Kiera Loveless
Kiera Loveless is a pop/soul artist based in Nashville.
The singer/songwriter introduced herself in 2018 with the debut single “Love in Real Life”.
She is now revealing her new single “Stop” featuring Nashville-based pop band Lost Stars. Written by Loveless and Damian Malnar (from Lost Stars) and recorded by Mike Robinson and Charley Holden, “Stop” is an uptempo pop record painting catchy melodies. As Loveless delivers big and soulful vocals, Malnar showcases his unique vocal tone which creates a real authenticity in the record.
With her music, the Missouri-native focuses on connecting with people in any way she can by creating honest and fun songs.
“Stop” is now available on major streaming platforms.
Photo credit: Annelise Loughead & Nathan Wingate
Introduce yourself - where are you from?
Hi! I'm Kiera Loveless. I'm a dorky pop/soul artist based here in Nashville but I'm originally from a small town about an hour west of St. Louis called Troy. I came to Nashville to pursue a career in music as well as study music at Belmont University and have lived here for just over 5 years.
What's your story?
I grew up the oldest of four kids in a small town. My family is my world and it's so hard being away from them, but they're the most supportive ever and have always encouraged me to pursue my art as a career. Although my parents have always worked extremely hard to give me and my three younger siblings an incredible life, we did struggle growing up. However, they always instilled in me that even if the odds were stacked against me, I could do anything I set my mind to with enough hard work. So I moved to Nashville. It's been a crazy journey; a difficult one at that. I've lost some really important people, my Mom got sick my senior year of college (she's doing great now!!), and a lot of change just kind of dumped itself on me. Although choosing music as a career is far from stable or constant, my love for what I do really has been a constant in the past 5 years. It has changed tremendously, just like almost every other facet of my life. But nevertheless, it has remained a constant source of fulfillment and connection with other human beings. It has given me a sense of belonging in a community of songwriters and creatives. It has motivated me to create the life for myself that I will be proud of and that my family will be proud of. So I'm just going to continue chipping away at it. Some days are more frustrating than others, especially when I'm an independent artist with no outside funding. Sometimes it feels like it's really just me out here tryna do this thing. I don't truly feel alone, though. That's what gets me through.
When did you start singing?
Oh, I've been singing since before I can remember...my household was always very musical. My Dad played guitar (and was / is such an incredible player), and my mom sings as well. My Mom sang a lot of church music, specially for weddings while I was very little. My mom remembers - very vividly - the first time she heard me sing. I was three years old and I was singing "ave maria", which is a song my mom sang in weddings quite often. She said she was taken aback by how I was mimicking her and that I was actually singing on pitch!
What did your time at Belmont University teach you as an artist?
Wow. Belmont completely changed my life. Most importantly, Belmont gave me a support system of friends, musicians, and just plain incredible creative people that I am more grateful for than I can express. Belmont challenged me and gave me the opportunity to grow into a capable and motivated musician. A lot of people say studying music just makes you hate it take it for granted but I felt very much the opposite. A year and a half after graduating I feel more and more inspired to create, collaborate and pursue this crazy career - wherever the heck it takes me. And yes, it was very expensive and ya girl is in so much debt. But I'm making it work and wouldn't take a second of it back.
How would you describe Kiera Loveless, the artist?
Kiera Loveless is me! Hi! Yes, it's my real name. As an artist, I try not to take myself too seriously. I focus really hard on connecting with people in any way that I can. Whether that be by writing a song about dating apps, about being a hot mess and making most dinners in the microwave (ramen is my queen honestly), or being a little more vulnerable and talking about loss through music. I laugh at myself often and am not very "ladylike". My music is full of just that : some quirky moments of honesty and a little bit of soul.
"Stop" is your new single. What's the story behind this song?
I wrote "Stop" with Damian Malnar on July 6th, 2018. I remember this because that's my boyfriend's birthday and that's who this song was written about for me. At the time this song was written, we had just started seeing each other and I was super surprised at how much I liked this guy. I'm usually someone who isn't super phased by boys and drama and hadn't dated in over four years. So when I caught feels I kind of ignored it for a while - I didn't want to lead him on. But at this point, I could NOT get this dude off of my mind and it was driving me crazy. I was like "I am NOT that girl! I'm an independent woman! This is so annoying!" but here we are.
Photo credit: Victoria Metzger
At what point did you know Lost Stars were the right fit for this specific song?
Well Damian and I actually hadn't really met before we wrote "Stop". He reached out to me on Facebook because he had heard my first single "Love in Real Life" and he liked the writing and wanted to write together. We also ran in some of the same circles musically and had quite a few mutual friends, including some of the members of Lost Stars. So we met up and wrote this tune and were so excited to leave with this tune under our belts. It just kind of fell out of us. We immediately clicked and Damian started harmonizing and we were like "okay this is it. We gotta make this song happen". It's been a journey but an absolute perfect storm and I'm so proud of what you will hear when the tune comes out.
How did you meet the members of Lost Stars?
I met them all through Belmont! Trey and Charley and I had mutual friends and I had seen them around campus and I met Damian through them.
Could you describe us the songwriting/production process?
This song has been through a journey. The writing of "Stop" was the easy part. Like I said, it really just came to us. Of course we had some road blocks, like in any writing session, but when we finished it, we knew. I think we just started talking about how life was going lately and I had mentioned this guy I had a huge crush on and we started talking about our love lives. About being someone who doesn't know how to slow down and finding someone who really helps you do that - who makes you want to stop and smell the roses a little bit! And Damian just started playing a loop on the keys and the song came to us. Now production-wise, it took a while to get to where we really wanted it. Finally, we recorded the tune with Mike Robinson and Charley Holden (who co-produced my second single "Behind the Scenes") and I knew it was in good hands. They really brought this song to life in a completely different way than I imagined, but it is exactly the right fit for this tune, in my opinion.
What made you want to release "Stop" as a single?
Oh boy. I started playing "Stop" at shows pretty much as soon as we wrote it. Not only have I always LOVED singing this tune, but everyone always gave it a great review at shows. I could tell people could connect with it and Damian and I loved singing it together. Honestly from the moment we wrote it, I e-mailed it to my Mom (which I do after I write any song that I think is a keeper), and was like "this is the next one, Mom. This is it". and she called me and was so taken aback - she loved it. And if it's got Mom's seal of approval, then we know it's go time.
What do you like the most about this song?
Honestly, this song feels the most vulnerable to me. Yeah, it's a love song. But love is a vulnerable thing. The first two songs I released were honest and vulnerable in a different way. I wanted to be this girl who didn't need to just write love songs and who could make people laugh and also bop their heads and sing along in a 3 minute tune. This song feels a little bit more serious. It's still an upbeat song that I hope you all can dance around you living rooms to. But I think the lyrics speak a real vulnerable truth that I hope some of you can relate to in one way or another.
In your opinion, what makes a "good" collaboration?
People who can tell you how it is and who don't always agree with you! These guys are my friends, so I knew that if I shot down someone's idea that they wouldn't take it personally and they knew the same for me. They ultimately respected my vision for this tune, but really stood up for their ideas if they felt it really was the right move. I do think we struck a great balance there.
What does singing make you feel?
That's exactly what it does - singing makes me FEEL! And I hope when I sing, it makes you feel too! It should make you feel all of the things. I don't want my music to just be one thing. I want you to laugh, feel empowered, cry, dance around your living room, feel loved, go hug your Mom, all of the feels. I think that's what good art does. It doesn't just make you feel one thing. That's not my objective. Feel the things that you need to feel when you listen to my music.
How often do you write songs?
Depends on the season of life but usually at least once a week if not a couple times. I work full time and also perform on the weekends so I try to write in the evenings as often as possible! If you're a songwriter and you're reading this, I would love to write with you. I love meeting new people and getting to know a person through music. How cool is that that we can just do that? I love Nashville.
What appeals you the most about songwriting?
Connection. Vulnerability. Being able to say something without SAYING it. Saying "I'm falling head over heels in love with this person", without actually saying the word love. I love that.
Do you remember a specific moment in your life where music made a huge impact?
Music has always been an incredibly important part of my life. I was never good at sports and I grew up going to a very small Catholic school where all of the popular kids played sports. So I kind of sang in my bedroom for awhile until I started public school where they actually had opportunities for me to sing! I auditioned for the middle school musical, Suessical Jr., and got one of the lead roles of "Gertrude McFuzz". I will never forget performing as a 12 year old and being like "this is it. I have found the thing I'm meant to do. I'm actually good at something. I'm not a total loser". and I have never looked back.
What do you want to accomplish as a human being?
This is such a good question!! I strive to give every human the benefit of the doubt. I do not believe it is my job (or anyone's job) to judge you. Sometimes it bites me in the ass, but I really do see the good in people. I really do believe that most people want to be good and do good. And I do too. I want to make people laugh, make people feel understood, and give them the benefit of the doubt.
What are your thoughts on today's social media?
Yikes. I am so bad at social media. It intimidates me so much. There are so many apps and hashtags and algorithms. I try not to get too caught up in it, but don't we all do it anyways? But what you see on my social media is the real me. I don't have time to edit all of my pictures of 6 different apps so that's not what you're going to get from me. And I know that in the end, that's not what all of this is about.
In your opinion, what would make the world a better place?
I think if we cut each other a little more slack, we'd be a lot better off. I think most people have good intentions and people get so caught up in differing opinions that we almost dehumanize each other. I see people on social media talking about people with opposing beliefs as if they aren't people. I try to remind myself that even if people's ideas can sometimes be misguided, that they are a person. They're just making their way through life the same as we all are. Nobody is perfect. But on the other side of that coin, we should show up for each other. If you see someone being a real jerk, it's okay to call them out. We gotta keep each other in check - be honest with one another in any way that we can.
What biggest life lessons have you learned so far?
Money is stupid and frustrating and not as important as people make it out to be. It's okay to be wrong. You really do fall in love when you least expect to. Appreciating the little things will get you far. Be unapologetically yourself. Live intentionally. And most important, hold onto your people so damn tight. Show them you love them as often as possible and never let them forget it.
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