Having hit 1.5 million streams at Spotify with her debut single ‘Adore You’, Kiara Nelson took a bold step forward with the release of her second track ‘Kisses For Breakfast’ – a catchy pop empowerment track.
Born in Jacksonville, Florida, Kiara grew up in Finland in a family full of strong women. They encouraged her to follow her love of singing, with Britney Spears being an early favourite. Despite her obvious talent, she suffered from stage fright which her mum helped her overcome by dragging the then 17-year-old to karaoke nights each weekend.
It’s hard to believe that was just five years ago, yet Kiara has both the talent and the personality to make a global breakthrough. She’s upright and independent, with the self-confidence to know that she can be herself rather than the stereotypical pop star persona. She’s down-to-earth, but determined: exactly what she needs for the journey ahead of her.
We had a chat with her about the release, working with M-22 and plans for the future...
Hi Kiara! Welcome to The Lowdown! Introduce yourself and tell us a fun fact about you!
"Hello and thank you for the interview! I’m Kiara Nelson, a 22 year old Finnish/American artist. A fun fact about me is that I started singing to birds when I was very little with my great grandmother. She used to sing to birds at the summer cottage all the time and after I was born we started doing it together, it was like the beginning of my singing career!"
Where are you from?
"I was born in Jacksonville, Florida but raised in Finland. My mom is Finnish and American."
When did you start your music career?
"I’ve been singing my entire life but started singing professionally at the age of 1."
Can you sum up your sound in one sentence?
"I aim to make sweet & catchy songs that give people a happiness and confidence boost."
Who have you been listening to during lockdown?
"During lockdown i’ve been listening to a lot of artists. One of my favourites lately have been Melanie Martinez. I love her album K-12."
What would you be doing if you weren’t making music?
"I’ve never had a backup plan and never really thought about this but I guess I would say acting. If I weren’t allowed to be in the entertainment business some people have told me I’d be good at interior designing :)"
Is there a piece of advice you’ve been given by anyone in the industry that has really stuck in your brain?
"I get a lot of great advice from friends in the industry but one advice that’s always stuck out is to change the negative way of thinking into positive. So when people say “ what if it goes wrong? “ try saying “ but what if it goes exactly right?”"
What’s your dream venue / place to play?
"One dream venue is definitely Madison Square Garden.. It’s probably every artists dream. Another venue I’d love to play is Wembley Stadium!"
You previously released dance anthem ‘After Hours’ with M-22, which has now exceeded 17 million streams on Spotify. How did it feel when that track started to gain so much traction?
"It’s an amazing feeling.. having people connect with a song you wrote with your best friends. It’s the first feature song i’ve ever done so the response has really been surreal."
You also recently released ‘Kisses For Breakfast’. How has the reaction been to that so far and is there a specific story behind the track?
"The response has been really good. The song is so special to me. It’s one of the first songs we did with my team and the song where I feel my sounds really came alive. So that makes the fact that people are really connecting with the song feel so much better. Me and my team always have the best time writing and recording and this song came about really fast. I think the song represents the beginning of a relationship when you realise how much you like someone and want to hold on to them even if it’s something you normally wouldn’t do."
What are your plans for the future?
"My plan for the future is to make more music, stay active and hopefully travel for music and perform whenever that’s possible again!"
Listen to 'Kisses For Breakfast' HERE
Instagram: @kiaranelsson
Comments