Name: Kaitlyn Aurelia Smith
Nationality: American
Occupation: Producer, composer, songwriter, vocalist
Current release: Kaitlyn Aurelia Smith's new album GUSH is out via Nettwerk.
Things I am passionate about but rarely get to talk about: Handbalancing and hobbyist arbor tree climbing in a harness :) I love practicing how many ways and for how long I can balance on my hands :) I love being alone high up in the trees and hired an arborist to teach me so I could go 150 feet up in the trees. :)

If you enjoyed this Kaitlyn Aurelia Smith interview and would like to know more about her music, visit her official homepage. She is also on Instagram, Soundcloud, and bandcamp.



Do you think that some of your earliest musical experiences planted a seed for your interest in writing lyrics or poetry? How and when did you start writing?

Aww love this question. :)

I feel my natural experience of the world is very romantic and poetic. It has always been a part of me … gathering combinations of things and the capsulation of experiences. :)

Entering new worlds and escapism through music and literature have always  exerted a very strong pull on me. What do you think you are drawn to most when it comes to writing?

I love that it feels like I have access to different parts of myself than I do speaking, or composing, or dancing …

It feels there is information in me that is meant only for writing. :) So I guess I love uncovering that. :)

It is sometimes said that “music begins where words end.” What do you make of that?

Hmm that really resonates for me! In the ineffable! Definitely!

Some things are better communicated felt and not heard, or heard and not felt - or both!

The relationship between words and music has always intrigued me. How do you see it? In how far can music take you to places with your writing you would possibly not have visited without it?

I love the way the syllables have to fit in the music …

I have never been able to put any words to any music … it feels like a puzzle, they have to be compatible.

What are areas/themes/topics that you keep returning to in your lyrics?

It is different for each album … It tends to correlate with the album theme.

Do you tend to start writing with what will be the first line of the finished lyrics?

Usually I start with jibberish and feeling and then form structure and literacy around that.

When you're writing song lyrics, do you sense or see a connection between your voice and the text? Does it need to feel and sound “good” or “right” to sing certain words? What's your perspective in this regard of singing someone else's songs versus your own?

For me, when making albums - I love for it all to feel connected. Many thoughts on a theme. Chapters.

I would love to know a little about the feedback you've received from listeners or critics about what they thought some of your songs are about – have there been “misunderstandings” or did you perhaps even gain new “insights?”

Hmm most of the time people tell me they can’t understand what I am saying haha!

When I post the lyrics, I often feel received and understood when I ask people what they think it is about.

Creativity can reach many different corners of our lives. Do you feel as though writing song lyrics or poetry is inherently different from something like making a great cup of coffee? What do you express through music that you couldn't or wouldn't in more “mundane” tasks?

Love this question!

I actually believe in the martial arts approach to life: “the way you do one thing is how you do everything.“

And honestly I always look to how I do the dishes to teach me how I am approaching everything in life. Haha