Who Is Kyle Clark? The Story Behind His Journey to Country Music
Who is Kyle Clark? The singer-songwriter joined us to chat about his journey to country music. Get to know the rising star here…
Quick Facts:
Full Name – Kyle Clark
Hometown – Jefferson, Georgia
Musical Influences – Kenny Chesney, Alan Jackson, John Mayer
Today’s spotlight artist is one of the masterminds behind Lily Rose’s breakout single, “Villain.” Kyle Clark is a talented singer-songwriter, who has been working towards a career in music for a long time coming, discovering a love for the craft at an early age.
Although born in Hawaii, Clark spent most of his life in Georgia, even attending both the University of North Georgia and the University of Georgia later in life. Music was a staple in his childhood. “Whenever it came to music, I always had music playing in the house. My parents, from early on, were listening to artists like George Strait, Kenny Chesney, and Alan Jackson.”
At just five years old, Clark developed an appreciation for country music, but especially Chesney. “I really loved Kenny Chesney. He was my hero when it came to country music.” The singer recalls performing Chesney songs around the house and yelling into the camera, “I’m Kenny Chesney.” Interestingly enough, when he would say that, his mom would respond back, “I hope you will be someday.” That adorable audio will someday be in an upcoming song too!
As Clark got older, he started to broaden his affinity for music. “Music was always a big part of my childhood. Whether it was country music and also Jimmy Buffet or Bob Marley. Then there was also classic rock. I loved Boston.” At thirteen years old, the singer picked up the guitar, and around fifteen years old, he began to write music, heavily investing back into his first love, country music.
At that same time, one of his teachers noticed how interested in music he was, and asked him to play at the ‘Ms. Jackson County Pageant.’ This went on to be his first ever live performance, and he was hooked.
The Turning Point:
While attending college, Clark began to garner traction with his music career. He competed in several competitions, even winning the Nash Next competition for Atlanta. This led him to have opportunities that he could never have dreamed of. He was asked (and obliged) to open up for Darius Rucker. “I was like now I’m going to be playing at Verizon Wireless […] When I got to play, there were probably 1000 to 2000 people in the audience.”
Later on, he continued to foster a connection with the local radio station, which continued to help him gain more opportunities. One of those opportunities was to open for Kane Brown. Clark recalls Brown encouraging him to work on his social media presence, look for an agent, and continue to work on his craft. He was even nice enough to post a picture of the two of them together, which helped Clark to gain a bigger social media following.
“I just continued to think, ‘how do I do this again, how do I continue to have events like this and feel the way that it makes me feel getting to play songs for people.'”
As fate would have it, eventually someone in Nashville began to notice his talent and reached out to have a meeting with him and producer, Jordan Schmidt. That meeting led to his first ever publishing deal and eventual move to Nashville in June of 2019.
“It was just like let’s keep writing songs, so I think I came back in May and I wrote again with some people, and we even cut a couple of songs that I had written at that point,” shared the singer, adding later, “I moved the week of CMA Fest and I just met everyone.”
Today:
Flash forward to today, Clark has overcome many obstacles, since moving to Nashville. The singer-songwriter spent 6 months with a publishing deal, until the pandemic through things off course. During that time he helped create Lily Rose’s “Villain,” as well as, started to release music of his own.
Most recently, the singer released the acoustic version of his song “Hope It’s Hot Out.” The singer wrote the track, during his spring break on his second writing trip to Nashville. Both versions of the song showcase Clark’s undeniable talent and charm.
The singer is also set to release a brand new song with fellow newcomer, Troy Cartwright called “Bad Day To Be A Beer.” The upcoming single is fun-loving, a perfect summer anthem that fans are sure to fall in love with. Fans can anticipate the song’s release, this Friday (8/12).
“If you surround yourself with the right people and the people that are doing the right thing, then good things are going to happen,” shared the singer, before acknowledging that this is just the start! Fans can expect more new music coming soon!
Connect:
Fans can join our Weekly Round-Up e-newsletter here, for the latest in country music and more news and announcements about future Kyle Clark releases.
To keep up with Kyle Clark, follow him on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook.
Kyle Clark’s music is available everywhere you buy or stream music. Take a listen below and check out more new recently released tunes on our ‘New Country Music’ playlist. Be sure to give the playlist a follow for your weekly new country music fix.
