Welcome! We are excited to chat with you today. We would love to jump in and learn more about you. Can you give us a brief story of your musical journey? Where you started and where you are now?
Hello! We both started our musical journeys at a really young age, I (Kayti) went the more classical route through high school and college, while Ben played in a variety of bands from the age of ten on. We met in college choir at Montana State University. We started dating in college, and upon graduation I joined Ben’s band at the time on a total whim, to kind of satisfy my post grad musical craving. We started writing songs together and it wasn’t long before we both realized we wanted to start a project together.
We started what is now Desperate Electric just over two years ago as a four-piece rock band. Our goal was always to get out and make music and tour. In the first six months of being a band we recorded and released an album and went on our first tour. It wasn’t long after that we started losing band members. Touring is difficult! It’s definitely not for everyone and we found that out quickly. Two weeks before our second tour we lost our drummer. Out of sheer desperation we decided to use electronic drums for that whole tour. After that tour it was just down to the two of us. We toured and tried to keep a three and four-piece band together for the next couple of months, but could not make it happen. In June of last year, we decided to hit the road just the two of us. It’s honestly been the best decision we’ve made!
We also see that you have a new single out titled “For Me”. Congrats on the release. How would you describe the song?
Thank you! ‘For Me’ is different than anything we’ve released in my opinion. It definitely has a pop edge that not all of our music has. The song is so upbeat and moves well, but it’s not a happy song. I think I’d call it ‘sad girl soul pop’ if I had to put a label on it.
Tell us more about your song writing process? Did you write the single “For Me”? If so, can you share more of that story and how that came about?
Yes, I (Kayti) did write ‘For Me’! I still consider myself kind of a baby songwriter. It’s not something I’ve been doing my whole life, like Ben and many of our friends. I started writing with Ben about two and half years ago and I’d say my strength in songwriting is working with others and their ideas. I love co-writing with people and crafting the best lyrics for the melody. Last year I’d started to write more on my own and started to have a lot of my own ideas that I felt were important for me to write about. I wrote ‘For Me’ last summer in about 20 minutes after Ben was sitting in our living room just playing those chords over and over again. He left to go run and errand and I couldn’t stop writing until the song was finished. It’s a true story about being in love with someone but not having it turn out the way you expected and planned.
What have been some challenges in your career so far? What have been the greatest achievements so far?
So many challenges! The music business is challenging! Obviously trying and failing to find band members while touring for months was a huge challenge. We spent so much time on that and looking back we should have just been what we’re doing now, even though I think the steps we took were necessary to get to where we are now. I think one of our greatest achievements is working through all the things we went to in our first year and a half and never giving up, even though that probably would have been easier!
What inspires your music the most? Do you listen to other artists to get inspiration and is there a particular song that never fails to move you emotionally?
Honestly, our lives inspire our music the most. We write about what we know, which is each other and things we’re going through and things we’ve been through. I think it’s really important to listen to other artists to gain inspiration! We did that a lot when we were recorded our album last year. That’s difficult! There’s a ton of music that moves me emotionally! Something that for sure gets me every time is ‘Ocean Front Property’ by George Strait.
What’s the most important piece of advice you could give to a young artist just starting their career?
I feel like we are young artists just starting our career haha! I think the biggest thing is to know that it’s going to be much harder than you can ever expect, but also much more rewarding. You just have to push through all the BS along the way! It’s okay to let your goals change with your experiences. Don’t let anyone else define success for you. Do what feels like your most genuine self, and know that you can’t really compare that to other artists or other people in your life. Just be your BEST self and be persistent as hell!
Where can we get our hands on your music and connect with you online?
You can stream our music on all streaming platforms! Spotify, iTunes, Apple Music, Amazon, everywhere! Find us on Instagram @desperateelectric, Facebook, and Twitter @despelectric. You can also head to our website (www.desperateelectric.com) and everything is linked from there!
Press: bsquaredmgmt@gmail.com
End of Interview