Exposed Vocals Interviews KindRoots

Exposed Vocals: So tell us your story. Where did you grow up? What made you decide to become an artist?

 

KindRoots: I grew up in Humacao, Puerto Rico, with my father who decided to move back to his home country after the divorce of my parents. I was about 7 years old at that time. My musical interest surfaced when I was 13 years old, I remember when Linkin Park came out with their Hybrid Theory album, I was amazed at how good the album was and I realized that I wanted to do that, and everything just evolved from there. Next thing you know, I was taking guitar classes, getting into music schools, making bands and so on. But it was through Reggae music that I could truly express what I wanted to express. I have always been interested in metaphysics, spirituality, psychology and social issues. And I feel that Reggae music is the kind of sound that can conduct those kind of ideas and energies most effectively.

 

Exposed Vocals: How did you come up with that name? What was your inspiration behind it?

 

KindRoots: The name actually came from a business idea that I had back in the day. I used to dreadlock peoples hair and I called my services KindRoots Dreadlock Sessions, and the name KindRoots just stuck with me ever since.

Exposed Vocals: What do you think about online music sharing? Do you ever give your music away for free? Why?

 

KindRoots: All of my music is free to the public at the moment and I have no problem whatsoever with giving it away for free. There’s obviously a point in time when, as an artist, you need to put a price on your music so you can generate some kind of revenue for yourself, but you have to analyze when exactly is the time, and what exactly is the material, that you want to give away or sell. It’s a certain strategy that you need to have when it comes to that.

Exposed Vocals: Since everyone was a start-up once, can you give any smaller or local bands or artists looking to get gigs and airplay some tips?

KindRoots: Sure. First thing is patience, it is the highest virtue and one that is fundamental if you want to do anything ever. When things don’t go how you envisioned, patience is what is going to carry you through. Without it, you jump the gun and you burn bridges in a lot of ways. The second thing is: use the power of the internet to your advantage. There are so many things you can accomplish by using the internet right, because there are now multiple outlets out there that can really help you out, not to mention social media itself. So get on the right websites, network with the right people, and find a way to tap into the right audience that listens to your genre of music.

 

Exposed Vocals: Where do you usually gather songwriting inspiration? What is your usual songwriting process?

 

KindRoots: I base my lyrics and rhythm off of the instrumental. Whatever vibe I’m getting from the instrumental is what I will translate into words. From there, it’s sort of a state of meditation that I go into, leaving my mind as open as possible and letting my feelings transform into words.

Exposed Vocals: Do you have a band website? What online platforms do you use to share your music?

 

KindRoots: You can find my music at soundcloud.com/kindroots and reverbnation.com/kindroots. I’m currently using Twitter @KindrootsD and I’m on Facebook.

 

Exposed Vocals: If you were given half a million dollars and a year off, what would you do? How would you spend it?

 

KindRoots: I would definitely help my family and friends in any way that I can. Then I would set up my own recording studio and take that whole year to create a full album, haha.

Exposed Vocals: How do you find ways to promote your music? What works best for you?

 

KindRoots: Social media is definitely the best way for me. Considering how I recently moved to Gloucester, MA and how busy the rest of my life is, I haven’t been able to make the connections that are necessary for any local exposure. So it is through Twitter, Radioairplay.com, and Reverbnation that I can get my music out there and build a potential fan base.

Exposed Vocals: So, what’s next? Any new upcoming projects that you want to talk about?

 

KindRoots: I am currently working on an EP right now called “Planting Seeds”. It’s going to be a self-produced EP, I’m going to be laying down all the instrumentals and lyrics, and will be promoting it online myself and hopefully, with the help of the people, it will be heard.

Exposed Vocals: If you weren’t making music, what would you be doing?

 

KindRoots: I would most likely be a lot more immersed in my spiritual practices, maybe more into acting or sports. I also have a deep interest in Psychology, so I would probably be more invested in pursuing a career in that too. It’s hard to visualize what I would be doing without music since I’ve been living in it most of my life.

Exposed Vocals: How do you juggle the rest of your responsibilities while trying to stay ahead in your music life?

 

KindRoots: I just have a normal ass job and pay my bills like everyone else, haha. Music is probably the hardest career to pursue fulltime and you absolutely need to be able to blend into the normality of this mundane society to be able to survive. But every breathing moment that I have free time, I’m making music. On my days off, I make music. Late at night when my girlfriend is asleep, I’m making music, haha. It’s like a superhero, in the day time I’m Dee, but at night I’m KindRoots, lol.

Exposed Vocals: What should fans look forward to in 2016?

 

KindRoots: They should definitely be looking out for some new music from me. The Planting Seeds EP is in process and I will also be appearing on Jango internet radio. And as the year keeps moving forward, more music will be put out there into the world and hopefully it can soothe a soul or two.