Meet Kiki Grace | Artist, Music Producer, Songwriter, & Background Vocal Arranger

We had the good fortune of connecting with Kiki Grace and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Kiki, other than deciding to work for yourself, what was the single most important decision you made that contributed to your success?
The most important decision I had to make was to choose to be happy. I could work for someone else with little to no responsibilities; other than working to get money, of course. However, I wanted to be happy doing what I love. Music has always been my first love and it felt right turning in that direction. I doesn’t feel taxing when I’m producing a track, or writing lyrics, or creating beautiful background vocal melodies. It feels freeing. That’s the feeling I want for the rest of my life, so I chose accordingly.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I’m a first generation American with heavy ties to my Jamaican roots. I grew up in Miami so I was always exposed to island and Caribbean culture everywhere I turned.

It just so happened that I was a sheltered kid, but a sheltered kid with music opportunities. Grew up in church and didn’t even enter the public school scene until 5th grade. I was in a private Christian school up until then. I didn’t really listen to any music outside of CCM and gospel unless it was in passing at a store or driving next to someone on the roads. My first “secular” song that I listened to from beginning to end was Alicia Keys’ “Fallin” – of course this was also the time I switched to a public school. That made me question everything my parents said because I remember saying to myself “This is a beautiful song! What’s so bad about it?”

My mom had a piano in the house growing up and she said I started playing melodies on it from memory since I was about 2 or 3. I was put in private lessons shortly after up until I was 11, but unfortunately it was inconsistent due to financial restraints. Didn’t stop me from moving forward, though. I continued to pick up music theory on my own, learned how to play the sax, flute, and a little guitar, and then started to write songs at the age of 16.

My parents encouraged me to go to college for something more practical than music so I ended up graduating in the health field, but in hindsight, I should have went with my gut and went to school for music production or sound engineering.

However, I reconnected with an old high school friend of mine who caught traction in the music industry as a producer. He encouraged me to get with like minded individuals in the industry to grow and learn and even introduced me to a few people and I still work with them to this day.

I remember I doubted myself for a few years because my music didn’t sound like the ones on the radio. When I tried to write to what was popular, it sounded mediocre and inauthentic and that frustrated me. It wasn’t until my close friend got my whole life together that I was able to embrace my different sound and then build from that. I got better at song writing and started producing. And with my understanding of music theory and gospel background, I started arranging vocals. I got so invested in background vocals that I’m known for them now. Lol. Even when I listen to a song, the first thing I listen out for are BGVs. I’ll make up harmonies too. You can take the kid out of church, but you can’t take church out the kid.

I’ve embraced who I am as an artist in every way now. I pull influence from every genre and that’s what makes my music different. It’s authentic to me. Even when I produce the track that may sound like a loop, there’s always a part of the track that is different to make sure you’re paying attention. Whether it’s on the production side, songwriting, or vocals and I love that about my art. I love that about me.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Oh, we definitely have to hit a Rosco’s at some point!

I would plan a day to drive up to the observatory and to one of the Hollywood parks to see the Hollywood sign. Then go down into Hollywood to see the walk of fame, Dolby Theater, Chinese Theatre, Capital Records, and other iconic buildings in the area. Depending on the time of day (because traffic can be a full-time job here in LA if you’re not careful), we can head over to studio city and pass by a few of the studio lots in the area.

Another day would be to head over to Santa Monica Pier to visit for a bit, then hop on some scooters and ride down to Venice Beach and experience the one of a kind atmosphere of both beach areas.

And you KNOW we gotta hit up Disney. That’s a day or two by itself.

Depending on how we feel, we could a ferry to Catalina Island or drive to the Palos Verdes coast to look over the cliffs to all the beaches in LA. I wouldn’t mind driving down to Newport Beach either.

And let’s not forget about the FOOD! So much food. My list is too long to even mention. lol

So many options, so little time.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
Honestly, there are too many people to call out specifically, lol, but I wouldn’t be where I am without my family and friends.

My mom never missed a band performance growing up, even when she had to work at night. She was a big supporter of exploring my creativity and knew I was happiest when I did that. My brother is also one of my biggest supporters and continuously pushes me to improve and push my boundaries. He’s works in film and photography and understands the demand and the drive behind the motivation and tends to mold his understanding and support to fit my world of music. I don’t think he truly understands how much that really means to me.

One of my closest friends also put me in my place a couple years after I graduated college. To summarize, she said I would be wasting my life if I didn’t pursue music and that my talent would be wasted if I gave in to my insecurities. That was the start of me taking music seriously

Over the years, I’ve met some amazing people that have continued to push me, influence me, and challenge me – Especially since moving out to California from Florida. I started out doing Neo Soul and now I’ve branched out into other genres such as R&B, Pop, Afrobeats, and Dancehall and I’m excited to see where I can grow next.

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kikigracemusic?igsh=OGQ5ZDc2ODk2ZA%3D%3D&utm_source=qr

Linkedin: jamaicanmismile@gmail.com

Twitter: @kikigracemusic

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kikigracemusic?mibextid=LQQJ4d

Image Credits
Jon Abner KenVince