Singer Kim Kline Possesses Star Power

It’s easy to root for an independent artist like Kim Kline to become the next great rock star. On top of her amazing vocals and songwriting abilities, Kline is about as genuine of a person as you’ll ever meet in the music industry, let alone life in general.

“I tend to wear my heart on my sleeve a little bit,” admits the Graham, TX native. “I like to treat other people the way I like to be treated. I think good things happen for good people. You know, life is a blessing.”

Kline’s musical career started in her early teen years when she started competing in beauty pageants to showcase her singing ability. But she admits that her journey actually started much earlier. “I was totally the little girl that did her hair and makeup in the mirror and was singing with a brush thinking I was a rock star,” she confesses with a laugh.

Kline’s passion for music originated from her mother, who she says “doesn’t have the best voice in the world,” but was a student of voice in school. “She instilled music in me very early on,” Kline says. “Just good rock ‘n’ roll. Anything from the ’70s on.”

Some of that good old-fashioned music that influenced Kline included such artists as Led Zeppelin, Tina Turner, The Eagles, Stevie Nicks, Pat Benatar and Jimi Hendrix. In high school, Kline began working in fashion and started traveling to Dallas, where many began to take notice of her gift. It was then that she started to realize that her dreams of a musical career had the potential for reality.

“I’ve always had that gusto behind me with my vocals,” Kline admits. I was like, ‘Wow, I’ve really got something here.'”

After high school, Kline began flying to L.A. and New York when she was offered a position in fashion as a sales rep. Whenever she landed in L.A., Kline would make it a point to work on her music. She eventually realized that she needed to relocate if she ever wanted to fully pursue her dream.

As she recalls, “I said to myself, ‘I can’t go back and forth between L.A. and Texas when people are living there doing it day in and day out. If I’m going to be serious about this, I’ve got to make the move.'”

So Kline left her Texas roots for L.A. a few years ago and went about making a name for herself in a town already overstocked with big dreamers. Her licensing attorney arranged for a meeting with acclaimed music entertainment law firm Felcher & Freifeld (whose clients have included Pink, Nas and The Fugees), and Kline was signed on the spot. “They’ve been absolutely amazing,” Kline says. “I’m very blessed. I have a very strong team around me.”

Kline originally trained with Ron Anderson, best known for his work with the Rolling Stones, No Doubt and Janet Jackson. But since her arrival in L.A., she’s managed to collaborate with a who’s who list of writers, producers and musicians, including: Evan Rodaniche (Cage 9, The Willowz, Big City Rock), Mike Sarkisyan (Grammy-nominated guitarist/producer), Tommy Decker (Grammy-nominated drummer/producer), and PJ Smith (Live, Something Corporate). These days, Kline spends most of her time with Robb Torres (J.D. Natasha, The Rising, Volumen Cero), as well as Eddie Galan and Sean Alexander (LeAnn Rimes, Steven Tyler, Disney’s High School Musical). She is also working with renowned vocal technique and performance coach Steven Memel, who has trained such artists as Adam Levine and members of Maroon 5, Taryn Manning of Boomkat, Brittany Murphy and Big City Rock.

Says Kline, “I’ve been extremely blessed, because the people that I’ve worked with have all been extremely talented in their own right, and they all brought something to the table for me knowledge-wise.”

Kline’s dedication and workaholic personality may be what pushes her to the top. She displays an extreme willingness to learn and has a strong desire to fine-tune her artistic capabilities.

“When I go into the studio with these people, I’m like a sponge,” Kline says. “I love growth, and I love to listen. We all learn from each other, and life is about learning and using those experiences. I learn something every time I go into the studio and work with these people. It’s like a drug. It’s like my quest, my thirst for knowledge. I love it, because I’m the type of person that is always trying to better herself. I’m like, ‘OK, that was cool, now you can take it to the next level?'”

Perhaps her dedication is most apparent by her desire to learn the piano. In the past, Kline has done all the lyric and melody because she did not play an instrument. But she has taken up the piano in an effort to better herself.

Kline shares, “I really think [the piano] will help me with songwriting, because I naturally hear the melodies and the lyrics. I feel like if I can start composing some of the music myself, that will be really instrumental in conversing with producers and conversing with my band. God blessed me with a natural talent to hear the lyric and the melody, but I want to take it to the next level.”

While she has always packed the voice of an acclaimed diva, Kline says that there is always room for improvement.

“I always think that you can better yourself,” she says. “I think with each show and everything that you have under your belt, whether it be recording in the studio or going on stage, I think you get more comfortable with your songs and you’re really able to tell the story and portray what you’re going through and feeling that moment in the song, and that’s what I really always try to do. Whenever you’re performing it and you’re living the moment and you’re living your lyrics, the vocals just come through natural and clear anyway. I really just try to live in the moment of my songs so it transcends to the audience.”

Since her arrival on the West Coast, Kline has managed to make quite a name for herself. She regularly sells out world-renowned venues around L.A. such as the Viper Room, The Roxy and The Troubadour. In fact, Kline is living proof of the power shift in the music industry today. Thanks to the digital evolution and the Web, an independent artist like Kline can now carve out a nice audience for herself and gain worldwide appeal on her own, without the backing of a major label.

“I’m doing the independent thing and I’m extremely happy,” Kline says. “Right now, unfortunately, the labels are kind of in a bind. I think with the digital era that we’re in right now, it allows artists like myself to be heard and get out there, and you don’t necessarily need the label at this point.

“I think every situation is different. For me, if the right opportunity presented itself, then [signing] would definitely be something that I would entertain. But right now, I’m pretty much a self-contained artist and I’m loving the fact that I’m able to do that and it’s working for me. You hear the good stories about the artists who are happy with their record deals, and then you hear about the artists that got the crappy side of the deal and my heart goes out to any of those people, because you’re dealing with people’s dreams and emotions.

“We definitely have conversations and we’re on certain people’s radar, but you look at a Linkin Park and a lot of these bands, they did what I’m doing. They built from the ground up. They built a name for themselves. They built a fan base and they got out there. And when you do that as an artist, you get a lot more respect, and it can ensure you a little bit of that longevity, because I don’t want to be that artist who is here today and gone tomorrow. I’m not looking for five minutes of fame. I’m looking for a career in music and to be able to express myself through my music.”

When you speak with Kline, you get the feeling that she could talk about music nonstop. Her passion is obvious, and she feels very strongly about some of the mistakes made by the industry in recent years.

“I feel like where music is at, not all of it, but some of it, it’s been about the marketing and the look, rather than the actual art of the music, and I think that has caused the music industry to suffer,” Kline says. “That’s one thing that really saddens me very deeply because there’s Alicia Keys and Christina Aguilera and John Mayer, those artists like that are a handful — the true artists. And while they also have the look, it’s really the true raw talent that they have. It’s not about, Oh, they look hot and they’re out there in their frickin’ underwear performing. That’s not what it’s about for me. I love true artistry. That’s what saddens me about the music industry — we’ve forgotten what it’s all about. Janis Joplin didn’t look like that back in the day — know what I’m saying?”

Much of Kline’s desire and dedication is drawn from the strength that she developed as a child, where she grew up in a divorced family. Her mom worked full-time, while her dad lived several hours away in Austin.

“I was one of those types of kids that had to raise themselves,” she recalls of her childhood. “I definitely had to put on a big girl’s pants at an early age and take care of myself. For me, growing up like that made me the person that I am. You go through those trials and tribulations and it makes you that much of a stronger person.”

For Kline, those same experiences have led to the strong songwriting skills that she is known and respected for.

“I think that’s the beautiful thing about music, and I think that’s why so many people are passionate about music, whether you play it or just listen to it,” says Kline. “When you turn on the radio and you hear a song that you can relate to, you say, ‘Oh my God, I feel like they wrote that for me. I can relate to that.’

“I always get people asking me, ‘Oh, I have a great song for you, can I write a song for you?’ I’m always extremely flattered, but to be honest with you, that’s what makes me able to get those skeletons out of my closet and work through my emotions and what I’m feeling. For me, it’s kind of like a relief. I don’t ever write a song like, ‘OK, are people going to get this?’ I just write what I feel, and as long as it comes from the heart, it’s going to be well-received anyway because it’s true, and it’s genuine, and it’s not contrived.”

Kline, who also hopes to design her own clothing line some day, says she’s most at peace when people relate to her music. She relishes the moments when someone approaches her at a show or a fan sends her an email to express their appreciation. Says the up-and-coming star, “I’m always thrilled, because to me that’s the utmost compliment when someone says, ‘I relate to your music and you’ve really inspired me.'”

Kline says that she has developed a closer relationship with her father now, but it’s clear that she still draws much of her strength from her mom. A couple of years ago, Kline’s mom nearly died from a brain aneurysm and a heart attack. “That was really a big eye opener for me,” she confesses. “You realize how someone can go from being A-OK and the next minute be fighting for their own life. That was a pretty surreal moment for me.”

In addition to her mother’s illness, Kline also lost a grandmother and a grandfather in recent years. “I’m kind of in that whole phase right now of really taking life for everything that it’s worth and really savoring the moment,” Kline says.

Her mood becomes more upbeat when she starts to speak about her self-titled debut album, which will be released on Feb. 6. Her single, “Inside,” has been gathering enormous praise around the music world and Kline is anxious to showcase her hard work and talent.

“Just some good old rock ‘n roll man,” Kline says of the album. “We’re really excited about releasing it. I think that it’s going to let my fans experience a little bit more about me, who I am as a writer, and who I am as a person. I think that people are going to see some different sides to me and I’m really excited to share that.”

One of the songs found on Kline’s upcoming album is “Remember Myself.” It’s a song that she wrote to capture the memories of her past.

“I’m talking about everything that I went through in my childhood, coming from a broken home and being embarrassed about it as a kid,” Kline says. “It made me who I am and I wouldn’t change it for the world now, because if I didn’t go through those things, I wouldn’t be me.”

Speaking to Kline, you quickly realize that she is confident that her moment is about to arrive and her days of singing into the mirror as a child are closer to reality.

“I’ve always know this is what I’m supposed to do,” she says. “When I trace my steps back, everything has led me to the point where I’m at in my life right now, and to me, it’s not by chance. You have to make it happen obviously, because it’s just not given to you, but I do believe in fate and I do believe in dreams, and I believe you can be proactive and make things happen for yourself if you want it bad enough.”

Sounds like the makings of the next great rock ‘n’ roll star.

For more information on Kim Kline, visit her official website — KimKline.com