Check Out Kimberly Atwood’s Story

Today we’d like to introduce you to Kimberly Atwood.

Hi Kimberly, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today.

I grew up in the Ozark Mountains in Missouri, and I started singing when I was four or five years old. I was the kid belting out every LeAnn Rimes song I knew the entire bus ride. Every day. My apologies to my fellow classmates. My parents have always been very supportive and allowed me to start pursuing music as soon as they realized how much I loved it. I’m so grateful they let me focus on getting better and follow my passions from such a young age.

I’ve always been so drawn to songwriting and wanted to be part of that community in Nashville so I moved to TN six years ago.

Since then I’ve met and worked with a lot of talented writers, singers, and players and really found my footing. I connected with my producer, Misa Arriaga in 2018 and we began my debut EP which I will release the last song from this December. This year, I’ve started recording a second EP and a separate full Album at the same time. It’s kind of crazy, and I’m doing it all independently which is hard but also means I have freedom to release the songs I want, when I want, how I want. So, for being a socially awkward introvert, I have a lot to say right now I guess.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?

It’s been anything but easy. I think anytime you step out to chase something there are going to be challenges. When I first moved to Nashville I rented a room that I couldn’t afford and I was so clueless about where or what I needed to do in town because I was so new. I just stayed in and wrote songs all day. I was almost too scared to go out and meet people, so I kept to myself and worked on my craft. I had a personal event happen where I had to go back to Missouri for a few months. I was so sad because I had finally gotten to the place I wanted to live and pursue my dream, and I’m forced to move home.

I was so determined and drawn to Nashville that I quickly began driving back and forth from Missouri to TN every other week. I’d go write songs, play songwriter rounds and meet people and crash on their couch for a couple of nights then come back to Missouri. Back and forth like this for probably seven or eight months. I think back now to how crazy that was, especially to a girl who had never even ridden in an Uber prior to moving. During that time I met some of my best friends and got a feel for the town and songwriting community. When you have nowhere to go except a couch to crash on at night… you’re forced to get out and meet people. Looking back now that was such a crucial time for me and my growth. After that first year, I lived in my car for a couple of months and saved up some money for an apartment. I was in that apartment for two years and spent my mornings singing downtown for very little money and I’d go straight from that gig to waiting tables or writing songs. Nights I wasn’t working were filled with networking and playing music as much as possible. I’d go anywhere I could to hear music and meet other like-minded people. When the pandemic hit there was a lack of work and resources as well all know. So I went back home to Missouri for a handful of months and when I came back to Nashville I lived on a friend’s couch for a few months and then moved into my car again while renovating a van, which I live in now.

I lived in my car for five months until this past June (2022) when I moved into my camper van. Living in a car really gives you a mindset of “I’m going to do everything I can to be successful because I don’t want to do this forever.”

Some of the songs I’m most proud of I’ve written during times I’ve lived in my car. I think I go into creative overdrive while in not ideal situations. But I share all of this not to receive pity because anytime I’ve lived in my car or on a couch it’s been MY choice and a decision made so I can put all my money and resources into creating music. That’s all that really matters is that I can create and make music that will exist forever. And that I can forever be proud of. I feel so fortunate to be chasing what I love.

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?

I’m a singer-songwriter. Whether I’m writing for myself or another artist, there’s something magical about making something from nothing. I have loved to sing since I could talk and writing songs started quickly after that. I would say “my thing” is writing about depression, anxiety, and heartbreak in a way others can hopefully feel and relate to. I grew up battling all these things and kind of harboring them but never really sharing how I felt. I’m kind of shy when it comes to talking about my feelings but I learned to put those feelings into songs and that’s been my outlet. I write about sadness but also try to write about the light at the end of the tunnel. I like to believe that it’s there waiting even when we can’t see it.

I’m proud of anything I’ve helped create and I really mean that. Songwriting is not something I take lightly. I’ve been fortunate to have some cuts by other artists since moving to Nashville. That was a big goal of mine. I’ve found a close group of friends here that I write with regularly. It’s like we’re all creatively in tune with each other and that’s a really special thing to find.

When someone trusts you with bringing their vision to life it is such an honor. I’ve poured my life into the craft and I’m always trying to convey the purest form of what I or someone else is feeling, whether I’m writing alone or with others. Someone once told me that I “said a lot without saying much” and I took that as such a compliment. I think if you can convey a feeling in a line or two and it resonates with someone, you’ve done your job as a writer.

If you had to, what characteristic of yours would you give the most credit to?

This isn’t really a characteristic, but I think showing up is a big part of it. I’ve had more opportunities and good things come my way in this business by simply showing up. A lot of times it was something I didn’t want to go to. I was tired or scared, or whatever excuse I had but I made myself and that’s where I’ve really seen the power of saying “yes” or just going and being present.

Aside from that, really just being myself. It sounds so simple and perhaps cliché, but I quit trying to write songs like everyone else or sound like what I thought people wanted me to sound like a long time ago. That’s when I fell into my own as an artist.

I stopped sitting under the clouds of expectation and that’s when I bloomed.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://kimberlyatwood.co/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kimberlyatwoodofficial/
• Facebook: https://m.facebook.com/kimberlyatwoodofficial/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC6WqZYRzkip3F69Fxzl7khA/featured

Image Credits
Kaylee Steffel, Misa Arriaga, and Gabriel Atwood