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From Dreams to GRAMMYs: Kitt Wakeley's Journey to Success | Ep.1
66 Plays1 year ago
Welcome to our first podcast episode, where we have the pleasure of talking with the talented GRAMMY award winning composer and musician, Kitt Wakeley. Join us as we delve into the life and work of this remarkable artist, who has risen from the depths of personal struggle to become a GRAMMY-winning composer and orchestral music sensation. In this episode, we explore Kitt's musical journey, from his early beginnings as an orphan to his current success as a celebrated composer. We discuss his sources of inspiration, creative process, and the challenges he has faced along the way. We also get an exclusive peek at his upcoming projects and collaborations. Whether you're a fan of orchestral music or simply curious about the creative process behind it, this episode is not to be missed. So sit back, relax, and join us for an intimate conversation with Kitt Wakeley.
About Kitt Wakeley:
Kitt Wakeley is an American GRAMMY Award-winning composer, songwriter, musician, and music producer. His album, Symphony of Sinners & Saints (featuring Joe Satriani) peaked at #1 on Billboard's Classical Crossover and Classical charts and at #18 on Hot Hard Rock Songs. Singles, Conflicted, Forgive Me, and Sinners and Saints, all peaked at #1 on Billboard's Hard Rock Digital Song Sales as well as charting in the Top-10 Hot Hard Rock Songs chart. He has released four studio albums that feature Nuno Bettencourt, Nita Strauss, Kenny Aronoff, Andy Timmons, the London Philharmonic Orchestra, the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, and the London Voices, among others. In 2023, Wakeley's An Adoption Story, won a Grammy Award for Best Classical Compendium.
To see the video version of this episode subscribe to the YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@thezainabkhan
Website: https://thezainabkhan.com/
Instagram page: https://www.instagram.com/zainabkhanpodcast/
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Transcript
Introduction of Hosts and Guest
00:00:01
Speaker
Hello, I'm Zedep Khan, your host, and I welcome you all to the podcast, the show where we dive deep into the fascinating world of creativity and the remarkable stories behind some of the industry's most talented individuals.
00:00:13
Speaker
Yeah, that's right.
00:00:15
Speaker
I'm Imran, your co-host, and we've got an amazing show lined up today featuring a very special guest.
00:00:21
Speaker
We are thrilled to have joining us the incredibly talented Grammy Award winning composer, producer, and multi-instrumentalist, Kit Wakely.
00:00:31
Speaker
Music
00:00:42
Speaker
Hey!
Journey to Grammy Success
00:00:43
Speaker
Welcome to the show, Kit!
00:00:45
Speaker
Thank you, I appreciate you having me.
00:00:47
Speaker
Thank you so much for taking your time out.
00:00:49
Speaker
Absolutely.
00:00:50
Speaker
Kit has been making ways with his unique blend of orchestral rock and electronic music.
00:00:55
Speaker
With his recent album Symphony of Sinners and Saints recorded at the Alway Road Studios in London, receiving critical acclaim including being at number one on Billboard's Classical Crossover and Classical Charts and at number 18 on Hot Hard Rock Songs.
00:01:11
Speaker
His singles, Conflicted, Forgive Me, and Sinner Insane all peaked at number one on Billboard's hard rock digital song sales, as well as charting in the top 10 hot hard rock songs chart.
00:01:23
Speaker
Kid has also worked with some fantastic musicians and renowned orchestras and his orchestral album, An Adoption Story featuring Star Parody, London Symphony, Joe Satriani, and Motor Killer Man recently won a Grammy for Best Classical Compendium.
00:01:39
Speaker
With so much on the plate, we can't wait to hear more about his experiences and musical journey.
00:01:46
Speaker
Wow, we've got a ton of questions lined up for Crit Weekly.
00:01:50
Speaker
So let's start.
00:01:51
Speaker
First of all, congratulations on your winning the 2023 Grammy Awards.
00:01:56
Speaker
We are so happy to know that and that was phenomenal.
00:02:02
Speaker
How does it feel to receive such a prestigious award?
00:02:05
Speaker
Ah, that's a good question.
00:02:07
Speaker
I think, you know, as I tell a lot of people, when you get the affirmation for all this hard work that you put in from your peers and different, you know, people within the organization, you know, you work so hard.
00:02:21
Speaker
And to know that people appreciate it that much and are willing to hand you one of the most holy grail of trophies there are, it's overwhelming.
00:02:30
Speaker
But I embrace every bit of it.
00:02:33
Speaker
Very nice.
Creative Process and Inspirations
00:02:34
Speaker
Your album Symphony of Sinners and Saiyans has been described as a cinematic experience.
00:02:39
Speaker
Can you talk about the inspiration behind the album and the creative process of bringing it to life?
00:02:45
Speaker
I mean, as far as the inspiration, I've always, you know, geeked out over awesome film scores.
00:02:52
Speaker
I always love great rock music.
00:02:55
Speaker
And so my inspiration, if you will, is to take two powerful, you know, genres of music and gel them.
00:03:03
Speaker
And I, you know, I geek out with the fact that I'm able to enjoy both in one recording.
00:03:10
Speaker
That's very nice.
00:03:12
Speaker
You've collaborated with a number of talented musicians on your album, including Joe Saturani and Nathan East.
00:03:18
Speaker
How did those collaborations come about and what was it like working with them?
00:03:22
Speaker
Yeah, so during COVID, a lot of us didn't have a lot to do.
00:03:27
Speaker
A lot of work.
00:03:29
Speaker
A lot of us were looking forward to collaborating, so I emailed Joe and his people and just told them I had a great project that I thought he should consider.
00:03:39
Speaker
And I got the word yes.
00:03:42
Speaker
And that's how it started.
00:03:44
Speaker
Very nice.
00:03:46
Speaker
Your music has been described as a fusion of classical rock and electronic genres.
00:03:51
Speaker
How do you approach blending these different styles together in your compositions?
00:03:56
Speaker
Knowing that such a significant part of the project is going to be orchestral, you don't want to bury that.
00:04:05
Speaker
You don't want to lose sight of that.
00:04:06
Speaker
So I always start with the orchestral elements first.
00:04:09
Speaker
I come up with a score and really hone in on that.
00:04:13
Speaker
I do things like take that demo, if you will, to the gym.
00:04:18
Speaker
And if it gets my juices flowing, then I know I'm on the right path.
00:04:22
Speaker
You know, and other times, does the music, do the demos make me think?
00:04:27
Speaker
Does it inspire me at all, you know, in a somber way?
00:04:31
Speaker
And does it allow me to reflect?
00:04:33
Speaker
And if I've done that,
00:04:35
Speaker
Then I start on the rock elements.
00:04:37
Speaker
I want to add drums first just to accentuate the vibe, you know, the feel.
00:04:43
Speaker
Next is bass, which is, you know, between that, you know, now you're accentuating the orchestra and everything and the power of what it's done.
00:04:54
Speaker
And then you've
00:04:55
Speaker
fit that groove in there from the rhythm guitars, and finally it's the lead guitars.
00:05:01
Speaker
You write the melodies as you see fit.
00:05:04
Speaker
You point out the highs and lows of the modality and scales of space tone, and eventually it all comes together.
00:05:13
Speaker
Very nice.
00:05:14
Speaker
That's a very intellectual creative process.
00:05:17
Speaker
Thank you.
00:05:18
Speaker
You're welcome.
Composing for Visual Media
00:05:19
Speaker
You also work on music for film and television.
00:05:22
Speaker
How does your approach to composing for visual media differ from your approach to creating standalone music?
00:05:28
Speaker
I think it depends on the project.
00:05:31
Speaker
A lot of times you sit down with the producer or the director and they tell you their vision.
00:05:37
Speaker
A lot of times you hear their temp tracks, what their vibes are.
00:05:41
Speaker
But if they're wanting a theme for the movie or television or whatever it might be, I get to do what I always do.
00:05:51
Speaker
I get to orchestrate it and I can come up with these melodies and really put my thumbprint on it.
00:05:57
Speaker
But
00:05:58
Speaker
if it's for you know the dialogue and things of that nature the music's not about me now it's about the characters and it's just me setting a tone for those characters um so i'm always trying to make sure i know my role and then of course i want to know the characters themselves so a lot of times
00:06:19
Speaker
A lot of times I sit down with the screenwriter and want to know more about the characters.
00:06:24
Speaker
As I've said, John Williams was a genius at trying to find out everything he could about a character and writing a theme specifically for that character.
00:06:34
Speaker
I always talk about Star Wars.
00:06:37
Speaker
I mean, Darth Vader had his theme.
00:06:41
Speaker
Leah had her theme, and I could go on and on.
00:06:44
Speaker
Superman.
00:06:45
Speaker
I mean, we know when Superman walks through the door.
00:06:48
Speaker
Yeah, exactly.
00:06:50
Speaker
So, you know, those are some of my approaches.
00:06:55
Speaker
Every project is, you know, very different.
00:07:01
Speaker
Recently, you won the 2023 Grammy Award.
00:07:05
Speaker
What was your reaction when you found out that you were the winner and your name was called out?
00:07:10
Speaker
I feel everyone is pretty much the same.
00:07:12
Speaker
I didn't think I had a chance.
00:07:14
Speaker
I wasn't supposed to win according to history, so to speak.
00:07:20
Speaker
No one had ever won in my category without a label.
00:07:25
Speaker
So I didn't really anticipate hearing my name called.
00:07:27
Speaker
I was just proud of the fact that I was part of that fraternal order of people who got a nomination.
00:07:35
Speaker
But when they called my name, obviously there's that huge shock.
00:07:39
Speaker
Yeah, definitely.
00:07:41
Speaker
A very numbing feeling.
00:07:42
Speaker
And, you know, I don't remember a lot.
00:07:47
Speaker
Once my foot hit that first stage, that step of going on the stage, I have to watch video to remember what it was like.
00:08:00
Speaker
Were you nervous delivering the speech or what was it?
00:08:05
Speaker
Or were you surprised or what?
00:08:08
Speaker
It's oddly enough, I wasn't nervous getting the speech.
00:08:11
Speaker
What had happened was I was told to be sure and write one because you have one minute.
00:08:16
Speaker
And that was a lot more difficult than you think.
00:08:18
Speaker
It was extremely difficult.
00:08:21
Speaker
And so I had it ready.
00:08:23
Speaker
But then at the last minute, my producer, Star Parody, who's worked on every big movie you can imagine, she was like, no, you have to mention.
00:08:30
Speaker
You can't just say, I'd like to thank the team.
00:08:32
Speaker
You need to mention everyone.
00:08:33
Speaker
So throughout the Grammy program, I'm reading these names out loud, trying to get the syllables and the rhythm.
00:08:40
Speaker
So...
00:08:42
Speaker
Wow, I win.
00:08:44
Speaker
We go up to the stage.
00:08:45
Speaker
I pull out my phone to refer to my notes, and my phone had went from notes to messenger.
00:08:50
Speaker
So we're just going to ad-lib this.
00:08:56
Speaker
And I was told by so many people, especially once I go backstage, from a few Grammy officials, they said, if you were going to check a box of everything you're supposed to say in a speech,
00:09:08
Speaker
Right.
00:09:09
Speaker
So what I said, I didn't know about it until I got to watch a video about a week and a half later.
00:09:16
Speaker
Oh, okay.
00:09:17
Speaker
Very nice.
00:09:18
Speaker
Grammys is one of the prestigious awards
Career After Grammy Win
00:09:20
Speaker
in the world.
00:09:20
Speaker
How has winning a Grammy impacted your career and your approach to making music?
00:09:25
Speaker
Yeah, like the pre-Grammy winning and the post-Grammy winning, how it has affected your career.
00:09:32
Speaker
You know, when I was blessed to get those number ones, my phone started ringing a whole lot more.
00:09:40
Speaker
I was busy then.
00:09:41
Speaker
But once the nomination hit, then I got busier.
00:09:46
Speaker
Right.
00:09:48
Speaker
Once I won, my phone was, it's been nonstop messages, offers, things of this nature.
00:09:55
Speaker
I can't keep it at all.
00:09:56
Speaker
So before I would tell people, yes, let's do something together.
00:10:01
Speaker
Yes, let's this, let's that.
00:10:03
Speaker
And I would overcommit, but still get things done.
00:10:06
Speaker
Now, the biggest difference is I have to learn the word no.
00:10:11
Speaker
And I finally turned it over to a team in LA.
00:10:14
Speaker
Everything gets ran through them.
00:10:16
Speaker
And they have a lot of word.
00:10:20
Speaker
So I'm blessed that there's a lot more opportunities.
00:10:24
Speaker
People want me to work on their projects.
00:10:26
Speaker
I just hate telling people no.
00:10:29
Speaker
Right.
00:10:30
Speaker
Very nice.
00:10:31
Speaker
Okay.
00:10:32
Speaker
You have been an inspiration for so many musicians around the world, myself included.
00:10:38
Speaker
I'm really inspired by
00:10:40
Speaker
So what advice would you give to aspiring musicians who are looking to make a career in the music industry right now?
00:10:49
Speaker
You know, you're going to have a lot of ups and downs.
00:10:52
Speaker
You're going to hear the word no a lot.
00:10:53
Speaker
You're going to make mistakes.
00:10:56
Speaker
You're going to do some really good things and really bad.
00:10:59
Speaker
And so what I tell people all the time is you're either learning or you're finding success, but you're never failing.
00:11:06
Speaker
If you can learn from those so-called mistakes, they're not mistakes.
00:11:10
Speaker
They're just lessons in life.
00:11:12
Speaker
And then the same thing I always tell people is, believe it or not, you can be a decent musician.
00:11:19
Speaker
If you're on time, you will get more work than the phenomenal physician.
00:11:23
Speaker
Excuse me, musician.
00:11:25
Speaker
And if you are on time and kind, you're not a jerk, you don't have an ego, then you're really going to be busy.
00:11:34
Speaker
And so I would just say...
00:11:37
Speaker
You're always learning.
00:11:39
Speaker
Be nice and be on time.
00:11:41
Speaker
And you will be very successful in your own right.
00:11:44
Speaker
Well said.
00:11:46
Speaker
Thank you for such great advices.
00:11:47
Speaker
Sure.
Future Plans and Performances
00:11:49
Speaker
What can fans expect from your live performances?
00:11:52
Speaker
And do you have any upcoming tour dates or shows planned?
00:11:56
Speaker
So as far as live performances, we thought we were coming out with a tour schedule back in July.
00:12:05
Speaker
But once an adoption story, that album started kind of getting some Grammy rumblings.
00:12:11
Speaker
We thought, uh-oh.
00:12:12
Speaker
Right.
00:12:13
Speaker
To keep them cross-branding, we thought, well, let's hold off a little bit on the rock album and let's figure out what's going to happen.
00:12:21
Speaker
And so through time, we just kept shelving the project and plans to tour.
00:12:28
Speaker
Right.
00:12:29
Speaker
Between now and May, part of May, there's a team of people that go through and prepare the budget, which demographics, where I'm selling the most, streaming the most, where I get the most attention as far as social media.
00:12:43
Speaker
And that's where we'll play.
00:12:45
Speaker
Obviously, places like Carnegie Hall, the Hollywood Bowl, down here in Oklahoma City, but the bigger cities, Nashville, Austin, et cetera.
00:12:54
Speaker
Right.
00:12:56
Speaker
And then what can you expect in the show?
00:12:58
Speaker
I just tell people lots of lights, lots of effects, you know, anything to accentuate the music.
00:13:06
Speaker
And then dialogue, me touching people personally, having a conversation, telling them about the music so that they know me and have insight to the music.
00:13:17
Speaker
Is there any dream venue you're yet to play?
00:13:20
Speaker
Like any venue you dream of playing?
00:13:23
Speaker
Oh, wow.
00:13:26
Speaker
Yeah, I mean, Madison Square Garden.
00:13:29
Speaker
Oh, that didn't launch.
00:13:32
Speaker
Paul in London is an iconic place.
00:13:37
Speaker
And so, you know, I'm just so appreciative whether 50 people show up or 4,000 or 5,000 show up.
00:13:45
Speaker
Exactly.
00:13:46
Speaker
I'll embrace every chance someone's going to come listen to me.
00:13:49
Speaker
Yeah.
00:13:53
Speaker
was in London and Royal Albert Hall before 5,000 people so that is I can understand the feeling was phenomenal sure yeah it's phenomenal and I misspoke I said Royce Hall Royce Hall is in LA but yes that was the venue I was just speaking at so congratulations that you get to embrace that opportunity thank you so much what's next for you in terms of new music or projects can you give us a sneak peek into what you're working on
00:14:23
Speaker
Yeah, so I just got through wrapping up two significant projects, bigger budget projects, producing those.
00:14:31
Speaker
I think that they have a significant chance for a lot of success, all the way up to a nomination, potentially, Grammy and Emmy.
00:14:37
Speaker
I have two more in 2024 that I'll be in London on for both to record and produce.
00:14:45
Speaker
And then...
Life Experiences and Music
00:14:47
Speaker
You know, I've got to compose.
00:14:49
Speaker
I've got to stay on track for what I do.
00:14:52
Speaker
And then I've got an album coming out tomorrow.
00:14:56
Speaker
I've got to focus on really, really quickly.
00:15:01
Speaker
But I think that's probably as far as music goes, that's what's going to keep me busy for a couple of years.
00:15:07
Speaker
Very nice.
00:15:08
Speaker
You mentioned that you draw inspiration from a variety of sources, including literature and film.
00:15:14
Speaker
Can you talk about some specific works that you have influenced
00:15:19
Speaker
really have an influence okay so I apologize what type of influences would you like to hear about like it can be real life influences through literature through anything what had what inspires your music basically
00:15:37
Speaker
You know, sometimes music is just inspired by something you heard that day, a beat, you know, a chord progression that's used in a certain way.
00:15:48
Speaker
And then other times you're going through particular moments where you're just feeling the music.
00:15:54
Speaker
In fact, this last album was a collection of music pieces that were based on my reflection on my life journey as someone who was in the foster care system, someone that was faced abuse, someone who was blessed to be adopted, someone who was blessed with music and all the things that come with it, the beautiful wife and family and home.
00:16:20
Speaker
And then...
00:16:23
Speaker
You know, part of that journey was the fact that I had been separated from my sister.
00:16:29
Speaker
So there was a song about me being separated from my sister.
00:16:32
Speaker
But as adults, we were reunited.
00:16:36
Speaker
We didn't know this, but for 15 years, we were living within a mile of one another.
00:16:41
Speaker
So all that inspires music.
00:16:43
Speaker
And then not too long after that, my wife and I,
00:16:49
Speaker
had a chance to adopt.
00:16:50
Speaker
We thought we were going to adopt one.
00:16:52
Speaker
Right.
00:16:55
Speaker
The DHS called us and said, by any chance, would you be willing to adopt three?
00:17:01
Speaker
And we jumped on the chance because we didn't want to... We didn't want to...
00:17:09
Speaker
see that happen again.
00:17:11
Speaker
We didn't want to see siblings split up and try to find each other 20 years later, 30 years later.
00:17:16
Speaker
Exactly.
00:17:17
Speaker
Yeah.
00:17:19
Speaker
All those things can inspire great music.
00:17:21
Speaker
Wow.
00:17:22
Speaker
Very nice.
00:17:22
Speaker
So the inspiration comes from life, from real life experiences anywhere you can.
00:17:28
Speaker
Yes.
00:17:29
Speaker
Very nice.
00:17:31
Speaker
Okay.
00:17:31
Speaker
One important question is that I read in your biography that you're a self-taught musician.
00:17:38
Speaker
Working with the orchestra, they know how to read music.
00:17:44
Speaker
Was it a challenging project for you to work on, being a self-taught musician?
00:17:50
Speaker
It was a challenge.
00:17:51
Speaker
I think that much like we try to master our instruments, we learn, we get better.
00:17:58
Speaker
Yeah, exactly.
00:18:00
Speaker
And that's what I had to do with scoring.
00:18:02
Speaker
We're blessed with good technology these days.
00:18:05
Speaker
It kind of does some of it for you.
00:18:07
Speaker
I encourage people not to make the mistake that I did and take those scores with you.
00:18:13
Speaker
I really don't appreciate that.
00:18:15
Speaker
But over time, I learned what not to do.
00:18:17
Speaker
I'm always afraid of making mistakes.
00:18:20
Speaker
So I study, study, study, study.
00:18:22
Speaker
Okay, here's how you do it right.
00:18:24
Speaker
And, you know, over time, you just get better at it.
00:18:29
Speaker
Right.
00:18:31
Speaker
Very nice.
00:18:32
Speaker
Your music has been described as having a spiritual quality.
00:18:36
Speaker
Can you talk about the role that spirituality plays in your creative process?
Spirituality and Creative Vision
00:18:40
Speaker
Sure.
00:18:41
Speaker
You know, we talked about what inspires us to write music at times.
00:18:45
Speaker
And a lot of times you're reflecting on maybe your life or the circumstance.
00:18:51
Speaker
And no matter what faith you might be part of,
00:18:55
Speaker
you have to reflect on why and how it all happened, how it came together.
00:18:59
Speaker
And, you know, for me, God put me in this situation.
00:19:04
Speaker
It wasn't by accident.
00:19:05
Speaker
It's not, you know, although we had the free will to choose and work hard or not,
00:19:12
Speaker
God's still part of that equation, and you have to take that into consideration, you know.
00:19:18
Speaker
So I always believe in that, and I feel like God asks you for two things besides faith in Him and how you treat others.
00:19:27
Speaker
You know, God wants you to live your life with vision and purpose.
00:19:31
Speaker
Absolutely.
00:19:32
Speaker
Everything I do, as long as vision and purpose are intersecting, I know that I'm doing the right thing.
00:19:38
Speaker
Very good.
00:19:39
Speaker
Very well said.
00:19:45
Speaker
Okay, your rendition of Stairway to Heaven featuring Orianti on guitar is a masterpiece.
00:19:53
Speaker
I myself being a guitar player, I was blown away by the song and especially the guitar parts when Orianti
00:20:01
Speaker
Totally phenomenal.
00:20:03
Speaker
So did you have something in mind?
00:20:07
Speaker
Did you work with Oriente on a certain way the solo should be played or you let her do the improvisation?
00:20:14
Speaker
Yeah, we...
00:20:17
Speaker
Yeah, we worked together on it.
00:20:19
Speaker
First and foremost, I wanted her to do it more specifically on that song.
00:20:24
Speaker
I always wanted to work with her, but I wanted her on that song because she had been working on a contemporary blues album.
00:20:31
Speaker
So I knew her songs were kind of geared a certain way at that time.
00:20:34
Speaker
Yeah.
00:20:35
Speaker
No one took advantage of that.
00:20:36
Speaker
So that's the reason I brought her.
00:20:38
Speaker
We wanted her on the project.
00:20:40
Speaker
And then...
00:20:41
Speaker
It took a little getting used to, but yes, she said, look, you're the producer, you're the writer, you're the arranger.
00:20:47
Speaker
You need to tell me what you want.
00:20:50
Speaker
And so, yeah, I mean, she allowed me to mold those solos and to do the things that came out of that project.
00:21:01
Speaker
Awesome.
00:21:02
Speaker
Very nice.
00:21:03
Speaker
It is truly a masterpiece.
00:21:05
Speaker
Thank you.
00:21:07
Speaker
I'm going to humble those words, so thank you.
Health and Motivation
00:21:10
Speaker
You've been on the cover of a fitness magazine.
00:21:13
Speaker
How do you stay motivated and inspired throughout your career, both in music and other aspects of your life?
00:21:20
Speaker
Well, I mean, people are, whether you like it or not, people are watching you all the time.
00:21:26
Speaker
So you want to set the example.
00:21:30
Speaker
Yeah.
00:21:32
Speaker
I stay in shape because it's what you need to do to live a long, healthy life.
00:21:37
Speaker
I work out every day.
00:21:40
Speaker
Sometimes on the road, it's not that easy.
00:21:43
Speaker
And so I miss days.
00:21:44
Speaker
My diet is pretty strict, about 48 weeks a year.
00:21:49
Speaker
The other 12, you've got to live live.
00:21:52
Speaker
And so some of it, I'll be honest with you, is a little shallow.
00:21:56
Speaker
When I see a picture and I'm fit, I want to make sure for the next pictures, the next show, I'm a little fit.
00:22:03
Speaker
And there's been a couple of times before.
00:22:07
Speaker
Right.
00:22:08
Speaker
You know, the Austin show this week.
00:22:10
Speaker
Yeah.
00:22:10
Speaker
Right.
00:22:10
Speaker
I'm going to post that.
00:22:12
Speaker
And then everything else you do, people are watching, whether you like it or not.
00:22:18
Speaker
So you have to set the example or at least –
00:22:21
Speaker
be doing the right thing whether it's practicing hard or working hard at everything you do because we're all a little narcissistic and we say otherwise we're lying exactly I want affirmation and approval from others so I have a myriad of things that motivate me to do music staying in shape being a good family man whatever that might be
00:22:50
Speaker
You have truly set an example, you know, back in the days it was party all night and rock and roll all day.
00:22:58
Speaker
So that is really inspiring.
00:23:00
Speaker
Awesome.
00:23:00
Speaker
Thank you.
00:23:03
Speaker
Okay.
00:23:03
Speaker
What role has technology played in your music and how do you see it?
Technology and Future Trends
00:23:14
Speaker
technology you think or disadvantage how do you take that whole thing I think I think technology is a huge advantage technology can help you during your you know just putting on a performance you know live shows technology can be I don't know how many times I will use a placeholder I'll use a loop for particular drum beat is a placeholder kind of get a vibe it helps me understand oh that's how those beats happen and
00:23:44
Speaker
And so when I recreate it, it never ends up being the same.
00:23:48
Speaker
But the technology kind of gave me that path.
00:23:52
Speaker
I think that technology allows us to learn how to score music.
00:23:56
Speaker
Technology allows us to play instruments maybe that we're not very good at.
00:24:01
Speaker
And then, you know, technology is what led me to be able to...
00:24:06
Speaker
start learning how to orchestrate music and you know, just about everything in technology has held my hand along the way.
00:24:14
Speaker
Right.
00:24:16
Speaker
Okay.
00:24:16
Speaker
There's a circle, for example, if you go back, it was disco in the seventies and then comes rock and roll and then pop and then other genres of music.
00:24:27
Speaker
Like what comes next?
00:24:29
Speaker
What is at the present?
00:24:31
Speaker
What do you see is coming back in the trend?
00:24:36
Speaker
Oddly enough, based on dialogue with myself, I'm a governing member of the academy, so we have a lot of conversations that people don't know about and about different categories and things.
00:24:49
Speaker
I really think that...
00:24:51
Speaker
The biggest thing is the morphing of more than one genre.
00:24:56
Speaker
You're going to see more hip-hop with orchestra.
00:24:59
Speaker
You're going to see more hip-hop with rock.
00:25:03
Speaker
I mean, we've already been seeing these morphing processes.
00:25:06
Speaker
I mean, I think it's...
00:25:12
Speaker
You watch how hip-hop turned into rap.
00:25:16
Speaker
You watch all the way back to how hymns became gospel.
00:25:21
Speaker
Gospel became contemporary Christian.
00:25:23
Speaker
It's always going to be hip-hop.
00:25:25
Speaker
And I do think you're going to see more morphing.
00:25:29
Speaker
Global music, you're going to hear more Afro beats.
00:25:34
Speaker
I can go on and on about all the different...
00:25:39
Speaker
the different genres that are starting to work with one another, huge artists from different genres working together.
00:25:45
Speaker
Wow, exactly.
00:25:46
Speaker
Like I collaborated with lots of musicians around the world.
00:25:50
Speaker
So that is really, every time you collaborate with someone, you learn a new thing from that artist, from the musician, from the genre.
00:25:58
Speaker
I try to like give my input.
00:26:02
Speaker
Like I know a little bit of Eastern classical music, which I try to incorporate in my music.
00:26:08
Speaker
So well said, that's very nice.
00:26:12
Speaker
Can you mention other artists that have inspired your music?
00:26:16
Speaker
There's not a... If you're a pinnacle of what you do, you probably inspired me.
00:26:23
Speaker
And it doesn't matter what genre.
00:26:27
Speaker
I never dreamed that I would go back and listen to every detail of a score of John Williams.
00:26:33
Speaker
I mean, that's just not what you think is cool.
00:26:35
Speaker
But now, I geek out over that.
00:26:39
Speaker
I listen to some of the finest guitar players you'll ever know, finest drummers, and from whatever genre, I just...
00:26:47
Speaker
There's so many influences and I think you have to appreciate the art, whether you like that genre or not.
00:26:53
Speaker
I've talked about before, even like in some people don't give credit to certain genres.
00:26:59
Speaker
Absolutely.
00:27:01
Speaker
Yeah.
00:27:02
Speaker
Oh, there's three chords.
00:27:03
Speaker
I'm like, well, you better go back and listen to those chords Kurt Cobain was playing.
00:27:06
Speaker
It wasn't what you think.
00:27:08
Speaker
The Beatles weren't just cranking out a few simple chords.
00:27:10
Speaker
They purposely tried to throw you off.
00:27:13
Speaker
Exactly.
00:27:14
Speaker
I've even talked about rappers before.
00:27:16
Speaker
I love Eminem.
00:27:19
Speaker
I may not like all the music, but I appreciate the fact that he is so talented and how he approaches his art is very purposeful.
00:27:27
Speaker
And not many people can do it like he does.
00:27:30
Speaker
Wow.
00:27:31
Speaker
That gives me another question.
00:27:32
Speaker
Is there any genre which is overrated or underrated or what do you think of that?
00:27:39
Speaker
I think it depends on the artist, you know,
00:27:43
Speaker
as far as overrated, um, obviously there's been, you know, artists who somehow, you know, had a big hit and you listen to them, that can, that can, uh, overrate something very quickly, especially if all they're doing is copying someone else that really.
00:28:00
Speaker
Exactly.
00:28:01
Speaker
Yeah.
00:28:02
Speaker
And as far as underrated, I mean, again, I've talked about one of the most underrated, um,
00:28:11
Speaker
Two of the most underrated actually genres, a lot of times there's pop.
00:28:16
Speaker
When I was asked to recreate things like Justin Bieber songs or something like that, I'm thinking, oh, that would be simple.
00:28:25
Speaker
Right.
00:28:27
Speaker
Those producers or artists, they have a canvas that they paint on that you don't appreciate until you're having to recreate it.
00:28:35
Speaker
And I've talked about local music.
00:28:39
Speaker
They make it sound so simple.
00:28:40
Speaker
When you open those Pro Tools tracks and you see to make it sound simple, I think that kind of music is very underrated.
00:28:51
Speaker
Right.
00:28:53
Speaker
There are a lot of musicians or wannabe musicians who take the loop music from different places and they just connect them and then all of a sudden they become a Facebook hero.
Musicianship and Originality
00:29:06
Speaker
So what advice would you give to a musician who really wants to get a break in the music scene and who
00:29:23
Speaker
So is there any like a shortcut for them or they have to work their way up?
00:29:28
Speaker
There are no shortcuts.
00:29:32
Speaker
What I love to see is people who drop the, you know, they put together a project using loops and then they spend six months trying to produce, you know, trying to promote it.
00:29:42
Speaker
Not so sure.
00:29:43
Speaker
I think you got the cart before the horse there.
00:29:46
Speaker
Obviously loops have value in the industry.
00:29:51
Speaker
We've learned that that's part of the industry now.
00:29:54
Speaker
That's what we hear.
00:29:57
Speaker
I've heard projects that use loops, right?
00:30:00
Speaker
Right.
00:30:01
Speaker
There's a really well-known gentleman that wanted me to vote for his project in the Grammys.
00:30:06
Speaker
And I listened to him.
00:30:07
Speaker
I thought, it's all loops.
00:30:08
Speaker
There was no creativity.
00:30:10
Speaker
So what I would say is even with loops, you've got to have some kind of creativity in your own thumbprint, in your own efforts.
00:30:17
Speaker
And I just think that you have to genuinely – there's no shortcuts.
00:30:25
Speaker
Exactly.
00:30:27
Speaker
Embrace art, embrace music, and work hard.
00:30:35
Speaker
Shortcuts are going to get you nowhere, especially, again, let's come back to loops.
00:30:39
Speaker
All that's going to happen is someone's going to ask for stems.
00:30:44
Speaker
Yeah.
00:30:45
Speaker
Yes, I want to give my music to this licensing company.
00:30:48
Speaker
This is going to be awesome.
00:30:49
Speaker
Oh, wait a minute.
00:30:50
Speaker
Exactly.
00:30:51
Speaker
You need this.
00:30:51
Speaker
Oh, you're out of luck real quick.
00:30:55
Speaker
Very true.
00:30:56
Speaker
Very true.
00:30:57
Speaker
Okay.
00:30:57
Speaker
Speaking of technology and backing tracks, there are a lot of musicians who are using backing tracks to support their live performances.
00:31:05
Speaker
So do you do the same or is there a certain backing tracks you use in your life for music?
00:31:13
Speaker
I mean, I do use backing tracks because...
00:31:17
Speaker
I can't have five, six, seven, eight keyboardists on stage.
00:31:20
Speaker
Yeah, right.
00:31:22
Speaker
Sometimes venues aren't going to allow me to have, you know, 60, 80 piece orchestra.
00:31:27
Speaker
And sometimes it's not affordable to have all those people on stage.
00:31:31
Speaker
So yes, you use backing tracks as a situation for the music.
00:31:37
Speaker
I think,
00:31:38
Speaker
Those who cross the line are those who are not singing, those who are not playing.
00:31:44
Speaker
Basically, the tracks are doing all the work, and they're not performing what they said they wrote and worked on.
00:31:53
Speaker
That's where there's a line in there.
00:31:55
Speaker
There's a threshold that you can cross, and it becomes a sin more than it is anything else.
00:32:02
Speaker
Right.
00:32:03
Speaker
Very nice.
00:32:04
Speaker
You have come so far as a musician.
00:32:06
Speaker
If there's any one advice you would like to give to your young self, what would it be?
00:32:12
Speaker
Oh, wow.
00:32:14
Speaker
So cliche.
00:32:15
Speaker
You don't give up no matter what someone says.
00:32:19
Speaker
You network.
00:32:21
Speaker
We talked about just be nice, be on time.
00:32:25
Speaker
I think ultimately the words would be do the right thing.
00:32:29
Speaker
work hard with your music be on time be nice be you know network with one another you know there's so many simple things in life that i think if you just would use those as part of your arsenal if you know for how to succeed you're going to succeed right okay which is your personal favorite decade of music
00:32:55
Speaker
Like, I'm a huge fan of Michael Jackson and all the pop and the rock.
00:33:00
Speaker
So what is your personal favorite decade?
00:33:04
Speaker
My personal favorite decade was the 80s because I think that, you know, that's when producers really started to...
00:33:14
Speaker
understand technology and what they could do.
00:33:17
Speaker
We musicians were still playing live.
00:33:19
Speaker
You know, there weren't any click tracks, you know, guitarists were doing things that no guitars do today.
00:33:26
Speaker
Um, producers were coming up with things that, I mean, Quincy Jones was genius.
00:33:32
Speaker
Oh, my God.
00:33:33
Speaker
He was a genius.
00:33:35
Speaker
And there's still a genius today.
00:33:36
Speaker
Max Martin today will put out a hit, hit after hit after hit.
00:33:40
Speaker
Exactly.
00:33:42
Speaker
And he still makes works of art.
00:33:44
Speaker
But as far as a decade, when you think of everything that comes out of it, I mean, my kids take lessons.
00:33:53
Speaker
And I go to pick them up.
00:33:54
Speaker
And when I get there, they're learning everything from, you know,
00:34:00
Speaker
Ozzy and Motley Crue, and they're learning songs from then.
00:34:04
Speaker
Exactly.
00:34:06
Speaker
And even now, I think The Weeknd, Bruno Mars, they've gone back to that genre.
00:34:14
Speaker
They use some really cool chord progressions, those analog sounds.
00:34:17
Speaker
So we find ourselves today emulating what happened in the 80s.
00:34:23
Speaker
Exactly.
00:34:25
Speaker
Yeah, a revolution in music at that time.
00:34:27
Speaker
Just like I was inspired by Michael Jackson's We Are The Word song and I did the peace song.
00:34:32
Speaker
Yes.
00:34:34
Speaker
And I was so honored to have you in the video.
00:34:36
Speaker
And I'm so thankful that you delivered a message in the video.
00:34:40
Speaker
It was really awesome.
00:34:41
Speaker
Thank you so much.
00:34:42
Speaker
I'm honored to be able to support that kind of purpose as well.
00:34:45
Speaker
So thank you.
00:34:46
Speaker
Thank you so much.
00:34:47
Speaker
I just want to prevail peace through music.
00:34:50
Speaker
That's very important for me.
00:34:51
Speaker
Thank you so much.
00:34:52
Speaker
Thank you.
Balancing Career and Family
00:34:54
Speaker
How do you balance your personal life and your career in music?
00:34:59
Speaker
You know, I think the biggest thing is to know what's important.
00:35:02
Speaker
Remember, we talked about vision and purpose.
00:35:04
Speaker
Music is a vision, but your purpose, a lot of times purpose is more of a legacy.
00:35:11
Speaker
So it's my responsibility to make sure my kids, I've learned,
00:35:17
Speaker
I've parented the way I should so that there's an impact for the rest of the life, i.e.
00:35:21
Speaker
a legacy.
00:35:22
Speaker
And so things like playing catch with your kids, things like no cell phone or taking phone calls from the clock to 7.30 or so.
00:35:32
Speaker
Just making sure that you know
00:35:35
Speaker
Look, you're not going to be there when I'm old enough.
00:35:40
Speaker
Right.
00:35:41
Speaker
My music is not going to be there, but I sure hope my kids and my family and those I love are there.
00:35:48
Speaker
So that's your priority.
00:35:50
Speaker
And I think that that's what keeps you balanced.
00:35:53
Speaker
And that's what motivates you when your daughter wants to just play with Barbies or, you know, they want to watch a movie or want you to go watch their ball games.
00:36:03
Speaker
That's,
00:36:05
Speaker
You got to remember what's important.
00:36:07
Speaker
Right.
00:36:08
Speaker
Is it your wish that your children, your kids should be in the music or you're going to let them decide what they want to be?
00:36:14
Speaker
They need to decide what they want to be.
00:36:16
Speaker
I think that it's important for them to learn music, to be exposed to it.
00:36:20
Speaker
You know, it triggers certain things in how the brain functions.
00:36:25
Speaker
Exactly.
00:36:26
Speaker
It's a therapeutic thing.
00:36:27
Speaker
I can go on and on about the value of music, but they also love sports.
00:36:31
Speaker
They're all phenomenal athletes.
00:36:33
Speaker
And so I want them to be happy as long as whether it's music or sports or
00:36:40
Speaker
People don't confuse my parenting of, no, you're going to practice.
00:36:45
Speaker
You're going to do hard.
00:36:47
Speaker
It has nothing to do with music.
00:36:48
Speaker
It has nothing to do with sports.
00:36:49
Speaker
It's a discipline.
00:36:51
Speaker
And then use that discipline for something that will make you happy.
00:36:55
Speaker
Very good.
00:36:56
Speaker
Very good.
00:36:58
Speaker
What are your favorite ways to recharge and unwind when you're not working on your music projects?
00:37:03
Speaker
I think the number one thing is going to the gym.
00:37:07
Speaker
That's my hour or so of me time.
00:37:11
Speaker
There's nothing else.
00:37:14
Speaker
Five minutes into it, all I'm thinking about is working out.
00:37:18
Speaker
My mind is – I've been able to hit pause for that period of time.
00:37:23
Speaker
Right.
00:37:24
Speaker
It's probably the biggest salvation I have outside of working.
00:37:29
Speaker
Right.
00:37:30
Speaker
One very important question.
00:37:32
Speaker
Your albums are instrumental based.
00:37:34
Speaker
So have you ever thought of having a vocalist and lyrics in your music in the future?
00:37:42
Speaker
You know, I produce a lot of different genres, country, rock, pop, et cetera.
00:37:46
Speaker
So there's a lot of interaction with working with lyrics and things.
00:37:51
Speaker
So I'm able to experience that part of music, which I love a lot.
00:37:57
Speaker
So that kind of gives me my fix.
00:37:59
Speaker
Now, I will say that there are some really, really talented rappers, talented electronic artists who have taken my songs and done something with them.
00:38:14
Speaker
I have some people who say, hey, can I just do a top line?
00:38:18
Speaker
So I don't think I'll ever purposely write anything over my own music that I put out for me.
00:38:26
Speaker
But I have several outlets that give me that ability.
00:38:29
Speaker
But you know, Steve, like he did in his album Sex and Religion, there were instrumentals as well as the singer.
00:38:36
Speaker
So have you thought of trying someone new to have you sing your songs or anything like that?
00:38:43
Speaker
It may happen, but it's going to have to happen organically.
00:38:45
Speaker
I'm going to have to be, I don't think I'll ever do it purposely.
00:38:48
Speaker
I think it's a good thing when I'm in the studio, I'm like, you know,
00:38:52
Speaker
I'll tell you what would sound really cool right now.
00:38:54
Speaker
You flirt with it and you give it, if it happens and it's natural and it sounds good, then let's keep it.
00:39:03
Speaker
It doesn't have to be totally instrumental.
00:39:05
Speaker
Very nice.
00:39:07
Speaker
How do you hope listeners will feel or what message do you hope they take away when they listen to your music?
Emotional Impact of Music and Gratitude
00:39:15
Speaker
Did I touch any of your emotional senses?
00:39:18
Speaker
You know, if you listen to something like an adoption story, if you'll just close your eyes, regardless of what my value came from it, if you'll just close your eyes and think about your journey in life, the ups and downs.
00:39:33
Speaker
Right.
00:39:34
Speaker
I have failed if you're not emotional and maybe almost in tears when you take that.
00:39:39
Speaker
Very true.
00:39:41
Speaker
If you take a song like MVP, which is orchestral rock, and you're not ready to go to the gym and just take over.
00:39:50
Speaker
Exactly.
00:39:51
Speaker
Exactly.
00:39:52
Speaker
All about appealing to the senses.
00:39:55
Speaker
Just like Steve Wise.
00:40:00
Speaker
which gives me goosebumps.
00:40:02
Speaker
Like it came 30 years ago.
00:40:04
Speaker
Yeah.
00:40:05
Speaker
And still it's so relevant and so much closer to me.
00:40:08
Speaker
Yeah.
00:40:09
Speaker
So that, that is, that is amazing.
00:40:12
Speaker
Right.
00:40:12
Speaker
There's a reason he's Steve.
00:40:14
Speaker
I mean, there's a reason that name with reverence.
00:40:17
Speaker
Yeah, exactly.
00:40:18
Speaker
Exactly.
00:40:19
Speaker
Yeah.
00:40:21
Speaker
Right.
00:40:22
Speaker
Okay.
00:40:24
Speaker
Um, in the end, anything would you would like to say the last word
00:40:30
Speaker
It has to do with the music or anything you want to say.
00:40:33
Speaker
Yeah, I always, in situations like this, this is just where you say thank you.
00:40:38
Speaker
I'm blessed that I've made so many friends on social media.
00:40:41
Speaker
People didn't have to friend me.
00:40:42
Speaker
They don't have to interact with me, but they do.
00:40:44
Speaker
People don't have to buy the albums.
00:40:46
Speaker
People don't have to come see my shows.
00:40:48
Speaker
People don't have to support me for a Grammy.
00:40:50
Speaker
People don't have to even acknowledge me when I go to various industry events and award shows.
00:40:55
Speaker
And they do.
00:40:56
Speaker
And they're so kind and they're so genuine.
00:40:58
Speaker
They make me feel welcome.
00:41:00
Speaker
And...
00:41:02
Speaker
I don't know if it's all, if I deserve it all, but I'm at least going to say thank you for that opportunity and what's given to me.
00:41:11
Speaker
You know, the kind of achievements you have, people like myself and most of the musicians, they can only dream of.
00:41:19
Speaker
And even then you are so humble, so nice, so kind.
00:41:23
Speaker
That is like, uh, that's the, I've never seen anyone like that in my life.
00:41:29
Speaker
Thank you so much.
00:41:30
Speaker
Thank you.
00:41:31
Speaker
No, thank you.
00:41:32
Speaker
I appreciate those words.
00:41:33
Speaker
That tells me I might be doing something right.
00:41:36
Speaker
Definitely you are.
00:41:38
Speaker
And you're the best musician and the greatest dad and the greatest husband and the best
00:41:43
Speaker
human i've ever met thank you i'll embrace it thank you that's that's the reason why i call you a legend you are a legend you are a living legend thank you so much thank you so much and that's a wrap a massive thank you to kit wakley for joining us today and giving us such a fantastic
00:42:07
Speaker
experience, his personal life, the journey as an artist, as a person, as a human.
00:42:12
Speaker
It was truly an inspiring conversation.
00:42:15
Speaker
You can listen to Kit's music on all major platforms including YouTube, Spotify, YouTube Music, Apple Music, and iHeart.
00:42:22
Speaker
You can also find him on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter as well as on his website www.kitbakely.com.
00:42:28
Speaker
And a big thank you to all our listeners for tuning in.
00:42:31
Speaker
Don't forget to rate, review, follow, or subscribe to our podcast on your favorite platform.
00:42:37
Speaker
And if you have any questions or comments or suggestions for future episodes, feel free to reach out to us.
00:42:42
Speaker
We'll be back with even more industry inside stories from other incredible guests.
00:42:47
Speaker
So stay tuned.
00:42:48
Speaker
Until then, I'm Imran Amat.
00:42:50
Speaker
And I'm Zainab Khan.
00:42:51
Speaker
We are signing off.
00:42:52
Speaker
Thanks for listening.