Kelsey Blackstone Visits Section 36 Music!

Photo: colorsbyharry

Section 36 Music has another visitor! Kelsey Blackstone is an incredibly talented singer, coming off the release of her latest single "Alice". I was so excited she was willing to visit with us and discuss her music, and more. I’m sure you’ll love everything she has to say.

So, let's see what happens when Kelsey Blackstone visits Section 36 Music!

I really enjoyed your recent single “Alice”. What was it like putting that together?

Thank you so much! The way this song came together was really effortless and refreshing. My good friend, Garrett Goodwin, called me one day and asked if I’d come over to his place so we could write some lyrics and melody to a cool guitar theme he was working with. When we met up, I hit ‘record’ on my voice memos app, he looped the theme for a few minutes, and I improvised a melody and lyrics on top of it. I’d recently been thinking about a wonderland theme, so it came really easy to me as I improvised. Then we listened back to our voice memo recording, and picked out the lines that we wanted to build on. From there, we set a date with my good friend and producer, Laura Clough, who recorded us live in my apartment living room. After she finished producing it, we sent it off to our friend, Josh Kay, to master the song. Then we had our finished product!

Are you currently working on any other projects?

I have many other projects in the works right now! The version

Photo: Isis Alava

of ‘Alice’ that you’ve heard is an acoustic, live recording. We’re re-releasing the song with a more produced, full sound in a few weeks! [April 15] You’re the first to hear about it, which is really exciting! I have a few other singles I’ll be putting out this year as well. The best way to stay updated on my projects is to follow me on Instagram and/or Spotify.

You’re a recent graduate of Berklee College of Music. What’s the biggest way that’s benefitted your career? 

The biggest benefit of being a Berklee grad is definitely the community and the connections within it. Getting to work alongside other Berklee grads or current students means that there are always a lot of talented people to create with. I know Berklee has a big community in Nashville, which is where I’m planning to relocate to in a few years. I’m really looking forward to it!

Who or what would you consider your biggest musical influences?

My biggest influences come from the 60s and 70s. The communities that musicians back then were able to create were ones of inclusivity and creative inspiration. I strive to create the same types of communities through my artistry. The music from that time also emphasized social causes, which is very important to me as a person and musician. Music is a great unifier, and we need that now more than ever. The musical styles themselves also speak to me; powerhouse vocals, live instrumentation, and blues influences, just to name a few. I take modern day inspiration from the other independent artists like me, who are trying to make their dreams come true by building their own legacies.

What would you say is your biggest career challenge?

My biggest career challenge so far has been not letting the downsides of social media get to my head. Because artists today are required to be posting content on social media and promoting themselves as much as possible, it’s hard to not let the superficiality impact your self-worth: it’s really easy to compare yourself to what others are doing on social media. Writing songs about this feeling and getting inspired by my own creative content, has helped me continue to overcome these moments.

What are your immediate career goals?

Photo: colorsbyharry

My career goals for this next year include: releasing the 5-6 singles I’ve been working on for awhile, and performing around Boston with my band. My band was formed just a few weeks before covid came in 2020, and although we’ve played many virtual shows between then and now, we’re more than ready to get in front of some live audiences and start to make more of a name for ourselves. We’re really excited about the music we’re making and look forward to sharing it with as many people as we can!

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I'm excited to hear that new music!

As always, I want to thank Kelsey for visiting, and for sending along the pictures to accompany the interview.

I know you’ll all want to follow along with Kelsey to see what she's up to. As she mentioned, the best way to do that is to follow her on Instagram and/or Spotify. I suggest doing both right now!

You can also check out her Section 36 Music page. It's a perfect way to enjoy everything Kelsey has to offer all in one place.

Thanks again Kelsey, and good luck reaching your goals!