Kelly Lynn ava live radio

“When you want something so badly that it’s always on your mind, you just have to go for it and let nothing stand in your way. Don’t listen to other’s opinions, and don’t let them convince you that what you want isn’t for you. If it’s in your heart, there’s nothing stopping you.” – @ms_kelly_lynn

 

Listen in live: http://www.blogtalkradio.com/avaliveradio/2015/07/30/episode-246-ava-live-radio-behind-the-music-with-jacqueline-jax-1

Jacqueline Jax logo photoGETTING TO KNOW KELLY LYNN
by Jacqueline Jax

My personal definition of success is…
reaching that goal, or that thing, or that person that you wake up thinking about, you dream about, and lose sleep thinking about. When you want something so badly that it’s always on your mind, you just have to go for it and let nothing stand in your way. Don’t listen to others opinions, and don’t let them convince you that what you want isn’t for you. If it’s in your heart, there’s nothing stopping you.

Challenging myself…
I try to do anything and everything I can to challenge myself by looking for new opportunities and diving in headfirst. I also try to meet new people and network as much as I can and most importantly, I try to live in the moment. I always tell myself to keep going, regardless.

I was diagnosed with panic disorder when I was 5, and depression when I was 20, and I lost out on a lot of life because of those illnesses. Growing up was incredibly difficult, but I’m here. I see that as one of my biggest accomplishments. There were times I wanted to give up on everything, but music kept me going.

What are you most afraid of…
I think that I am most afraid of not feeling successful, or letting myself down. I don’t feel success is measured by how much one can achieve, but how they feel about what they accomplished. Everyone has a different level that they consider “successful”.

What are you hoping for the most…
I think that I want what everyone wants: to be successful. I could go and name different things I would like to see happen, but I feel like that sounds shallow. I want a record deal, I want to go on tour, but when I say those things, right away people think, oh, she wants to make money. Sure, everyone wants to make money, but that is absolutely not what comes to my mind when I think about what I hope for. I hope for fans that I can help through difficult times using my music. I hope for my health so I can continue doing what I love to do. I want to inspire others like I have been inspired for years by those who came before me and are still going strong! I hope for the strength to overcome what I need to achieve my dreams. I feel like I sound a little cliché sometimes when I say that, but it is the honest truth. I don’t fake out, I’m not phony. I hate that. With me, what you see is what you get.

Social media in general is..
a wonderful and powerful tool through which I can network with other professionals, and discover new music and opportunities. I also, of course, love that I can use social media to help market my music and myself. I think sometimes people get caught up in social media and that is when it becomes dangerous. As far as overcoming any challenges with social media, I think learning which is the better of all the websites out there has been hard. At first, you want to be a part of them all, and then you spend all this time working on a profile, making sure all the information is identical and complete, and some sites get a lot of attention, and others just don’t. Because it’s time consuming to maintain the sites as well, it is really important to pick the right sites to belong to. As a musician, you also have to use sites that your fans are on.

YMCA in Diapers…
I don’t really know that there was a definitive point in my life where I really got my start in music. I feel like I have had music in my life in one form or another since I was born. I’ve been dancing and singing since as far back as I can remember, and music was always a part of my household. No one else in my family really played any instruments or sang, except before I was born, my dad used to play drums. I was always the kid prancing around, “performing” for everyone. One thing I will always remember is my dad used to DJ on the weekends and whenever he got a new cd or some new equipment he would bring up his stuff from the basement and we would rock out. Felipe Rose, the Indian from the Village People, is a good friend of mine, and I joke with him all the time telling him that I was doing the YMCA in my diapers.

Tame The Beast…
I wrote the lyrics to Tame the Beast back in 2012. I was really on a role at that time, and I was in the middle of working on a few different recordings. I don’t sit down and say, “ok, I’m going to write a song”. Usually the lyrics pop into my head at the worst times, like when I’m in the shower, or driving. I have to stop what I’m doing to write everything down so I don’t forget, but you can imagine how that must go when I have shampoo in my hair and I’m trying to jot down notes without getting water everywhere. It’s really an organic and satisfying process. I have some control, but it kind of just happens. When I wrote Tame the Beast I was going through a rocky relationship. My boyfriend wasn’t controlling, per say, but he was not interested in my music and wanted me to “get a job, stay home and cook, and take care of any kids we would have in the future”. That’s not me. I felt like I was in a cage, and I was so angry. That’s pretty much where Tame the Beast came from. Every time I listen to it, it reminds me how strong I really am and that no one can stop me.

The recording process for this song was unlike any other recording I have completed. My producer and I sat down with the lyrics, and 4 hours later we had the entire song done. I’m talking vocals, backgrounds, harmonies, and music completely finished; each piece of the song in its place. It was incredible. It was a long awaited piece that I was dying to complete, but I needed to work with the right person who felt what I was feeling. When that happens, when that chemistry is there, there’s nothing in the world like it.

My Songwriting Process…
While I feel a little bit of pressure to write music that appeals to a wide demographic, I also write what I feel, I write about my life and things I have gone through. I also write about a lot of issues that I feel strongly about and have found that there are many others out there who can relate. Whatever my songs are about, I want to touch people. That is my goal, to make people feel something, whether it’s happy, sad, or anything in between. I’ve learned to push myself outside of my comfort zone and get comfortable being uncomfortable. I really love writing about topics that many don’t like to talk about. I think those are the most important because in reality, they need to be discussed.

I write all of my own lyrics. Every word you hear comes from me. Musically, I like to collaborate with a couple different producers I have worked with, and whom ever I end up working with on a particular song, that’s who I will record with. We do a mix of everything really. Musically, we use both digital and live instruments.
Wayne, New Jersey…
To be honest, I have not lived there all that long, less than a year really, so I haven’t done much in Wayne per say, but I do hear about a lot of really great restaurants and bars that have live music different nights during the week. My preference right now is New York City. There is always something going on, and you never know what you will find, I guess that’s why I love it!

One fun thing for me is ALWAYS anything to do with music of course, but I think something non-music related would be doing anything with the people I care about the most. Spending time with them is essential to my happiness. I love going to concerts, plays, out to dinner, or just having an evening at home with my friends. I try to make the most out of everything I do, because you can’t get back time.

I would love to have 5 minutes alone with…
Pat Benatar. Hands down. I had the privilege of meeting her and her husband Neil a few months back. They are such wonderful people, but of course it was a quick meet and greet because there were others waiting, and they were getting ready for their show. I would love to be able to sit down and talk with Pat about music, and her career. She has been a constant inspiration for me from the beginning. I have always sung her music, and more importantly, I look up to her as an artist and a human being. In the music industry, artists are constantly in the spotlight. Most parts of their lives are not private. Pat has accomplished so very much and has had and continues to have a successful career. She did everything right. She was the first female on MTV, and really paved the way for female artists. She demanded respect and equality and she certainly got it. She married the love of her life and never looked back. There was no cheating, no divorce, and two kids and 35 years later, she is still going strong. She took care of herself and her voice, she didn’t smoke or drink or get into trouble. She really is a model artist. She’s just incredible and I credit much success I have had thus far to her. She pushes me without knowing it.


What’s ahead..
More music. More creativity. More that I can share with the world. Currently, I am working on my first full-length album that I hope to release late this year. I look forward to working hard to give my fans the absolute best of me.

Social media:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/msklynn?ref=hl
Instagram: @msklynn
Twitter: ms_kelly_lynn
Website: www.mskellylynn.com
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/user/MsKellyLynnMusic
Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/mskellylynn
Broadjam: http://www.broadjam.com/artists/home.php?artistID=107768
Reverbnation: https://www.reverbnation.com/mskellylynn