Actress, singer, and songwriter Kylie Cantrall chatted about her new song “Texts Go Green.”
“Over a year ago, I started this series on my TikTok called ‘“’10-minute songs.’ I’m sure you’ll never guess what that series was about,” she said with a sweet laugh. “So, my fans would give me three words to use in a song and on this day the words were ‘block,’ ‘bed frame,’ and ‘green,’ and 10 minutes later I had a very rough outline of the song.”
Music and songwriting inspirations
On her music and songwriting inspirations, she said, “Initially, I was inspired by artists I loved like Beyonce, Aaliyah, Britney, and Janet Jackson, so that meant I would try to write songs that felt like them. But I’ve spent the last two years thinking ‘Does this feel like something Kylie would sing about,’ which lets you know I’m slowly losing my mind and referring to myself in the third person.”
Future plans
Regarding her future plans, she said, “I always have these elaborate plans for the future but one rule I’ve learned is ‘things don’t always go the way you plan.’ So, I’ll tell you what I hope will happen over the next few months.”
“I have a couple of fun videos I’m releasing to go along with ‘Texts Go Green,’ one is a dance visualizer and the other is a reaction video as I play the full song for my friends and castmates,” she said.
“I have my next single, ‘Elastic,’ set to release in September, and that means photoshoots, single covers, music videos, TikToks, and promo… the works. And my third single, ‘Wish You Well,’ is aiming for late November. Ask me if this is going to happen exactly how we plan and I will say in advance that I’m 90 percent sure that 65 percent of it will,” she elaborated.
The digital age
On being an artist in the digital age, now with streaming, technology, and social media being so prevalent, she said, “It’s all I’ve ever known. I started my YouTube channel when I was 8 and immediately began building a fanbase with views and followers.”
“I can remember reading the comments and thinking ‘I have fans in Brazil?’ So, I’ve always thought I’m so lucky to be an artist in this generation, where you can write a song in your bedroom, record it on your laptop and post it from your phone,” she said.
Career-defining moments
When asked about her career-defining moments, she shared, “Well, I started posting videos over 10 years ago, so looking back I can think of a couple of viral moments that meant a lot. ‘Sleep Is 4 Suckas’ was a music video I dropped at 10 years old and within days I was sitting in meetings at Disney, Warner Bros, and Capitol Records. I remember one record executive saying, “I don’t know what we can do with a 10-year-old, but I still think we should sign her.”
Advice for hopefuls in music
For young and aspiring artists, she said, “I always tell every artist to get active because you really have no excuses. You can post a video of you singing, dancing, acting, interviewing your friends, and so on. Whatever you imagine yourself doing… start doing it today.”
Dream duet choices in music
On her dream duet choices in music, she said, “I would love to work with Rihanna. I just think she’d be the ultimate. I wrote a song called “Raised by Rihanna,” and I really summed up how much she influenced me as an artist and it’s currently making me think: Why am I not dropping that song as my next single?”
Success
On her definition of success, she said, “Every day I wake up with a list of things I want to accomplish and hour by hour I check off the boxes. At night I think to myself, ‘Did I improve today?’ Am I a better singer, dancer, actor, writer, and so on? If the answer is yes, then that day was successful.”
“If you string enough successful days together you end up with a successful month and then a successful year. I think this is the only success I’m able to control on my own,” she concluded.
“Texts Go Green” is available on digital service providers by clicking here.
To learn more about Kylie Cantrall, follow her on Instagram.
