KIERAN RHODES – A COOL INTERVIEW WITH A SOARING NEW ARTIST

Kieran Rhodes is a promising new artist that is totally on the rise. Even though he’s still a student at the Berklee College of Music in Boston, he’s already had a viral audition on season 17 of America’s Got Talent and is performing at major music festivals. His sound reminds one of Billy Joel and Elton John but with intriguing modern accents. Rhode‘s music is intimate and emotive. His lyrics are relatable and poignant. He sings from the heart.

AMP caught up with Rhodes at the Sound On Sound music festival in Bridgeport. The night before mother nature threw the event a curveball unleashing never ending torrential rain. Due to that fact, Seaside Park was flooded. It forced the promoters to push back the start time and three artists got bumped. Rhodes was one of them but he still came to offer support and experience the vibes. He seemed to take everything in stride.

AMP: Can you give our readers a brief history of your young career?

KIERAN: I almost went to college for baseball. Then I had this crazy destiny moment with music. I was planning to go to a division 1 college for sports but in my freshman year in high school I randomly sat down at a piano and taught myself to play. From there, I started writing songs. Four years later, I got into Berklee and I’m scheduled to graduate this spring.

Last year, I was on America’s Got Talent. Then a lot of positive things happened in a short amount of time. These last couple of years have been absurd and I’m so grateful. All these opportunities have been overwhelming. I was going to college to play ball and now I’m a musician. And it seems I’m actually good at it. You figure!

AMP: There are multiple facets in your music that give it an unique feel. How would you describe your sound?

KIERAN: I would say a cross between Billy Joel and Coldplay. Those two artists were definitely an inspiration. I would constantly fall asleep watching Joel’s videos and I would try to mimic his sound. I always wondered how he did what he does. He kind of imprinted himself into my music. It’s obvious because my songs tend to be piano based and I get that from Billy. I also like Randy Newman because of his creative storytelling. His Disney songs inspired me as a kid.

AMP: What is your creative process like?

KIERAN: Mostly, I write piano accompaniments and melody first. That determines what I want to sing about. It goes on from there but it’s always music first.

AMP: I read your bio and you played some serious baseball. Are there any similarities between being an athlete and being a musician?

KIERAN: That’s a good question. In both, you’re performing. Be it on the field or on a stage, you are engaged in a performance. I’ve always loved that part of it. It’s a thrill to run onto the baseball diamond as well as running on a stage. In addition, your band is like your team. Sports taught me how to be a team player and I use that knowledge when I’m playing in a group. My band is my family.

AMP: You were influenced by a bevy of great artists such as Billy Joel and James Taylor. Are there any contemporary artists that helped mold your music?

KIERAN: I would say The Fray. In the 2000s I was listening to them a lot. Also, they are a piano driven band. And Coldplay. They are probably the most contemporary of my influences. People say my voice reminds them of Chris Martin. It’s funny but when I was learning to sing, I would sing along to Coldplay records. I would try to pronounce my vowels just like Martin. It’s perfectly understandable that I sound similar.

AMP: What themes tend to populate your songs?

KIERAN: That’s another good question! Adventure. What’s funny about my music is the fact that I touch so many bases. I can write a song like “Disengage” and then write one like “Getaway Car”. It’s like they are different books or movies. There’s all sorts of emotions deep down in my tunes.

AMP: Do you feel that being a student at Berklee heightened your musical skills?

KIERAN: Yes. When I started at Berklee, I’ve only been playing for 4 or 5 years. I was self taught. I learned a lot of things at Berklee that I already knew but I didn’t know what they were called. Sitting in a classroom, my professor would go over a topic and I would say to myself, “I’ve been doing that for 3 years but I didn’t realize it was called that.” It was a process of taking what I taught myself, putting a name to it and learning what I could add to make it better. Berklee has given me so many awesome opportunities. I’m incredibly thankful.

AMP: How was auditioning for America’s Got Talent and is Simon really a hard ass?

KIERAN: I get that question all the time. As to Simon, I never had a negative moment with him. He related to my song and opened up about his own life. It felt very special. It was a side of Simon I didn’t expect to see. My time on the show was amazing. I didn’t make it to the semi-finals but I really believe that was meant to be. Going further may have done more harm than good. I’m an artist and musician. I want to play festivals like this one. I don’t want to get sucked into the world of reality TV. It all worked out for the best.

AMP: I’m sorry that you got bumped from today’s festival because of the weather but how does it feel to be able to play these large scale shows?

KIERAN: It’s crazy! I have only been at Berklee for 3 years and I’m so lucky for all these wonderful connections presented to me. It’s been a little bit of a bummer of a weekend getting bumped but we will be back and better than ever.

AMP: What’s next for Kieran Rhodes?

KIERAN: I’m releasing new material as frequently as possible. I graduate this spring. I will also be playing another festival next summer. Not sure which one. After that, I plan to move to L.A. That’s where I need to be in order to grow as an artist.

After the interview, Kieran and I spoke about another Berklee student I recently caught live. Zoe Sparks and her band opened for Julai and the Serotunes in Hartford and she blew me away. Zoe and Kieran are friends and he’s a big fan of her music. Rhodes and Sparks will be major artists in the very near future. They both have that undeniable star quality. Remember their names. You’ll be buying their concert tickets very soon.

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