Kayla DiVenere released her latest single Date Myself on the 11th October, and is planning a future acoustic version as well as merchandise for the song. As a singer-songwriter, Kayla has released a number of her own work, including Jumping the Gun in August, which is her first release of the new direction of her artist project, and alongside her music career, Kayla is also an actor and has worked on shows such as Love, Victor. Catching up with Kayla, she answered our questions about her latest single Date Myself, releasing Jumping the Gun in August and her acting projects.
Your new single Date Myself was released on 11th October, can you tell us about the song?
“I kinda wanna date myself” blurted out my mouth while I was ranting to my mom about all the horrible dates I’ve been on. I knew from the moment I said it out loud that it could be turned into an anthem for everyone going through the endless treacherous dating cycle of constantly being let down. I quickly wrote the concept down in my notes and went to the studio and was like, “GUYS! I NEED TO WRITE ABOUT THIS!”
What do you hope listeners will take from the single and who do you think will enjoy listening to it?
Writing Date Myself reminded me of how beautiful it is to spend time by yourself and how important it is to be comfortable owning your self love and high standards. Being able to hear it back after writing it and to scream it at the top of my lungs has comforted me more than any guy has, and I hope it can comfort people too in any way they can relate to it. I know how frustrating dating can be, especially with my generation, so I’m most excited for people to jam out to it and hopefully feel a little less alone.
Where did you get the inspiration for the lyrics and what was it like to write?
The process of writing this song was so seamless and low pressure. I just went into the studio one day only knowing I wanted to write a song called Date Myself, and I guess that’s all we needed because the chords came within our first try and everything just felt so easy. The lyrics just flew out of my brain and everything happened so fast.
How long were you working on Date Myself and how does it feel now it’s released?
I wrote Date Myself about a year ago, which is crazy, and it feels so amazing for it to finally be out into the world. As an artist, I constantly am writing new songs that live on my computer, and I tend to forget that one day they could actually be born into the world. Release days are always my favourite!
What was it like recording and releasing your single Jumping the Gun in August?
Jumping the Gun was the first single I released that shows the new direction of my artist project, so that was super exciting! I knew from the day I wrote it that it was such a vibe I knew a lot of people would embrace.
Is there anything you enjoy most about writing your own music and do you have a songwriting process?
Like Date Myself, most of my songs really do come from conversations with friends or random inspiration from movies, TV shows, or conflict within my life. I try to keep it as real as possible and make music that I hope people can relate to. I try to always start with a strong concept and work my way around that with chords that feel cohesive to the feeling the concept gives me.
How is it seeing the listeners’ response to your music?
Seeing responses to my music is honestly one of the main reasons I love writing songs, aside from just loving the art of it. I knew I had to be an artist and release music when I realised I had the opportunity to impact people the way music has impacted me over the years. Growing up – and just living in the world – is so uncertain and scary, and music always reminded me that I wasn’t alone in anything I was feeling. We tend to always think that we are the only ones to ever experience what we are experiencing, always forgetting that conflicts and turmoil are a universal experience. Music brings me back down to earth, and to be able to do that for other people is the magic that makes it all worth it for me. Getting messages that my music inspired people or helped them through anything is an insane feeling.
You are also an actor, and have appeared in projects such as Love, Victor, Light as a Feather and Law & Order True Crime, can you tell us about some of the shows you’ve worked on?
Working on Love, Victor was such a fun time! I’ve never worked with a nicer cast and crew and shooting a party scene was a blast! It’s so beautiful to be able to meet a stranger and fall into such a vulnerable state with them in front of a camera so quickly. The party scene shoot lasted until 4am so it basically was just one big sleepover with great company.
Where does your love of music and acting come from and how did you get into both?
I jumped into the arts at a very young age for no apparent reason other than that I was drawn to it. Getting into acting was very random, considering I was six years old and really had no idea what it entailed, but I tried it and just simply loved it. With music, my dad introduced me to a lot of classic rock like Queen, AC/DC, Led Zeppelin, The Police etc… and always made it a point to show me the power of music. He randomly brought home a piano when I was really little and ever since then I never left the music world.
What are some of your favourite music artists to listen to and films and TV shows to watch?
I love listening to The 1975, Peach Pit, Dominic Fike and a lot of random indie artists, to be honest. This might be a little cheesy, but my favourite movie is Titanic… I’m a sucker for romance!
How do you like to spend your free time?
I love to spend my free time thrifting! I’m obsessed with finding vintage pieces, recycling clothes, and adding them to my collection. I adore all forms of self expression and really do think that fashion falls into a category of art.
What are you hoping the rest of the year brings for you and do you have any upcoming plans that you can tell us about?
I’m going to release an acoustic version of Date Myself, which I’m super pumped about! It definitely shows the sadder side to the song which is so different from the original version. I’m going to start selling Date Myself merch as well as teasing a lot of new demos that I’m super excited to release in the new year!
Follow Kayla on: