Q: Hey, can you tell us a bit about where you come from, and what made you want to start a career in music?
A: I was born in England and lived in the Warwickshire area untilI I immigrated to Canada at the age of 13. Most of my adult life has been lived in the Toronto area, but I did live in rural Ontario through highschool and that was not a good time in my life. The silver lining was music; wearing headphones, listening to indie rock and being an art student. I think I got to a point where I didn’t want to date the singer of the band anymore, I wanted to be the band!
Q: What other artists have you found yourself listening to lately?
A: I’ve been listening to Florence and the Machine, The Vaccines, Arctic Monkeys, Portugal The Man, Lucy Dacus, and lots of Nick Cave.
Q: Who were your first and strongest musical influences, and why the name ‘KYTLY’?
A: Going way back as a kid in England I would listen to my parents’ records; The Beach Boys, Genesis, and The Beatles. As a teenager I was massively influenced by bands like Pavement, Violent femmes, Cowboy Junkies, Cranberries and Velvet Underground. That’s a hard question… why the name KYTLY. It’s actually the phonetics of my last name Keightley.
Q: You have just released your new single, “Not The Jealous Type”. Is there a story behind it?
A: There most definitely is. I was dating a guy (let’s call him Simon) and there was this beautiful love story. I was very much being pursued by this, Simon, and many feelings were exchanged, and then overnight it changed. Excuses. Missed calls. As these things do. It was all very much a head trip and the only way to heal the heart and move forward was to write about it, to see it as it was. So Simon is back with the girl he was with before me, the one that was crazy and he was most definitely over, and that’s ok I’m “Not the Jealous Type”.
Q: What is the message of your music?
A: I hope people can feel less alone with their own feelings and relate to my writing. Just feel it.
Q: What do you feel are the key elements in your music that should resonate with listeners, and how would you personally describe your sound?
A: I feel there are some good hooks with the guitars and then there’s a bit of grit, vulnerability, and honesty. It’s kinda atmospheric desert rock.
Q: Do you feel that your music is giving you back just as much fulfilment as the amount of work you are putting into it, or are you expecting something more?
A: Absolutely, I’m inspired, I’m writing and I’m playing guitar more than ever. I didn’t expect anything from this when I started. It was cathartic and healing. It’s just really awesome to work with other creative people on my songs. Now that I’m releasing them, I’m so grateful and proud to have kept going, it’s easier to just park something than it is to keep the drive.
Q: Could you describe your creative processes? How do you usually start, and go about shaping ideas into a completed song?
A: The song usually summons itself. Out of nowhere I’ll get four lines in my head or more and I’ll sing them into my iPhone or write them down if I’m at work or in a meeting or something. If it happens when I’m alone with an instrument it’s pretty special. I’ll start on the keyboard and find the melody and then start writing and playing . Next I’ll take that to the guitar and really shape the verses and chorus. Record myself and then with these songs I’d send the rough demos or sometimes just iPhone recordings to Brian and he’d send back an idea for a beat, a drum track or bass line or both and continue the process!
Q: What has been the most difficult thing you’ve had to endure in your life or music career so far?
A: I think substances. Maybe it’s something we don’t talk about but it really is idealised in the music scene. Be it drinking, as you are playing in bars or harder drugs later into the evening, I’ve been around it. I’ve done it. It’s not what music should be about or amplified by. Let’s normalise playing a show sober, hitting the gym, eating well on the road. I think taking care of yourself and being true to your art do go together and I’m happy to advocate for that.
Q: On the contrary, what would you consider a successful, proud or significant point in your life or music career so far?
A: I am humbled by the musicians that have helped make these songs on the album come to life. Growing up listening to the bands that these guys have played in and then having them play on my songs, it’s really given me so much more confidence in my craft as a songwriter.
