In classic Nashville fashion, I met Brina Kay at a venue in Nashville. We hit it off talking after my set, and over the last year, we've become great friends. Brina is one of the hardest working boss babes I know in Nashville. She's continuously pushing forward, thinking out of the box, and inspiring me in my career! I've been so thankful for our friendship during quarantine! We started getting closer by bonding over trying to figure out TikTok, and now we're always chatting about something! (P.S. follow @brinakaymusic on TikTok, she's fabulous.)
I hope you'll join us tonight on Instagram LIVE at 8pm central time for some original music! In the meantime, I would like to pass the mic over to Brina Kay so you can get to know her!
When did you start singing/playing music?
I've loved to sing ever since I could remember. As a little kid, I would sing in my backyard pretending to be a Disney princess. I learned to play the violin in Kindergarten and also was involved in musical theatre from a very young age.
How did you get into songwriting?
I always knew I wanted to be a singer and a performer, but I didn't get into writing songs until around high school. However, I was always very interested in and proficient in writing and in my English classes. I was very good at rhetorical analysis and writing essays on literature, and I also loved poetry. So one day, I just decided to combine my interest in music with my interest in writing and write my own song. After that, I kept at it and never looked back.
Who are your biggest influences?
I'd say my music falls into the country/pop category. Originally I became interested in music because of The Chicks, so they will always be an influence of mine. I'd also say Taylor Swift, Kelsea Ballerini, Maren Morris and Kacey Musgraves. I also pull a lot of influence from my personal background in musical theatre, which I think helps sent my music apart from others in my genre.
What are you listening to right now?
Taylor Swift just dropped her surprise album Folklore, so I've had that on repeat for the last couple of days. The Chicks also recently dropped a new album so I've been listening to that as well.
If you could only listen to one artist for the rest of your life, who would it be?
That's incredibly hard. I think I'd have to stay true to my roots and go with The Chicks.
What is "Heat of the Moment" about? What do you want listeners to know about what the song means to you?
So "Heat of the Moment" was a blast to create. It was a cowrite with my producer Mike Anderson, and we started with the instrumental track. The only idea I had in my mind at that point was wanting to write a song that captured the feeling of summer in Chicago. Winter is so cold and long in Chicago that when summer rolls around, Chicagoans embrace every single second of it to the fullest. Some of my greatest memories stem from Chicago summers, like going to the Lollapalooza and Lake Shake music festivals with my friends. So we started with that concept and then when we were writing the lyrics, it evolved into a story about a pair of friends finding the courage to start a romantic relationship. It's a metaphor for that longing feeling Chicagoans deal with during the winter months and the jubilation and excitement that comes with summer's official arrival. It's a celebration of the city and the character of it's people, and we tried to capture that in the music video as well.
If you could write a song with any person dead or alive, who would it be?
Natalie Maines (of The Chicks). She's been my hero since I was a little kid, and I think it was important to grow up seeing a girls group be that successful, it made me believe that it was possible for me too. She also taught me to stand up for what I believe in and do the right thing even if it's hard or unpopular, which has shaped the artist I am today. She and the other Chicks really paved the way.
What was/is your experience in quarantine like as a musician?
It's been difficult. I've felt mentally drained just by the state of the world at the moment, so I've had a hard time writing full songs by myself. I've had some cowrites over Zoom, which have went well, but for some reason on my own, I haven't felt like I've had the energy to finish any new songs, give or take a few. What's interesting is that I have still had a lot of ideas, and I'm hoping I will be able to be more productive with them soon. I also really miss playing out. It's been hard especially being back in Nashville, because, despite rising cases and hospitals filling up, everything is more or less still open. I've been disciplined and have turned down opportunities for the sake of staying safe and healthy, which I know objectively is the right thing to do, but when I see others posting about going out and playing still, it makes me sad. It makes me feel like I' 'm missing out. But at the end of the day, this is a respiratory virus that we still don't know the long term effects of, and I am not willing to risk my lungs and the rest of my life and singing career because of FOMO. One upside is that the extra down time has allowed me to do a lot of planning and lay the ground work to achieve some of my longer term goals. I ran a successful Kickstarter campaign which will fund my debut EP, I released my music video for "Heat of the Moment" I've been building a presence on TikTok and I am planning to start a podcast to compliment my blog, which is based on my personal stories and thoughts regarding my journey in Nashville pursuing music.
What advice would you give to an aspiring singer/songwriter?
Go for it 100 percent, believe in yourself, and never give up. Also, know that there is no one right way to do something. The music industry is constantly evolving, and that's what makes it exciting. I've come to learn that we're all just kind of winging it out here, doing our best and making it up as we go. Focus less on trying to conform to a set of rules or find a magic formula for writing the "perfect song" and just create music that you enjoy listening to. Everything is subjective and opinion-based, and you won't please everyone, not everyone will believe in your potential, and that is ok. At the end of the day, if you can create something that is meaningful and impacts someone, even a single person (and even if that person is you) in a positive way, you're already a success.
MORE ABOUT BRINA KAY
Thought-provoking. Bold. Theatrical. These are just some of the many ways to describe country-pop starlet and songwriter Brina Kay. At her core, Brina is a storyteller. Her lyricism easily lends itself to country music, but pop elements in production bring her stories to life in innovative and unexpected ways. Within a year of her move to Nashville TN, Brina released four new singles, some of which were featured on iHeart Country Station Big 95.5 Chicago's "Backyard Country" program. All four of her most recent singles charted on She Wolf Radio, with "Heat of the Moment" reaching number eight and "Into the Sun" reaching number one. Brina has been featured in Chicago's Daily Herald, WGN News, Teen Music Insider, Vents Magazine, Indie Star Radio, Live and Amplified, cityCURRENT Nashville, the “You Can’t Sit With Us” podcast and more.
Most recently, Brina released the official music video for her song "Rome" in March of 2020, and followed it up with a bang in July of 2020 with the official video for her song “Heat of the Moment.” In truth, Brina Kay was always destined for the life she now leads, having music in her heart since she learned to play the violin as a kindergartener. With relentless ambition and unyielding passion, you can always expect something bigger and better from Brina to be on the Horizon.
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