Kayla Wass I just recently discovered Kayla Wass, all I can say is WOW. This young lady has got a voice, her tone is near perfect and the control that she has is impeccable. I have just recently got back to listening to Country music that is made today. Because of a good friend of mine who sings real honest Country music. This is how I feel about Kayla also, She definitely has a Country voice, and not the twangy kind which is nothing wrong with that. But Kayla’s is more of the smooth country voice that is filled with emotions you can feel when she sings. I recently got her CD and I think that I listen to it at least 4 times in a row. Besides Kayla’s unbelievable voice she is one heck of a songwriter. I believe that Kayla has learn the secret of a great Country song, which is “Whisky” because she has at least 4 on this amazing album. The album even has a great title “Steel Guitars & Broken Hearts” if that doesn’t scream Country music I don’t know what does… I will just mention a couple of my favorite songs off this album because I will be doing a full Album review coming up soon. The first one is “House Whiskey” this is just a great song that tackles a tough issue in life and Kayla does in a way that is not the usual way. She describes the problem in such a poetic way. I love the main line “Too Much House Whiskey, Don’t Make Home”. The second one is “The Bottle”, here again Kayla sings this song in the perspective of the Whiskey Bottle not the person. This is so well done. So, look forward to a full album review coming up in a few weeks, until check out the links below to learn more about Kayla Wass. Please support her in any way you can, I believe this young lady has a great future ahead. I also got a chance to ask Kayla some questions, please enjoy her answers. https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100026605400265 https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCvkuRV_2SbjcyVUyeBREVcg https://music.apple.com/us/artist/kayla-wass/1608241012 https://open.spotify.com/artist/4MGa4tXeC2YKJrp7JCxqz2 1. How long have you been playing music? I’ve been singing professionally for 19 years, but I have loved singing since I could speak. I only started playing guitar more seriously about 10 years ago. 2. How many bands have you been in? I started out by joining the Mainely Country band back home and about a year later formed my own band, The Kayla Wass Band. I think we had that band for about 4 years before I moved to Nashville. Once in Nashville, it’s very different. You don’t really stick to just one group of players because everyone is off doing things with multiple people, so I have a list of people for each instrument that plays with me. They’re all fantastic musicians who just fall into place seamlessly in each set! It’s really amazing to be a part of. 3. Where were you born? I was born and raised near Bangor Maine and moved to Nashville a little over 12 years ago. 4. Are you self-taught? Vocally, I am self-taught. I did choir all through school, but never had any country lessons except for one at about 22 years old, with Renee Grant Williams to work on breath control and how to harness higher notes and body positioning. With guitar, I took lessons for two years with a guy who’s like family, Kevin Overlock. I started at 9 and went for about a year before I decided I wanted to do other things. But when I wanted to pick it back up a little bit at 18, he had already laid that foundation down, which was a huge help. And actually, Kevin is still my lead player back home anytime I go to play Maine gigs! 5. Who are your biggest influences? There are a lot of female country influences dating back to Tammy Wynette, Loretta Lynn, Patsy Cline. Then you move up into the 90s and it’s women like Trisha Yearwood, Patty Loveless, Martina McBride, The Judds. And my biggest current influence is Ashley McBryde. I learned some of my vocal tricks from people like Alanis Morissette, Gwen Stefani/No Doubt. 6. What style of music do you consider yours? I’m definitely a 90’s country kind of girl, but I like to range outside a little as well. The new record has a lot of 90s/early 2000s country influence 7. What was your first gig? How old were you? Honestly, it’s been so long I don’t remember exactly where it was. I know that I was 17 and it was with the Mainely Country Band. My first ever time out on a stage was during a cabaret show for my show choir junior year at 16. It was the first time I felt confident enough to get up on a stage. I sang ‘Arms of the Angel’ by Sarah McLachlan. 8. What advice do you have for someone starting out in the music business? If you are solely a vocalist, my biggest recommendation is to learn an instrument to be able to back yourself up. That way, you don’t ever get stuck unable to do a show because your guitar player got stuck in traffic, or something happened that they didn’t show up. You are self-sufficient. But also practice a ton and be prepared. Have FUN with it! Whether there’s one person in the audience or 1,000. You have the power to change someone’s day for the better with your music. 9. Do you write your own songs? I do write and co-write. I’ve got about five songs so far and getting into more these days. I’ve got some really fantastic writer friends who are inspiring me and showing me their process and influence. I really love it! 10. What would people be surprised to hear that you have in your personal record collection? Dave Matthews Band, probably. I also had an emo and rap phase growing up. But these days, as long as it has a good melody, great lyrics, or killer musicians, I’m into it. 11. What would you be doing if playing music was not an option? I always dislike this question and we had a discussion about it on the road this weekend. If I have a backup, I’m not all in. My passion is for music and it’s what I dedicate my life to. If there comes a day where the passion is no longer there, I’ll need to find out what my new passion is. 12. Besides your own songs, what is your favorite song to perform? It constantly changes when you play full time. There’s always at least one Ashley McBryde that I feel the need to play each gig, if not 4-5 of them. I love singing ‘If I Were You’ by Terri Clark and ‘No Place That Far’ by Sara Evans. Then there’s plenty of 90’s male country music from Joe Diffie to Tracy Lawrence to big harmony bands like Diamond Rio. 13. If you were strictly a songwriter, who would you like to see sing your songs? People who have pure vocals like Ashley McBryde, Miranda Lambert, Lainey Wilson, Randy Houser are incredible vocalists. He would be cool to have sing one of my songs. Mark Wills is another incredible pure vocalist.
1 Comment
Kathi Lewis
7/20/2023 09:15:35 pm
My husband and I discovered Kayla Waas in a little bar in Nashville way back. Can't remember the year! But I was captivated & mesmerized by her vocals! I bought a CD then & there. It's nearly worn out. I lost my husband to cancer Oct. 11, 2022. I played Kayla singing "I'll See You Again". It was perfect...... I've been a fan since the 1st minute we met her. I've been waiting years for another CD.
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AuthorHello, My name is Michael. I am into music, have been for over 48yrs. Big fan of all kinds of music, right now it has been the Blues for the last 10yrs. I do not play any instruments, But I very interested in the recording aspect of the industry. Have messed around with it a little and always learning new things about it. I have met many wonderful people because of Music.. Hope you enjoy my Blogs... In the last two years I have been producing House Concerts. I also in the past 2 years got to produce and engineer an album for a very good friend of mine from Sweden "Magpie". Archives
February 2024
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