Each week we'll take you 'Behind the Beats' to learn more about the artists that play on our airwaves. This week: Kim & Kayla Waters.
We sat down with father & daughter, Kim & Kayla Waters at the end of 2023 for our year-end BEATS magazine. Check out the magazine article below or keep scrolling for the extended version of our interview in text format.
Read the rest of the BEATS magazine here.
Music talent runs deep in the Waters family. Both dad Kim Waters and daughter Kayla Waters have achieved top charting singles this year and each have a tune in our final year-end TOP 20 chart. We grabbed a few moments together to catch up with these amazingly talented artists.
Allen Kepler: Both of you have singles in our TOP 20 songs of 2023. How does it feel for both of you?
Kayla Waters: Honored, humbled, grateful and soooo blessed. I truly create my music from a pure and passionate place and to see it perform well at radio is the cherry on top for me. Thank you for this honor, Allen!
Kim Waters: It’s truly a blessing every time I have a song on the charts. This never gets old and I am honored to still be relevant after almost 40 years in this business.
AK: Tell us about the first time you played music together…
Kayla: If we are being technical, I started playing piano on my Dad’s lap at 10 months old, does that count? smiles I can remember playing with my Dad at 11 years old at my first piano recital, we did a sax and piano arrangement of “Endless Love” by Lionel Richie & Diana Ross. I believe I still have a picture somewhere that captured that moment!
Kim: As Kayla mentioned, she started banging away at the piano at about ten months. By the time she was six or seven she was playing songs. We played together quite a few times and now here we are touring together and making hits together.
AK: Kim, you have had a long and successful career as an artist. Did you encourage Kayla to take up music?
Kim: I would honestly say that I did not encourage Kayla in any way to play music. She was always hanging around in the studio, watching and listening and obviously learning a lot too. Music has always been her passion and she was destined for success!!!!!
AK: Kayla, how did you become interested in playing piano?
Kayla: I naturally gravitated towards the piano! We had an upright piano in our house growing up so it was always accessible and available. I can still hear what I sounded like before I started taking lessons, remembering that playing any combination of the black keys always sounded good! After lessons all through school, I continued on to pursue my Bachelor of Music Degree in Piano Performance and delved right into composition to hone my sound as a solo artist & pianist. In a way, the piano has grown up with me — I can’t imagine my life without it.
AK: Tell us about your experience scoring music for film.
Kayla: I think of my giftings in layers — piano (my base), composition (second layer), music production (third layer) and now film-scoring (fourth layer)! All of my creative work up to this point has led me to the exploration of composing for TV & film. As a conceptual and visual composer, creating music that leaves room for one to imagine and “see” the story unfold is my mission — and I naturally do this with my personal work as well. Outside of my solo artistry, I have started a music production company, PuriKey Productions, LLC and have been blessed to work with a few independent filmmakers on writing pieces for short films. I am excited to continue to expand in this arena next year!
AK: Kim, you must be very proud of Kayla…
Kim: Allen, words cannot explain how proud I am of both Kayla and her Twin sister Kimberly. Being able to write and produce music together with Kayla is a great experience for, she brings a new fresh sound to the table, which in turn keeps me up on what’s happening now. Doing shows with Kayla has been the highlight of my career. I can honestly say that I at some point have worked with all the greats in this business, but nothing is greater than sharing the stage with my daughter!!!!This is truly a blessing and I am grateful ☺️
AK: Your ‘smooth jazz’ career started right around the time when radio stations really started embracing this style of music…
Kim: It actually started a little before that. I can remember when Gerald Albright,Myself, Najee and Kirk Whalum all had big R&B hits in the 80’s and sold quite a few Albums and CD’s in those days.
AK: Kim, you have had numerous hit singles over the years. How does it feel to be competing with your daughter for chart positions? ☺
Kim: I don’t look at that way at all. I am sure you know that I am Kayla’s biggest fan and supporter. I want her to continue to be great and be better than what I have brought to this industry.
AK: Now, I am not sure if you have recorded together. Have you?
Kayla: I actually wrote and recorded piano on a piece for my Dad on his last Christmas record, the tune was called “Christmas Day.” The piano motif opens with what sounds like snow fall on Christmas morning!
Kim: Yes, Kayla also performed on the hit single “It’s a Party in here”, and she is on the latest CD with me covering Adele’s classic “Easy On Me”.
AK: How about future plans to collaborate?
Kayla: I’d absolutely LOVE to do a Kim & Kayla single in the future, the Dad-daughter thing is a blessing and so special on and off stage. I even have plans to re-create some of my Dad’s greatest hits on piano as a tribute. Dad, what are your thoughts? ☺️
Kim: I am sure that we will record a cd together at some point. When the time is right, it will happen.
Find more on Kim Waters here.
Find more on Kayla Waters here.