Introduce yourself using three words only.

Singer, songwriter, creative. 

Briefly describe your experience at AAS. How many years did you spend at the school? 

I spent five years at AAS – from eighth to twelfth grade. I graduated in 2017.

What was the most important lesson AAS taught you? 

The most important lesson AAS taught me was to be inclusive and showed me the importance of community. 

Share a favorite memory of yours from your time at AAS, please. 

A favorite memory from my time at AAS is being a part of the musical Hairspray. I played Motormouth Maybelle and was very excited to be in the theatre class.

Tell us more about the role of music in your life. How did you decide to pursue a career in music? 

I have always been fascinated by music, especially the message contemporary music conveys through lyrics. I started pursuing music more seriously when I was at AAS, taking singing, piano and guitar lessons. I was definitely not one of those kids with an enormous amount of talent, so I knew that I had to work really hard to become a good singer and songwriter.

When I was a senior, the name K.LINA was born as I started posting covers on Instagram. I told my parents I wanted to go to music school in the UK. They were really against it, so they advised me to study Business instead. I went to the University of Surrey, studying Business, and towards the end of the year, I auditioned for the Academy of Contemporary Music. After I got in, my parents were impressed, so they let me go to ACM, as long as I finished my Business Degree. So I did both – a Bachelor’s in Business and a Bachelor’s in Songwriting at the same time. During the pandemic, I also did a Master’s in Music Business, so I can be competent in other areas of the industry. 

What do you hope listeners take away from your music?

I hope people get to know me better and relate to my thoughts. I just want my music to empower people.

Could you walk us through your songwriting process? Where do you draw inspiration from?

I have different approaches to songwriting. Sometimes the song starts as a few chords on the piano or guitar, leading to melodies and then lyrics. Other times, I play around in Logic (a music software) and create a beat that inspires me to start writing. I usually draw inspiration from personal experience and the way I’m feeling at a given period to write the lyrics. Some songwriters write poetry that they turn to melodies. At this point, I haven’t worked that way. Lyrics always come after the melodies for me. Once I have the melodies and lyrics, I approach someone to work on finishing the production. 

Recently the songwriting process has been a two-people job. I get together with my music producer and we start making a song from scratch. He would work on the production, I would work on melodies and lyrics, and most of the time, we would have a complete demo by the end of the day. 

What has been the most memorable moment in your music career so far?

Hanging from a crane head down for the music video of “BUNT”/“RIOT” and letting a snake crawl on me for the music video of “GORCHIVA DUVKA”/“BITTER BUBBLEGUM”. 

What advice would you give to other young talents looking to break into the music industry?

Don’t be afraid to get out of your comfort zone. These are the moments where you grow the most. I have struggled with my confidence a lot, especially when I’ve been in a room with artists with much more experience than me. I was afraid to express myself because I didn’t want to make a mistake. But, as cheesy as it sounds, if you don’t believe in yourself, no one else will. I also think it’s very important for artists to be educated on the business side of the industry, especially intellectual property rights. 

If you were a song, what song would you be?

“The Search” by NF. 

You can check Kalina’s videos on her Youtube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCY2Ut5phTiul3igQ-2IvRoA