As an Artist, Kim Tibbs has gained international acclaim with her forthcoming release, “…Kim.” Her first single, “I Need You For Your Love,” entered the Official U.K. Soul Charts at Number #24, November 6, 2016 and in two weeks, it skyrocketed to Number #1 separately along with the second single, “Soul!” staying there for Four Consecutive weeks; before ending the yearly chart at a respective Number #2 for both singles.
The single, “I Need You For Your Love,” landed at Number #4 on the year end Official U.K. Soul Chart Top 100 Songs for 2016. The third, fourth and fifth Singles released called, “Drifting,” “For!” and “Move!” respectfully have been successful granting her movement the ability to now be traced in 36 countries and steadily growing to a wider audience daily, with “Drifting” and “For” both debuting on the Official U.K. Soul Charts at Number #9, getting to the Number #4 position on April 23, 2017.
On August 25, 2017, the debut album,KIM, was released remarkably charting strong in 3 days on the Official U.K. Soul Chart at Number #7. By September 3, 2017, KIM moved into the Number #1 position on the Official U.K. Soul Charts with “I Need You For Your Love,” “Soul!,” For!,” “A Building That’ll Last,” “My Better Side,” “Drifting,” and “Come On By,” all charting at separate Number #1 positions alongside the album making 7 SOLID Number #1 charted songs along with a Number #1 Album and a total of 8 songs respectfully charting from the album; Staying at the Number #1 position for 4 weeks straight as a an album.
KIM finished the year at Number #23 on the Official UK Soul Charts Top 100 Albums and Songs for 2017. Kim was nominated in November, 2017 for Best International Artist in the Bright Star Awards 2017/2018 for her album, work as an artist/professional musician, and won the Best International Artist 2017 award in the Bright Star Awards in London, United Kingdom, January 28, 2018.
In this interview spotlight, I chat with Kim Tibbs about the latest project, challenges, motivations and more.
Full Q&A along with music and links below.
Where are you from and what style of music do you create? (In your own words, not necessarily in marketing terms or by popular genre classifications.)
I am originally from Huntsville, Alabama…Yes, a native which seems very hard to say nowadays because of all the many different walks of life that I see. I am in a hub zone that is smack dead center of every city in the Southeast United States that people will want to visit: one and one-half hours from Nashville; one and one-half hours from Birmingham; one and one-half hours from Chattanooga; 4 hours from Atlanta; three and one-half hours from Memphis! I could not have asked for a better location.
Where I am from also is very important in the history of music as I am very close, within an hour, of Muscle Shoals, where true Soul Music was born, as I like to feel. To me, this resonates so much of what I do just because I am a musician. I am professionally an endorsed Hammond B-3 Organist, Keyboardist, and Pianist with Hammond Organ USA, Roland US, Peavey Electronics US, 1964, and many more companies. Playing impacts largely what style people will ever hear from me from a musical standpoint, but I would like to think that I pass along gems, which I feel are real music.
My style of music incorporates all styles and genres, just because I have the experience professionally that has taken me along many coastlines, countries, and artists. My sound is more of an experience kind of like the closeness that is felt once really loving something, or the feeling of truly enjoying something that you may have dreamed of wanting for a long time and GETTING IT TO ACTUALLY HAPPEN! I have been compared to Elton John, Aretha Franklin, Al Green, Motown Music, Stax Records’ Artists, Erykah Badu, Prince, but if you notice the list of artists that I have been compared to, most of them have a platform where they are considered “Live Artists” with Live Sounds that can only be pulled off with an actual live performing band.
I feel like my music and style of music is largely not represented in the music industry of today as it is very rare to see a female in mainstream music on top of a Hammond B-3 Organ, but I am proud of that and proud of that accomplishment in itself. So my music IS MUSIC. I won’t pick a genre just because I write what I feel and sometimes what I feel could be classified so many different ways, so I will say that I write and compose true music.
What led you down this path of music and what motivates you to keep going?
My background largely is the opening pathway of what led me down the path that I am currently on. Growing up, I grew up the daughter of two ministers, my father a Pastor, the late Pastor Robert L. Tibbs. I am a preacher’s kid in essence, yet both of my parents are from two separate musical families. My father’s side of the family has a Family Choir in North Alabama called, “The Tibbs Family.” The Tibbs Family have been singing almost 60 years and started from my late Grand Parents, Mother Margaret Hardin Tibbs and Pastor Roosevelt Tibbs. Together, they formed the Tibbs Family, where my Grandmother was often the lead singer and her children, my father’s siblings, were the background/choir. Today, my family choir has some plus 75 members including my immediate Aunts, Uncles, First Cousins and spouses, their children, and their children’s children! And not only that, my ability as an organist has travelled me all over the world, as I have worked with everyone from Billy Ray Cyrus, Lalah Hathaway, The Blind Boys of Alabama, The Swampers of Muscle Shoals, and so many more. Good musicianship is what has started my pathway toward music.
What motivates me is the fact that I can physically see my progress everyday. I can google myself and see where people are listening to my music and it humbles me that I first was capable of creating something that radios have played all over the world. But, more important than that, I am finally seeing my dreams manifest of one day becoming a very recognizable songwriter and a highly sought after one, so I am motivated to keep going even if I don’t ever reach what other’s consider success…Success to me is to be able to wake up everyday, being able to do what I like, and most often, I am either writing new music, working on someone else’s music, or planning shows to play music for people all over the world. For me, that alone is a blessing that I don’t take for granted any day. I am a Christian so for me, I pray daily for guidance and for help to understand what I am trying to do as well as correctly going down the path that will attract all the components of what I am trying to do along the way. But ultimately, what will continue me along the journey is to be able to have a legacy to leave for my son, family, and fans. I truly feel like I am doing what I was called to do in life. When I can hear my songs on radio Internationally where people describe my voice or the words written, it touches me. Seeing the many reviews that I have received over my debut work where people have rated the quality high, that is what causes me to continue. I’m truly humbled by the amount of support that people have given me but again, I will always be a musician so music will continue to flow as long as I have blood running in my veins.
How is this new release different than previous ones? Were you trying to accomplish anything specific?
This release is an amazing journey to first explain. Why I say it is a journey is because this song was the first song I released Internationally back in 2016. ”I Need You For Your Love!” is a song about someone that notices the little things along with the big…The person shows feeling and passion while the song features some of the most iconic names in business as physical players of the record.
When I released this song in 2016, I had no idea that I was actually starting my career as a valid Recording Artist. I didn’t know that I was going to kick off the artist Kim Tibbs, let alone, have a hit record as it charted to Number #1 on the Official U.K. Soul Charts and continued to award even more success to my name. This song jump-started people into looking for my song, and put pressure on me to release more music which I followed up with; the very next song, Soul!, was my second Number #1 hit.
This song attracted my current label, Expansion Records U.K., along with my distribution through Sony U.K. This song started memo to what I would call, my personal ”Cinderella” moment where all the No’s I had received turned into the one Yes that I deserved. This song pushed for my debut album, Kim, which stayed on major charts at Number #1 all across Europe. This song allowed me to now have a way to cross back over to the United States because I had a valid fanbase that was created Internationally first. But this song also allowed the opportunity for my students to work directly on a valid platform as well as a hit record, as I am a board advisory member at Calhoun Community College in the Music Industry Communications Program and the Creative Arts Department.
Lastly, this song created a buzz for my name, sound, and allowed me to be nominated for the ”Beat International Artist” Award in the Bright Star Awards in London, where I won on January 28, 2018. When I say that I humbled, I really am. All I wanted to do at the time was hear myself on the radio. That’s the only thing I wanted to do at the time and to have such an overflow of accomplishments is just too much and almost doesn’t seem real. To have been quickly gravitated to really makes me feel like I haven’t even began to touch the limits of what I will achieve but I am all up for the challenge. I have learned that you can prepare and plan and some things just happen that you don’t have any control over, but I am confident that I am here for a reason and not going to backtrack.
Name one or two challenges you face as an indie musician in this oversaturated, digital music age? How has technology helped you (since we know it does help)?
The first main thing that I can tell you is a major challenge is the fact that 90% of everything that has been seen and heard from me has been done physically by my hands. I am glad that I am efficient, but I have learned so many things because of physical trial and error. As an Indie Artist, I don’t have the same financial backing as the major labels from yesterday nor do I have the huge radio and marketing campaigns as well so to have gotten as far as I have gotten, I am humbled.
Also, my second challenge is the fact that I am a real everyday person. I’m a mom, student as I am working on my doctorate, musician, songwriter, and girl…There are days where I just don’t feel like I am really where I need to be, but I have to continue to be “Kim” no matter what. Even when I have a sick day, I have to work. There are moments when I miss my father even, but I still have to work through that as well. When you have good days, you thank God for them, but when bad days come, they hurt. What I have done is learn how to get on a routine and make my inner light shine.
Technology has been a blessing to me. It has allowed me to have relationships worldwide. Where about two years ago, you could not find any radio presence for my brand at all, I can proudly say that I have been physically spun in 93 countries and steadily rising. Technology has been a blessing for me because my “no fear” policy, I have successfully placed myself in several music industry hands just because I didn’t have any fear toward rejection. When you get a mindset of knowing that you will not be able to please everyone, you get courage and just do it. For me, taking the just do it standpoint has allowed me to see a long-lasting career. I am excited to see the next chapter as I know that I am going to continue moving forward no matter what the end shall be.
Where is the best place to connect with you online and discover more music?
For me, if people want to know what I am up to, it is always a great moment to touch basis with me on my website, www.kimtibbsmusic.com. I am always adding the latest news, updated shows, as well as letting people know what is going on in my world. With how much stuff goes on in my weekly schedule, my website is the best place to keep in contact with me and the Kim Tibbs Brand.
Anything else before we sign off?
I am already solidly working on my second album, a Double Album. I have already worked on some 68 song/demo ideas and where I utilized my College Kids on my first album from Calhoun Community College, I am going even younger and utilizing my kids at the Creative Arts Department of Florence High School. That’s right: I am officially recording a hit record with kids under 18 that don’t truly even know what Soul music is! The process so far has been a rewarding one causing us all to bond but has also taught me to feel the music from my heart and to let mistakes shine. This project puts a person in the mind of the The Black Keys, Vann Morrison, while still has a total approach to my first love, Hammond B-3 Organ. This project will be one that I feel will be played 40 years from now as classic music. I am all for this creative moment and can’t wait for the end result with my kids. They are a blessing to work with and are very knowledgable to be so young. The incredible part is that some of my students are playing better than some of the best session players that I know and I know a ton of them! They are impressive and learning first hand how to professionally work. So, this is a major moment in my life and career. My theory will always be this:
You don’t have to have a major name in business to make and create a hit record. As long as you can listen, know your notes, and are teachable, you can record eclectic one of a kind music! So, be on the lookout as it is coming Summer 2018!
