With her debut EP, All I Ever Wanted out on August 26th, rising pop artist Kady Rain is on top of the world. Although the journey to create this EP has been a long one (the singer-songwriter crafted over eighty songs with the help of her team before narrowing it down to only five) it has been nothing short of rewarding, and the songs on All I Ever Wanted are a direct reflection of that. Listen to Kady’s new single, “R.A.D. Moves” and read what she had to say about the upcoming EP below!
Interview by Dom Vigil
Can you tell us a little bit about yourself for any readers who may not be familiar?
Well, first, thank you for having me! I’m Kady Rain, I’m a 26-year-old pop artist born and raised in Austin, TX. I have a large collection of one-piece vintage bathing suits and a tumultuous relationship with cheese. I’m still waiting on my letter from Hogwarts and I only seem to catch Pidgeys…
How did you first become involved in music? When did you know that it was something you wanted to pursue?
I’ve been singing and performing since I was tiny and started playing guitar when I was 13. I was in bands throughout high school but I got distracted with school and boys, so it took years to actually get anywhere with music. After a near-death experience involving domestic violence, I realized that music is my true passion. So, just over 2 years ago, this little pop project was born when I showed up at Ben’s work unannounced and demanded that we make music together. He and I had collaborated a little bit over the last few years but we were always involved in other projects, but this time it finally clicked.
You’re getting ready to drop your debut EP, All I Ever Wanted on August 26th. What goals did you have in mind when working on these songs?
In a lot of ways, we didn’t really know what we were doing at first. We finished around 80 songs for the 5 song EP but easily over 130 half formed ideas were brought to the table, ideas that we would start but abandoned because they weren’t up to par. As time went on we started to notice that all of our favorite songs had similar themes and elements and it just started to make sense. The process of writing this album was very organic, we just sort of rolled with the punches! We’re writing for the follow up full length now and it’s a much more controlled process in that we know what we want to do and every song is approached with that understanding.
What was the biggest lesson you learned when writing and creating All I Ever Wanted?
I learned so much about what it takes to put together an album, how much work you have to put in and how many different roles there are. The biggest lesson: you can’t do it on your own. You need help. At first it was just me and Ben, but now there are nine of us. I have a really high bar for my music, so when something isn’t working we all stop and ask why. If the only solution is hiring a subject matter expert, like a vocal producer or a mix engineer, then we find that person.
You just released “R.A.D. Moves” from the upcoming EP. What does this track mean to you?
This track is by far our most ambitious to date. This track represents a milestone in my career and marks our first time working with Ed Boyer! I remember our engineer, Charlie Kramsky, telling us that he would ask around for vocal producers and Ben and I nearly lost our heads when he told us Ed wanted to work with us! This track couldn’t have been brought into existence without the contributions of each person on the team and it’s a true representation of all the hard work we’ve dedicated to this project over the last two years. It’s the closest we’ve come to hitting the bar for modern pop music.
“R.A.D. Moves” follows “Can’t Save Us,” which you released last month. With the EP releasing later this month, can fans expect to hear any more new music before then?
Well, I’d love to drop a tune or two but the EP is only going to be five songs, three of which have been released already, so I’ll probably hold off on releasing additional tracks from the EP to keep the mystery alive.
What would you like listeners to be able to take away from your music or live performances?
When I perform for an audience I want to move people. I’ve made people laugh, cry, and dance through performance and it’s the best feeling in the world to move someone like that. I love hanging out after shows and hearing people tell me, “I love that song, it’s like you understand me!” It’s crazy how your own individual experiences can speak to someone else’s in such a significant way. I hope to continue to impact my audiences and make them feel something through my performance, and maybe even inspire them to pursue their dreams like I did mine!
With the EP release coming soon, do you have any plans to hit the road or release any music videos anytime soon? What can fans expect next?
The music video for “R.A.D. Moves” is coming out super soon, like, in the next month!!! I’m so excited about it, my first music video! We ended up shooting for nearly 37 hours straight over one weekend, and then for another 12 hours a week later. The team behind the video has been really great and helpful and handled the shoot with a high level of professionalism. It was a very inspiring atmosphere! I can’t wait for everyone to see it. Warning: there’s a LOT of glitter.
Thank you for taking the time to chat with us! Is there anything else you’d like to add?
Thank you for having me, I love the questions you asked! We’re going to be releasing several remixes by some of our awesome friends and I’m excited about that. Mostly I’m just trying to take over the world, nothing more, nothing less. And remember, don’t ever let anyone dull your sparkle.
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