Exclusive Interview with Country Artist Kasey Burton

Kasey Burton is an emerging artist from Indiana with an absolute love for performing and making music. She splits her time performing and writing between Indiana and Nashville, where she earned her degree in songwriting and studied under well known songwriter Kim McLean. 

I got the chance to talk with Kasey about how she first got into making and performing music, her new single “Let Me Be Yours”, what’s next for her and so much more. Keep reading to see what she had to say!

Tell me a little bit about how you first got into making and performing music.

My earliest memories of ever making music consisted of writing songs short enough to fit on post it notes and stealing my dad’s voice recorder to capture miscellaneous melodies and ideas. I believe I was 6 or 7 at the time, and I think the popularity of Hannah Montana and Taylor Swift had a lot to do with it! The first time I ever remember really getting into performing was right after I attended a “rock and roll camp” one summer. It was a week long and then at the very end we all got to  put on a live performance. From that point on, I was hooked! 

Was there a specific moment or person that made you realize that music is what you wanted to pursue professionally?

My parents were a huge reason why I chose to pursue music and continue to pursue music every day! Ever since I was little, my mom always said, “if you do something you love to do, you’ll never have to work a day in your life”, and that stuck with me. 

I’m always genuinely curious about what artists want to convey to listeners with their music so if you had to describe the music you make without using genre names, how would you describe it?

I would describe it as a 2am phone conversation with your best friend. Whether it’s over exciting love talk or the outpour of a broken heart, I would like to think my music is something people can find comfort in like that of a close friend! 

Kind of going off of that, who are some of your musical influences?

Like almost every girl in country music my age, a big influence of mine when I first started making music was Taylor Swift. I fell in love with her songwriting and how vulnerable she was in all of her songs. Apart from Taylor Swift my influences nowadays consist of a wide range from Thomas Rhett, Miranda Lambert, and Old Dominion all the way to Bazzi and Jon Bellion. 

Let’s talk about your new single, “Let Me Be Yours”. What’s the song about?

“Let Me Be Yours” is about all the crazy, fun, and exciting parts of love. The beginning rush that always seems to consume us when we first start to fall in love and all the crazy scenarios we get ourselves into because of love. “Let Me Be Yours” emphasizes how the recklessness and power of love can sometimes create the perfect storm. 

Something I’ve always been curious with songwriting is how topics come to mind. Did you know what you wanted to write about going into the song session that birthed your single ”Let Me Be Yours” or did the idea just come about organically once you were in the session?

Absolutely not. For me, it was just another day messing around on my guitar. I remember being on my front porch with my guitar in hand watching as the storm rolled in. As I watched, I started to draw on the similarities between storms and love. From that point on, the idea for “Let Me Be Yours” came just as fast as the storm. 

Were there any major changes made to “Let Me Be Yours” once you got into the recording studio, whether it be in the lyrics or something sonically?

There weren’t too many changes to the song “Let Me Be Yours”, except for the fact that the production ideas that I had in my head for so long were finally coming to life! It’s honestly one the coolest things watching a song of yours go from a voice and a guitar to a full blown arrangement. 

You are still relatively new to the music game. What are some music industry-related goals or benchmarks that you’re aiming to reach in the next couple of years?

In the next couple of years, I would love to go on my very first tour! I have always done shows, but I have never had anything resembling an organized tour. I love live shows and meeting people is my absolute favorite part, so if I could plan something where I got to do this every night I would be overwhelmed with happiness and excitement! Another goal of mine that I would love to achieve would be to get hired on as a writer or have an established artist sing one of my songs. 

I know these are weird, uncharted waters and there’s a lot of uncertainty and plans being re-arranged/canceled/etc. But what can fans expect from you in the next few weeks/months? Are you planning to release more music?

Yes! And oh my goodness, I’m so excited. Within the next month, I will be releasing my newest EP in the physical format and hosting my very first CD release party! After my CD release party, I will release the songs digitally and market them all as singles in the months to follow. 

Last question — we’re called Talk Nerdy With Us because we all have an inner nerd so what is something that you’re currently nerding out about?

One thing I’m always nerding out about is songwriting. I’m pretty sure I have ruined songs for people because while everyone else is sitting back and just enjoying the music, I’m rewinding the track and pointing out lyrics and rhyme schemes saying things like “Sid you hear that slant rhyme?” and “Did you notice how the lyrics matched what the song did melodically?”

For more information, make sure you visit Kasey’s website and follow her on Facebook and Instagram.