Kylie Odetta

Listening to the “Breaking Habits” EP, the newest release by Greenville singer/songwriter Kylie Odetta, it’s hard to believe she’s only 18 years old. Odetta is in complete control of her voice, layering vocal twists and turns with unexpected ease over immaculately produced, keyboard-and-electronics-heavy pop. Lyrically, she casts a suspicious eye on bad boyfriends and her own relationship mistakes, again belying her age with a mature perspective that never quite becomes jaded.

“In the past few years I’ve experienced a lot of change and growth,” she said. “And that’s transferred into who I am as an artist. The EP was centered around breaking bad habits and bad relationships.”

IF YOU GO
Who: Kylie Odetta with Garrett Williams
When: 8 p.m. Friday
Where: Moe Joe Coffee, 385 Old Greenville Highway, Clemson
Admission: free
Information: 864.653.8563

Perhaps some of the assurance present on “Breaking Habits” comes from the fact that Odetta started playing piano when she was six and wrote her first song at age eight. She had to build up a little courage when it came to performing live, though.

“I was super shy,” she said. “I would never sing in front of my family or friends or anybody. I would make them go outside the door and shut it and then I would whisper-sing so that they couldn’t hear it. And then when I was in fourth grade I sang in my church. And the next step was me singing in my sixth grade talent show. I sang one of my own songs a cappella, and afterward I went up to my mom and told her, ‘I want to do this. I want to be a musician.’ ”

In fact, she wanted to be a musician so badly she wouldn’t even let high school stand in her way.

“When I was in my sophomore year, I left school and took online classes so I could travel more and pursue music 100 percent,” she said. “I just wanted to do music all the time.

“I couldn’t spend eight hours of my day in a school building when I wanted to be out there playing shows and writing songs. So I’ve always just had a passion for it and I realized I wouldn’t be happy if I wasn’t doing something musical.”

That sense of purpose pervades everything Odetta does, right down to her website. Everything from the layout and the videos to the photographs and sound quality of the songs are first-rate. And once again, showing a beyond-her-years maturity, she said the site was built that way for a reason.

“I think these days, branding and image are more important than ever, especially for an independent artist like me,” she said. “It’s always better to have a cohesive image so that when new fans come to your website, they don’t get confused about who you are as an artist. It’s about figuring out who you want to be as an artist first, and then transferring that into websites and social media and image.”

In addition to playing her own shows — she’s performing at Clemson’s Moe Joe Coffee this Friday — Odetta has opened for Kellie Pickler, Colbie Caillat and Gavin DeGraw.

She might have taken a few notes while watching those stars perform.

“Obviously as an artist, you want to be original, so I don’t want to copy what they’re doing,” she said. “But I definitely watch them for performance tips. It’s interesting to see how people go about their live shows. There are so many different ways that people approach their performances.” - Independent Mail

Kylie Odetta may be young, but her talent is well beyond her years! She caught the music bug quite early as this singer/songwriter began writing songs at only eight years old and at age 11 recorded her album Lost In My Future. She has not only headlined 100s of her own shows but has opened up for artists such as Gavin DeGraw, Colbie Callait, Mat Kearney, Austin Mahone and Kelly Pickler.

She brings out a playful style to her music, all the while delivering well crafted songs with hints of alternative, pop, blues and rock. Her songs will take you on a musical journey capturing emotions and thoughts that will leave you with hope and inspiration. Kylie recently released her video for her new song, Already Gone which is off her new EP Breaking Habits, released earlier this month. Check out the video here:

Kylie comments about her music,

“The way that we deal with life’s ups and downs as beautifully crafted human beings intrigues me, and I feel blessed to be able to put my most inner thoughts into my songs.”
It is wonderful to watch this talented singer/songwriter Kylie grow in her music. Make sure to pick up her new EP on iTunes here and get a chance to listen to more of her emotionally driven soulful tracks. We will see if we can bring you an interview with Kylie soon. You can also visit her social media sites and stay up to date on her latest news.

~ Marisol - Music Junkie Press

Grabbing fan after fan background kylie odetta is showing us how to use your heart and soul and talent to entertain. She is joining us today as she prepares to head back in to the studio - WSPA TV - Your Carolina Show