Meet Kylie Hernandez, our Artist of the Month for October! She is an Austin, Texas-based singer who performed in our Open Mic and won the title of Industry Pick last spring! Click below to read her Q&A where she talks about her inspirations, biggest accomplishments, and goals for the future.
Can you introduce yourself and share some insights into your background? Describe your journey into music and the experiences that have shaped you as an artist today.
My name is Kylie Hernandez and I am a country singer-songwriter born and raised in Austin, Texas. Growing up, I was always surrounded by music. My dad used to sing me Willie Nelson and Waylon Jennings songs on the guitar before I eventually learned to play when I was 8. The first song I ever learned to play on guitar was “Biscuits” by Kacey Musgraves, who grew to become one of my biggest musical inspirations. Throughout grade school I continued to immerse myself in music, performing and writing my songs whenever possible. I would produce my original music out of my bedroom studio and release it to all streaming platforms before getting to work with producers in studios. I lived in Nashville for a year and attended Belmont University for songwriting, which prompted me to switch from the pop to country genre before moving back home to Austin where I now attend the University of Texas. At UT Austin, I got signed to their student-run record label, UTalent Records, as their first ever country artist in 2023. I released my debut album “In Memoriam” with the help of my UTalent team in April 2024 and my songs were played on the university radio station, KVRX 97.1. Moving to and from Nashville and the experiences I have garnered during those times are what inspired me to write my album.
How did you start with Music Forward? Tell us your journey.
Music Forward reached out to me earlier this year to participate in their Open Mic Fridays series. I went on to win the title of “Music Industry Pick” of the event after performing my song “Dirt on Your Name” during my open mic night. Music Forward has given me the opportunity and platform to make myself known as an artist and has been nothing but supportive of my musical journey. The staff still keeps in touch with me on social media and always shows their support for my achievements!
Let’s talk about your musical inspirations. What drives you to create music, and how would you describe the unique sound and style that define your creations?
I have fallen in love with Kacey Musgraves, Lana Del Rey, Miranda Lambert, and Carter Faith over the last few years. Their music is an experience to listen to, not just lyrics combined with a melody. What drives me to create my music is that I simply love it. But I also want to be a light for others in the music industry and beyond for those who need it. I would describe my sound as something similar to Kacey and Miranda, but with the storytelling lyric style of Lana Del Rey and Carter Faith, all meshed into one creating my unique style. I love the traditional storytelling aspect of country music that I have tapped into, but in future projects, I want to create music that is still country but has more of a cinematic feel to it.
What’s your biggest “flex”? Don’t be afraid to brag on yourself a bit!
My biggest flex would be that I am currently working for one of the largest and most well-known record labels in the world, Universal Music Group. Outside of being an artist, I am honing my music business and music promotion skills through Universal Music Group’s college division, °1824. I had been interviewing for it for about a month before officially getting hired in September! I get to work closely with our many labels and artists that are signed to them to help promote their music. The skills I use to promote other artists I also use to promote my music!
How do you maintain creativity in the business of life? What keeps you inspired?
I set aside time for me to write whenever I can, but I am also constantly involved in music-related activities at my school, including my acapella group as well as now fulfilling the songwriting chair position with UTalent Records. I stay inspired by simply just living my life day by day, and taking in every moment. I also write down any lyric ideas I may get from everyday life, conversations I hear in passing, thoughts, or from poetry, which I then use as inspiration for my songs!
Share some wisdom with us. What’s the most valuable advice you’ve received while pursuing your musical dreams, and how has it influenced your journey?
As cliche as it sounds, the most valuable advice I have ever received would be to never give up. There have been times when I have doubted my abilities to succeed in the music industry, or times when others have doubted me and my music. I have questioned whether or not the music industry was really for me. However, I know deep down that there is no other job I could see myself doing other than working in this industry. I believe that if you dream it, you will do it and that God will always provide. If you continue to work hard for the things you want and take rejection as a redirection instead of a closed door, you will find yourself in the position you always dreamed of being in one day.
Looking ahead, what are your future aspirations in your music career? Can you share specific goals you have for the future, both artistically and professionally? Do you have projects coming up that will help you meet these goals?
My future aspirations for my music career are quite broad. I would like to be a music business professional but I also want to be a signed artist. I think that I can do both. I want to be well-rounded in both the business side as well as the artistic side. Whether it be working for a publishing company, A&R for a record label, or as a touring artist, I just want to be involved in the music industry in any way that I can. As for projects that I have coming up, I am in the process of writing new songs and recording a new single that I hope to have out within the coming months! I feel that these will help me continue to build up my skills as an artist and learn more about the artist I am becoming within the process of creating and releasing these projects.
Lastly, let’s delve into the essence of music. How does music personally move you, and what emotions or experiences fuel your creative process?
Music moves me in a way that it is more than just something to listen to. It is an experience. Music has the power to create worlds for our minds to live in when listening to it and evoke a multitude of emotions with something as simple as a melody. For me, it’s my life’s personal experiences that fuel my creative process the most, further evoking emotions that I then want to convey in my songs. I also take inspiration from media including movies I’ve seen or things I have read. Music is immersive, and it is everywhere you go. There are songs waiting to be written within every situation you move through in life.