true to you and not what you think people want to hear.
J: Do you have an album right now in the works?
K: Yes, … [but] we haven’t started recording or anything … as soon as I’m done touring I think I’m gonna shut off my phone for a little bit and really get back to the creative side and writing again, and hopefully in [the] fall, I’ll start recording. I’m really, really excited because it’s been quite some time since a new album
