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Rising Music Star Kell Bailey On The Five Things You Need To Shine In The Music Industry

As a part of our interview series with leaders, stars, and rising stars in the music industry, we had the distinct pleasure of interviewing Kell Bailey.

Musician, songwriter, and producer Kell Bailey has been making music for as long as he could remember. Born and raised in Richmond, Virginia, at around the age of 6 he discovered he had the gift of playing by ear.

Through his adolescence Kell developed a strong passion for sports with dreams of one day playing professional football in the NFL. That dream shifted due to unforeseen challenges during his freshman year of high school and he started to pursue music in a new way with passion and hunger.

Kell began playing the keyboard at Calvary Outreach Revival Center, getting his roots in the rich culture of the Church of Our Lord Jesus Christ Organization. At the age of 15 Kell was invited to play for the University of Virginia Gospel Choir. As he grew skillfully as a musician, more opportunities became available and doors began to open for him.

In the next few years Kell continued to work with multiple campus gospel choirs, traditional church settings and with individual artists in the community, gaining experience in a range of musical settings.

In 2019 Kell Bailey released his debut EP “Take Your Place” coming in at #9 on the Gospel iTunes Charts. In 2020 Kell released his album “Freedom Is Here” coming in at #14 on the Gospel iTunes Charts as an independent artist. Kell reflects that the greatest drive in his musical journey is his belief that God placed him here on earth to help and serve others, and music is the avenue used to fulfill that purpose in this season.

Thank you so much for joining us in this interview series! Before we dive in, our readers would love to learn a bit about your “origin story”. Can you tell us the story of how you grew up?

I grew up in Richmond, Virginia with loving parents and three older brothers. My parents brought us up in the church, starting at a young age. Around the age of 6, I discovered that I had a gift for playing music by ear. I distinctly remember hearing a song on the radio and playing the melody that I heard. It was something that came naturally to me. I didn’t know the gift that I had, but my parents supported me and quickly bought me my first keyboard.

Can you share a story with us about what brought you to this specific career path?

In 2012 I attended my first listening party. At the time I was 16 years old and still trying to learn how to write and produce music. That night after hearing the process of what it takes to create an album from start to finish it felt like a lightbulb went off in my head. I remember saying to myself, “this is what I want to do”. I started writing music seriously after that night. I would put the songs I wrote on a hard drive, hoping to one day pitch music to different artist looking for songs. I quickly learned that trying to pitch music to an artist is not for the faint of heart. I decided to take a different approach and actually become the artist. I compiled some of my best songs and released an EP in 2019 entitled “Take Your Place”. That was the beginning of my journey into the music world.

Can you tell us the most interesting story that happened to you since you began your career?

My favorite experience so far was being called out on stage by Kim Burrell, who is a serious gospel icon. Thankfully I was called out for a good reason and not a bad reason. I was accompanying a good friend of mine, Dominic Ellis, at a concert and she was not only impressed with his vocals, but she loved some of the chords I played as well. She called me out and complimented the way I played my instrument. That was such a cool and memorable moment that I will never forget. The video is on my Instagram, you can see how nervous I was to be called up to the front.

It has been said that sometimes our mistakes can be our greatest teachers. Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?

When I first started releasing music on digital platforms, I thought It was a bright idea to release music under my Instagram handle “MKBailey”. Looking back on that now that was a mistake that I didn’t think through all the way. People would ask me how to find my music, and it didn’t make sense that they couldn’t just type in my name. I learned to really think through the strategic decisions I make within my career rather than acting on impulse or what I think makes sense in the moment.

None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful towards who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story about that?

James Johnson, who is like a brother to me, was one of the first people I saw writing and releasing music in my hometown. After seeing some of the things that he was able to achieve, it inspired me to get into songwriting and producing music. Through the years he’s given me a lot of great opportunities to grow as an artist by bringing me in on his projects. I’m forever grateful for our relationship and the inspiration I receive from James.

Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?

There’s one quote that comes to mind- “see a king to be a king”. What this means to me is that you can’t become what you don’t see modeled. Throughout my life I have been fortunate to be surrounded by creatives using their gifts at a high level. Just being exposed to this has allowed me to chase after dreams that I once thought impossible. I’ve seen a lot of greatness around me.

What are some of the most interesting or exciting projects you are working on now?

I just completed my sophomore album “Evidence” which releases May 26th on all digital platforms. I started working on this album in 2021 but some of the songs go back to 2016. It took me two years of planning and producing to complete, and I’m really proud of this work. I can’t wait for people to finally hear what I’ve been working on.

We are very interested in diversity in the entertainment industry. Can you share three reasons with our readers about why you think it’s important to have diversity represented in music, film, and television? How can that potentially affect our culture?

Music is art. As artists we all have a unique identity and ability to share our perspectives with the world. Having diversity in the creative space creates an opportunity to bring new sounds, new images, and fresh ideas.

What are your “5 things I wish someone told me when I first started” and why? Please share a story or example for each.

1. Be patient, the opportunities you are seeking will come in due time.

2. No comparing yourself. We often compare ourselves to other people’s journey and it does no good for our own journey. I would argue it hinders it.

3. Greatness is in you. Believe in the gift God has given you!

4. Focus on the now. Make small steps daily towards the big goal you are chasing. Messy action is still action.

5. Build as many relationships as possible. Your best opportunities will come from the people you build relationships with.

Which tips would you recommend to your colleagues in your industry to help them to thrive and not “burn out”?

This is such an important thing to talk about. We often don’t talk about it enough. We are exposed to such a grind mentality. It’s a “work now, sleep later” culture. So many of us have forgotten the value of taking rest and getting sleep. Getting quality rest is my number one tip to avoiding burnout. Our bodies are meant to rest, we are not machines. My best ideas will come after a good night of sleep.

You are a person of enormous influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. :-)

I would be interested in starting a movement that focuses on “treating others the way you want to be treated”. The golden rule is something we all heard growing up, but it is definitely lost in today’s society. If we all treated others the way we wanted to be treated, I think that would eliminate a lot of foolish things that happen in the world today. It sounds over-simplified, but sometimes the most challenging things are simple.

Is there a person in the world, or in the US whom you would love to have a private breakfast or lunch with, and why? He or she might just see this, especially if we tag them. :-)

Without a doubt, I’d love to be able to sit down with Kirk Franklin. Kirk is the OG of Gospel Music and I am sure that the wisdom he could share in one sitting would be enough to push me to the next level. I love fruitful, wisdom-filled conversation. One day I feel like I will have a seat at these kinds of tables.

How can our readers follow you online?

Youtube: “Kell Bailey”

This was very meaningful, thank you so much! We wish you continued success!

Thank you so much for having me, I appreciate being featured in Authority Magazine!

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