Our Artist of the Week this week, Kerri Medders has a special guest post for you! Read below to learn more about the singer-songwriter.
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I started in this industry when I was seven years old. I didn’t realize what a long journey it would be. I was a young girl singing Gwen Stefani in my karaoke machine and putting on concerts for my “imaginary fans.” I didn’t think that that was probably every other girl’s dream as well. My parents actually gave me the chance to travel out to LA when I was 10.
Funny story, I actually came out for acting and not for music. I was only supposed to be out for a month and I have been in the city for around 6 years now. Whenever acting was slow I turned to music and it had grown into so much more then just a ‘turn too.’ The place I used to live in every Tuesday night had karaoke so I would sing and get geared up for that. I was 10 and had no fear. None. I would belt the loudest notes so the neighbors could hear next door. I would perform Aretha Franklin for people walking on the street. I was full of confidence.
Then this super confident girl full of huge dreams who thought she would make it got into an ‘adult world’. As I got older that super fearless girl started getting nervous every time I walked into a room. Fast forward a couple of years to 2016, I have been out in LA for six years now and in my lifetime I have heard so many no’s by people that it could hold me over a lifetime. I have had people tell me that “I am not ready for this business.” “I am mediocre.” “You should do this and stop doing that.”
Growing up so young in this business can definitely toughen someone up or make someone give up. Let me not sugar coat it for you but you either have to grow up in this world or be sucked into this system that’s like a washing machine just spinning you round and round until you’re like ‘”STOP!” I for one, did not fall into the ‘washing machine’ and I am one tough girl when it comes to following my dreams until my dreams come true.
In my years I have had people persuade me to try out the YouTube game and become the next girl version of Justin Bieber or not do YouTube and just produce ‘certain’ type of music. I have seen people try to tear me down so they could get one step ahead of me.
I’ve had people pick me apart like I am a Mrs. Potato Head doll and then they try to attached the wrong parts to me in the wrong places. It was all a mess in between 2013-2014 I had no idea what I was doing. I had to separate myself from the negativity and “find who I was truly was.”
During this time, I really spent time getting rid of old vibes and bringing new people in who understood my artist ideas and surrounded myself with people who would help me achieve that. I started studying music more and diving deeper into creating my sound. I studied music more and I engulfed myself into it.
Today, I am creating stuff that is 100 percent myself and what I want to create, and looking back I am so much stronger and more engrossed in my passion. I am going down this path of being artistically creative and I am super happy that I have a freedom of expression to be able to create my own version of art. This business is such a life changer and it is tough but it has made me who I am today.
Every obstacle that has challenged me in my life has made me who I am today, and I am forever thankful for that. I would not change anything for what I’ve become today. Over years, I have had people doubt me and tell me I am not going to make it because there is 99 percent of people doing what I am doing and that only one percent are going to make it. Well, I am the prime example of that one percent that is going to make it, so they better sit back and enjoy the show because my story is going to be a journey to success. Not going to stop the grind til’ I see my name in lights.
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