I got to do my 3rd interview with the amazing kind kid! Check it out below!
trtlz: Tell me about kind kid. How did you come up with the name? What got you into music? How long have you been making it? How would you describe your style?
kind kid: so kind kid actually came about the last week of recording my 1st ep, “breaking day”... i had recorded the whole ep, and still didn’t have a name for myself yet. me and two of my friends spent time brainstorming and finally came to kind kid. i really liked it, and they thought it fit me well for who i am, so i went with it! i actually got into music real early as a child. at about 4 years old i was already starting to play drums a little bit, but it wasn’t till 2nd-3rd grade that i REALLY got into music. my dad made me a copy of what he would consider blink-182’s greatest hits, and from that day on i started coming home and trying to learn new songs every day after school. it’s great now that i think about it, haha. i’ve been making music since October of 2016, so running up on 3 years. it’s weird how fast time has gone by. i would best describe my style as post-emo. it reminds me a lot of what people must have been thinking in the 80’s when post-punk bands started messing around with synthesizers & drum machines. i see it as a new wave.
kind kid: i’m sorry for the long response!!!
trtlz: I'm sorry for the long question! Haha
kind kid: i would rather them be long with context than short with none!!
trtlz: And the name kind kid definitely works for you. That's awesome you got into music so young!
kind kid: thank you!! i like to think it definitely had an impact on me.
trtlz: What is your favorite song and why?
kind kid: oh wow... this is a HARD ONE!
trtlz: Haha I know, sorry! There are so many good ones.
kind kid: yes!!!! hmmmm this is a good one, making me think real hard!!
kind kid: okay, let me first ask, favorite song RIGHT NOW or EVER?!
trtlz: Hmmmm.
Either. Or both? Haha!
kind kid: so my favorite song EVER would have to be “wasn’t born to follow” by the byrds. a big reason being the simple message it carries... live how YOU want to live and don’t let anything hold you back. i truly believe i wasn’t born to follow in the normal footsteps of humanity. whatever it may be, i was born to do something more than average. 1969’s “easy rider” along with “wasn’t born to follow” which is included in the movie, helped me through a huge depression i fell into previously. the movie and song both mean a lot to me.
kind kid: ( i tend to really speak my heart in interviews, so again i’m so sorry for the long answers)
trtlz: Oh gosh no. Those are the best kinds of answers. I appreciate the thought that goes into them!
trtlz: And I love that your favorite song has so much meaning in your life and it's not just "hey, sick song!"
kind kid: okay AWESOME <3 and thanks so much!!! it does have such a big meaning to me and i’m so glad you asked that question. i thought i would never be able to explain my love for the whole “wasn’t born to follow” thing, so again, thank you 💕
trtlz: So out of the 3 songs on the One Way Ticket EP, my favorite song is Things'll be different next year. How do you feel about that song?
kind kid: i love things’ll be different next year. it was the first song off the ep i wrote and finished. great production as well- s/o splashgang
trtlz: Who are some of your favorite producers to work with and why?
kind kid: some of my favorite producers to work with are definitely cxld blxxd, splashgvng, & now blade901! also lilheartbreak & leftfordead when we get the chance... heartbreak actually produced a previous ep of mine, “heartbreak kid” a while back, so that’s cool.
kind kid: splashgvng & cxld blxxd are super creative with their instrumentals, but along with the production, they put their own, original guitar tracks down as well. that’s super impressive to me to have that creativity to not only do the electronic instrumental part of it, but to also play your original work as well over it. that’s super cool to me.
kind kid: blade901 and i have an ep coming. his beats are something else. i can’t explain them. i’ve been able to listen to them for about 10 minutes than write for about 10-15 minutes and finish the writing within that time, so that’s always special when you can connect with a producer so well. this will be our 1st project together
trtlz: Yes! I love when it's not just electronic but actual people playing instruments as well I agree that's super impressive.
trtlz: I'm excited to hear your ep coming! It sounds like you're putting a lot of work into it and excited to hear the production side of it as well!
kind kid: i’m trying my best!! i have ep’s produced by charlie shuffler & cxld blxxd coming as well, so definitely be on the lookout for those also!!!
trtlz: Oooo how exciting! I will for sure!
trtlz: Do you currently do any or have you done any shows as kind kid?
kind kid: awesome (‘: and unfortunately, i haven’t!! i have been wanting to perform for a good minute now, but with my sound and the area i’m in, it’s difficult getting shows that aren’t pay to play. when i permanently relocate to new york city here within this next year or so, i’m hoping to meet more people out there and to also be performing consistently.
trtlz: Aww ya man that sucks. I bet your shows would be way cool. Hopefully it will work out well in New York City!
trtlz: Speaking of that...
trtlz: Anyone that follows you on twitter knows... You love NYC. Haha. And you're planning on moving there? What made you fall in love with NYC?
kind kid: i hope so!!! but yes, i LOVE LOVE LOVE new york city, as you know, and to me it represents a city of freedom and opportunity. i love everything about it. all the diversity, the different types of people you meet/encounter, the music scene, even all the different fashion you see, i love it all. the city itself is beautiful and full of history, and i love that about it. i fell in love with new york city as a kid watching movies and playing video games based there. by the 7th grade i was already telling my parents i was going to live there some day.
trtlz: Ahhh no way! This has been your dream since 7th grade?! That is awesome! And yes I have never been yet, but would love to visit New York City for that exact reason you love it so much.
kind kid: yes it has!!!! i think there is a good chance you would love it!! you definitely need to go!!
trtlz: You mentioned to me before that you used to be in a band. How is kind kid different from that experience? What do you like more about it? And is there any part of being in a band you miss?
kind kid: kind kid is very different from the band i used to be in just because i have complete creative control. i can write about whatever i want, i can sound however i want, and i just get to have complete control for what i want my music to be. i don’t have to worry about anyone else trying to tell me what i can do!
trtlz: Ya that makes total sense. I'm sure it's nice to have the freedom to do whatever you want with your music and not have to check with anyone else.
kind kid: it’s definitely great! it just lets your full creative potential come out because you aren’t worried as much what people will think
trtlz: So, you have some amazing taste in music and have put me onto some really good artists! Who are some of your biggest musical influences?
kind kid: thank you very much on that compliment! i would have to say as a whole, my biggest influence in everything i do is blink-182.. specifically tom delonge. he’s a creative mastermind. from his work with blink, to all his work with angels and airwaves, he’s been the biggest influence on me overall. aside from him & blink, i would have to say Gram Parsons is a huge influence on me when it comes to certain lyrics i write and the way i write them at times. there’s a good amount of alt country & classic country artists that influence my writing as well. classic country has some of the best song writing i’ve heard throughout music.
trtlz: Same for me blink-182 was a huge influence for me, especially Travis Barker. I'm still a huge fan! Haha.
kind kid: yes!!! travis is 100% my biggest influence when i drum!!!
trtlz: I'm always just in awe when I hear or watch him play haha
trtlz: What do you hope to get out of kind kid? What are your goals?
kind kid: i think ultimately my goals of course are to be the absolute best i can be at sharing/expressing me and my emotion/sound, rather through music, music videos or even some day maybe a short film to go along with an album or project, i want to do and be the best i can at it. i hope to one day reach a level that i am working with some of my biggest influences. until then i’m going to strive to be the best and help people with my music & content however i can.
trtlz: Those are some incredible goals. I love the idea of a short film. I really hope that happens for you. And I feel like it would be amazing to see you work with some of your biggest influences considering who they are! I'll be looking out for that!
trtlz: Thanks so much for doing this! Is there anything else you'd like to add?
kind kid: you are also very welcome!! i enjoyed it!! there is nothing else i want to add besides thank you to you and anyone else that continues to support me and what i do. i promise it will only get better from here. thank you again, from the bottom of my heart 💜
You can listen to kind kid on Spotify here: http://tinyurl.com/y4gxsl75
Soundcloud here: https://soundcloud.com/kindkid777