Tell us a little bit about yourself! When did you discover your love for music?
My love for music began at a very early age. I've always sang- whether that be in church, while doing chores, or during a concert, I was always singing growing up. My mom recognized my love and ear for music at a really young age and taught me how to find harmonies in songs and differentiate melodies from harmonies. So, I always loved music... But I didn't begin to take it seriously until the age of 14. That's when I started performing and writing on a serious level.
Who has been your biggest inspiration in your musical career?
I've had a lot of influences on my music. I began my music career as a classical pianist and I always loved experimenting with incorporating various classical themes and techniques into my own music. For this, I've drawn inspiration from your "typical" classical composers such as Beethoven, Chopin, and Mozart, as well as from modern composers like Yiruma and Lionel Yu. As far as writing, structure, and genre goes, though, I draw heavily from Ed Sheeran, Jason Mraz, and Taylor Swift. I just love the way each of those artists write and structure their songs- especially Ed Sheeran, he's probably my biggest inspiration and musical role model.
It sounds like you have had the opportunity to perform at a lot of awesome shows. What has been your favorite performance so far, and why?
I once sang at a summer camp in Alaska. I had just began truly pursuing music at this point and was very new to performing as a solo artist (I had just left a band I'd been traveling and performing with for the previous two years up to this point). This one was less of a show and more of a post-show "hanging out" sort of thing. There were s'more's, a big campfire, and a lot of jokes between about 50-60 people. I had my guitar and we all just sang a bunch of songs together and talked about life, music, and faith. It was very cool and one of the first moments I realized that music was what I wanted to do for the rest of my life, if there was any way at all that I could.
What inspired the lyrics in your hit song "Butterflies"?
"Butterflies" is a song about a sort of first love. When I wrote this song, I drew from my own experiences as well as the experiences of others to write a song with a young, pure sound about a new and exciting love. To write this song, I drew inspiration from Ed Sheeran and Jason Mraz. Honestly, this was a song I never intended to release, but I'm so happy I did- The response I've gotten from it has been so incredible and overwhelming. I never expected anything to happen with it, but I'm so happy it's been so well-received!
We know from your bio that you use your music to speak to people and reach people in even the darkest places. If there is one message your listeners take away when they listen to your songs, what would you want that message to be?
If I could have my listeners take just one thing away from my songs it would be this: There is always a reason to smile. Life can be really hard and sometimes, situations feel hopeless and all you see is the darkness and chaos, but there is always something to be happy about; there is always hope and I can promise that it will get better. Just hang on for a little longer. If I can make it to the other side and find joy, so can you and I know you will.
What can we expect to see from you in 2018 and beyond?
2018 has the potential to be a really big year for me and my music career. I have a lot of exciting opportunities and projects in the works for 2018 and early 2019. Unfortunately, I can't give any specifics as of now, but I will say that you can expect new music, interviews, and possibly even a tour or two. I'm so excited to see how everything turns out!
Where can people go to learn more about you?
An official website is in the works and I hope people will stay up to date with my Facebook page so they will know once it's live, but for now all I have is my social media. I am on Facebook as well as Instagram, Twitter, and Reverbnation with the handle @chaylynmusic.
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