Evolsi was created as a vice for singer/songwriter Kelly Bergeron. Originally from South East Texas, her sound is influenced by a multitude of different artists and genres. Her unique delivery and authentic songwriting are two of the main aspects that capture the heart of her listeners.
Evolsi started playing guitar and writing songs at the age of 13 and has focused on perfecting her craft ever since. By the age of 16, she had recorded her first full length CD, recording everything alone in her bedroom, before giving them away out of her backpack at school. The outcome of that experience led to the creation of many different youtube videos, and covers, which slowly gained attention online. In October of 2015, after moving to the Austin area, Evolsi linked up with Garry Franklin and Aaron Glemboski of Redbeard Productions to create her Debut EP, Paradigms (iTunes).
Pre-order Paradigms on iTunes. Album drops on September 9th, 2016.
In this interview, we chat with Kelly of Evolsi about influences, the new album, and more.
Full Q&A, links, and streams available below.
https://soundcloud.com/evolsimusic/red-wine-preview
Let’s dive a little deeper into You, the artist and your music. What attracted you to this genre(s) or style(s)?
I’ve been writing music on an acoustic guitar since I was 13, and I never felt like it could tell the story quite like full production does. I remember one of my friends introducing me to Royals by Lorde a few years ago and as soon as I heard that song my vision started to slowly come together. I’m very drawn to alternative, or non conventional lyrics while maintaining pop driven melodies and production. I love how alternative pop pushes the boundaries a little bit and, in my opinion, adds depth to the pop genre as a whole.
What led you into this journey with music? And further, what drives you to push it out to the public?
I think it was always there for me. I come from a very musically inclined family, so I was put into theatre and church choir at a very young age. I didn’t necessarily realize my love for music until I was about 13 when I got my first acoustic guitar and started teaching myself how to play. From there I began covering songs, writing my own, and putting things up onto youtube for my friends and family to watch. I got positive feedback so I continued to do it, and I eventually gained a pretty good hometown following. In highschool I made a mixtape of songs I had written and covered (all only having acoustic guitar and vocals). I burned and packaged them myself and over the course of about two weeks I had given out over 100 CD’s, which was really cool at the time. When I moved four hours away from home to go to college, I knew if I was going to put anything out I wanted to ditch the singer/songwriter vibe and really focus on producing songs under the genre I envisioned a career in. In the middle of my junior year of college (October 2015) I linked up with a producer in Austin named Aaron Glemboski and we started working together on my Debut EP, Paradigms. I’m driven to push this music to the public because I really believe in it. Obviously I’m super attached to the content within the lyrics, and I feel like people will really be able to relate to the stories I have to tell.
Who or what influences your creativity? Have your tastes in music changed over time?
My number one influence is people. I absolutely love reading people, and I’m constantly fixated on situations, whether they’re my own or ones of the people around me. I’m inspired by situations that people sometimes want to avoid talking about, and I really love vulnerability. There’s a song on my EP titled ‘Masochistic Insanity’ that I wrote from the point of view of one of my friends. I put myself into her shoes and really tried to capture the situation, and I found that to be a good change of pace for me as a songwriter.
I think that my music taste has changed, but at the same time its stayed pretty consistent too. Maybe a better way to express it is to say that it has evolved. I grew up on the Rolling Stones, Def Leppard, The Eagles, The Beatles, etc. As I got old enough to discover artist on my own, I found a lot of comfort in Jeff Buckely and James Taylor, and then once I hit highschool I was super into Hip-Hop & the Warped Tour scene. With that being said I listened to nothing but Drake, PartyNextDoor, Kanye, Mayday Parade, Panic! At The Disco, and artist along those lines. The past few years though, I’ve added in a ton of Alternative/Pop artists that I love like Oh Wonder, Halsey, The 1975, EDEN, Lorde, Twenty One Pilots & many others.
Were you trying to accomplish anything specific on this new project? Creatively or otherwise?
Definitely. The biggest thing I wanted to capture was the concept. I knew that the title was going to be Paradigms since the very beginning of production. There is an underlying story line in this EP that explains a mindset I found myself in during the past year. I did a lot of research on self improvement and psychology, and I found myself to be extremely interested in the human mind.
Your paradigm is a series of habits that lie in your subconscious mind, and it basically determines the actions you take and the results you will receive. At the beginning of last year I was in a totally different head space, and the songs that construct this EP consist of events, people, and stories that were determining my mindset at the time. The release of this project symbolizes a shift in my paradigm, and a new beginning for myself as an artist.
I wrote every word in every song on the EP by myself which was something else I wanted to do. I also produced the 2nd track off of the EP titled ‘Stay’ completely alone after only having Ableton for about three months. Though I co-produced the other 5 songs, I had no prior production experience so I was stoked to be able to accomplish that.
What was the last song you listened to?
You Felt Right – K.Flay. I’m loving her new EP so much! She released it the same day that I released my single, which is how I found her. I honestly cant believe I hadn’t heard of her before.
Which do you prefer? Vinyl? CDs? MP3s?
Ahh this is tough! I have a deep love for Vinyl. I have a record player and a ton of (AMAZING) records that I inherited when my uncle passed away. I love playing records while I’m at home sometimes, but at the same time I’m definitely a part of the mp3 generation. I listen to most of my music on my IPhone/laptop because its so convenient when on the go. I really miss the days when I would beg my parents to bring me to the store so I could buy a CD with every dollar I had saved, though!
How about this one…. Do you prefer Spotify? Apple Music? Bandcamp? Or something else? Why?
Also a hard one! I genuinely like all of them, but if I’m being honest I use Apple Music the most. I’ve found that a lot of artist will have their new releases as Apple exclusives or even have them hit Spotify a few weeks later than the original release. I’m too impatient to wait that long for a new release so apple music/ITunes works better for me as a fan of music! As far as releasing my own music goes, I’ve found all of them to be helpful in their own ways. I love the statistics that spotify shows, such as monthly listeners, numbers of plays, etc.
https://soundcloud.com/evolsimusic/sets/2016-1
Other than the digital era overwhelming us with access to an abundance of music, what is the biggest challenge you face when trying to connect with or find new fans?
I think personally I struggle with the marketing & promotion side of the industry. Like you mentioned, the internet is very over saturated and It’s hard for artists to really make a lasting impact over the course of a 3-4 minute song. The good thing for our generation is that there are SO many different ways to try and attract fans. Right now I’m focused on gaining exposure through different online outlets, features, and on finding creative ways to really connect personally with other people who love music. As an indie artist, the resources are very thin and the business side of the industry can be extremely confusing, but I think if you focus on your art and connecting with as many people as you can, exposure will eventually come. I find comfort in believing that at least.
Where is the best place to connect with you online? Discover more music?
I tweet and instagram A LOT–
I also feature other artists work, and post covers/other originals that I finish on my soundcloud!
Anything else you’d like to add before signing off?
You can visit my website www.evolsimusic.com if you want to know more, or to sign up for my email list!
I hope you enjoy the EP as much as I enjoyed making it 🙂
