Today we’d like to introduce you to Kaylee Rice.
Hi Kaylee, so excited to have you on the platform. So, before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
Music has been an integral part of my life since I was young. I would wander around the house humming snippets of melodies that came out of nowhere and insist on listening to anything from “The Phantom of the Opera” in the car. My family soon introduced me to piano and vocal lessons at the Ashtabula Arts Center in Ohio, where I was eventually cast in my first musical at the age of five. From then on, my life was encased in music, theater, and storytelling, which eventually became the art that’s saved my life multiple times. I started writing songs at 15, writing about anything and everything, from love from a teenage perspective to star-crossed lovers from a TV show to books that kept me up at night.
There were a few years after that when I stopped writing altogether, sliding my passion under a rug while I endured the darker parts of my life. This was when I discovered the idea of “everything happens for a reason, a philosophy that I held onto so tightly that the world should have broken beneath my grasp.
Eventually, I turned back to music in 2019 when I got the opportunity to record a demo with Ron Williams in Chattanooga. The idea was that I could record a couple of covers to add to my acting resume, but I ended up coming into the session with a little pop song called “Mosaic.” I’ve spent the last couple of years writing pop music nonstop and I recently moved to Nashville at the beginning of 2021 to finally pursue music. There have definitely been some setbacks in the past year, but I’ve learned that obstacles are there to help you discover who you truly are.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
I can definitely say it hasn’t been a smooth road, but I wouldn’t be advocating for the changes I write about if it had been smooth all along. Since moving to Nashville, I’ve had to learn how to prioritize and figure out how to balance a job in healthcare, my music, and my social life. On top of all that, I also adopted my first kitten a year ago. His name is Odysseus, he’s barely nine pounds, and believes he can play the keyboard.
I’ve struggled with my own mental health and body issues, which have caused me to turn away from songwriting for a while. A couple of years ago, I spent a year working for Walt Disney World while auditioning for their entertainment offerings. At the princess auditions, I’d compare myself to every single girl that was plucked out of the hundreds for their looks alone. The desperation to become “friends” with a princess was suffocating, derailing all other aspects of life at the time. My worth became solely based on these biweekly auditions. I’ve since gained back control over my thoughts surrounding food and self-worth, but they still show their faces when I least expect it.
There have been many times that I’ve looked down upon my own music when listening to other songwriters and I’ve been told that my music isn’t happy enough, that I don’t belong in the music industry. There have been plenty of tears shed in cars and bathrooms, but I keep picking myself back up, even when everything seems hopeless.
When your sense of self is stolen from you time and time again, you latch onto the shreds of the person you were before. I’ve always been a musician.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
As a pop songwriter and performer, my focus is to tell honest and vulnerable stories. I never aim to write anything that’s unauthentic or deceptive, even when writing about stories that aren’t my own. One of my songs, “Stained Glass,” started as a letter to someone struggling with depression, eventually figuring out that I unconsciously wrote it to myself. “Cruel Lover” is about looking back on a broken, manipulative relationship, while “Ashtabula” is a tribute to my Nana after she passed away from heart failure.
I can definitely say there’s a lot of trepidation surrounding telling my truth or releasing incredibly personal songs. I use writing to break my own silence on things I’ve been through. I write for anyone who wasn’t believed when they broke their own silence, for those who have been devastated by the actions of others, those that are haunted by guilt that’s not their own to bear. Songwriting saved my life. I hope to pass that down to others.
Who else deserves credit in your story?
Honestly, there are so many people who deserve credit and I truly wish I could thank them all personally. I wouldn’t be here if my family hadn’t started me in music lessons and have continuously supported me in various endeavors through the years. My mom is the one who hears all of my music first and graciously tells me when a lyric is stupid or gives me ideas to help elevate the better ones. My writing and music have been inspired by my teachers who introduced me to poetry, classics, and new musicals. I’m incredibly grateful for my friends and family who have had my back through thick and thin.
Credit also has to go to those who have inspired my music, a huge thank you for your service.
Contact Info:
- Email: kayleericemusic@gmail.com
- Website: https://ricekaylee.wixsite.com/kayleearice
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/_kayleerice/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kayleearice/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOhKVEKtFW1rjYgleubTCEw
- SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/kayleearice
Image Credits
Brianna Bollinger
Scott Lerner
