Tell us briefly about your journey in music until now.
Music has been a lifelong journey. As a young child I was drawn to all things musical. There was always music playing in the house (my dad loved big band music) and when I was introduced to the recorder and the piano, I could instinctively pick out melodies and chords by ear. This led to me singing along at the piano, writing songs and basically keeping myself occupied and entertained for hours on end.
I started learning the clarinet in primary school and this progressed to the saxophone in secondary school. I achieved my grades up to grade 8, but I was increasingly feeling the need to branch out into something more creative which would allow me more freedom and self-expression. At age fifteen I joined the Gloucestershire Youth Jazz Orchestra (GYJO) which was where I met my drummer husband Mike. We spent many happy years performing and touring with this band, playing alongside fellow musicians and learning invaluable skills of sight-reading and improvisation.
Mike and I have been married now for thirty years and we enjoyed life as semi-professional musicians for a long while as we both focused on secure professional careers, myself as head of music in a primary school and Mike as a very successful regional bank manager. It was very challenging at times having day jobs throughout the week whilst performing live gigs in the evenings and weekends. Eventually, we realised that something had to go and it wasn’t going to be music! It’s over ten years ago now that we decided to take a huge leap of faith to follow our lifelong dreams of becoming full-time professional jazz musicians. Since then, we have firmly established ourselves on the UK jazz scene, worked with some of the top UK jazz musicians, released three albums and achieved many musical milestones. We are still living with no regrets…so far!
What inspires you, how do you find musicians to work with?
My biggest inspiration comes from everyone who enjoys, appreciates and supports my music. I feel incredibly blessed to have a loyal fanbase who travel far and wide to support me. For me, it is always about my audiences…creating that special connection, sharing emotions, being part of something special together. This is very much what inspires me and keeps me going in terms of live performances. I also use this inspiration gained from others or from life experiences to shape my music writing. Every original track I have written tells a story and is inspired by something or someone.
As for finding musicians to work with, I am very lucky to know and work with some of the country’s most highly respected jazz musicians. I often feel the need to pinch myself and remind myself how far I have come as I am now working with many musicians I have admired for a very long time, musicians I used to only dream of working with. So, it’s all about working with the very best musicians you can but it is equally important to work with nice people. You spend a lot of time with your fellow bandmates, and you become an extended family. I need to feel respected, safe and to enjoy being in their company and vice versa.
Your next album is out soon. Can you tell us briefly about the journey for this one?
My latest album ‘Catching Moments’ follows my previous two albums – ‘Make Believe’ in 2016 which was all about following dreams and ‘Love Kim x’ in 2019 which was paying tribute to all my supporters who are on this journey with me.
My third album ‘Catching Moments’ which officially releases on 22nd November, has been an absolute labour of love for the past four years. The whole process started back in 2020 when I released an original track ‘All for You’ in honour of my late mum and raising money for The Brain Tumour Charity. I performed a sell-out show at Soho’s Pizza Express with special guest Ray Gelato and, within three days of that big release, the whole world was hit by the Covid-19 pandemic, and we were plunged into lockdown. It pretty much stopped everything in its tracks.
Like many musicians, I kind of lost my way for a short time and I was unsure of the way forward. But my husband and I found our way through by creating new opportunities to stay connected with our supporters and with fellow musicians. At this point I found myself composing music quite prolifically as a means to express a whole mix of emotions. I also found myself on a huge mission to shout out about and celebrate all the resilience and strength of those working in the arts. So, I created a project called ‘Brighter Tomorrow’ and I started reaching out to fellow musicians to see who would like to come onboard. All of this really influenced and shaped the direction of the music and choice of musicians on ‘Catching Moments’. It has been all about catching special moments in life over the course of four years, expressing emotions of personal and worldwide events throughout that time.
How is it promoting your music? Do you target specific audiences, or put it out and hope for the best?
The role of a musician has changed hugely over the past few years. I have experienced this myself and I have also heard from other musicians who have noticed the change. As creative people, all we really want to focus on is creating and performing our music. Afterall, that is why we chose this path and that is what we do best. But promoting music is a huge part of what we need to do, and it is also the biggest challenge. With changes in the way music is released and presented, there is now such a vast quantity of music out there, it’s almost impossible for the small independent musicians to break through.
I find this part of my role as a musician to be the most challenging, time consuming and stressful. You need huge amounts of resilience as it can often be heartbreaking and soul destroying when you have invested a great deal of time, heart and soul and money into a music project that then goes unnoticed. I am incredibly grateful to all who champion my music and to those people I can reach out to when promoting my music. The contacts I have built up along the way are always my first port of call. Other than that, you can pay large sums of money for PR but everything is pretty hit and miss and perhaps you also need a little bit of luck on your side.
How have you found a label / agent and other people to represent you?
I am an independent artist, and I have had no representation throughout my music career to date. My previous two albums were released with my own record label Kim Cypher Music. My record label is now Mean Reedz Records and that is the label ‘Catching Moments’ is released under. Oh, how lovely it would be to have a label / agent helping me get everything done and advising me how to do things right!
As a female artist? Do you feel there is any prejudice or expectations of women that male performers do not have or do you feel the field is even now?
This is something I get asked a lot, so it’s good that it is in the foreground of people’s thoughts. I wouldn’t say it’s an even field, but I am aware that things are positively changing. I don’t often feel any obvious prejudice, but I do occasionally experience comments or actions that make me think ‘hmmmm, would that have happened to a man?’ I do find that image (as a lady who dresses in glamorous stage wear for my performances) can sometimes make it harder to be taken seriously and respected as a jazz musician. I have had a few comments which suggest that ‘behind the glitz and glamour’ there is a serious saxophonist, vocalist and composer who can actually play…like it’s a surprise! A bit of a shame really as I personally think it’s important to make an effort with your appearance as part of the overall experience that the audience have paid for. I don’t really see why that should hold any relevance to the musicianship, but it seems to.
If you were to advise a performer just starting out, are there any lessons you might pass on?
I would always encourage any aspiring musician to follow their dreams. However, my encouragement would have to be accompanied by a reality check! This business has always been tough, but it is tougher than ever right now. So, the lessons to pass on to a young performer are to: Establish exactly who you are as a musical artist and have total commitment and belief in this; Prepare yourself emotionally for rejection and criticism. It will most likely not be an easy journey, but all the knocks can make you tougher and more determined; Use your self-belief and any negative energy to fuel your motivation, drive and determination; Prepare to draw upon a never-ending supply of RESILIENCE! Build up as many contacts in the industry as you can; Congratulate yourself for every small achievement, taking time to enjoy the successes along the way and remember, your music has its place, it’s just a case of finding where that place is.
Looking ahead – what would you like to have achieved in say, five or ten years’ time music-wise?
Wow, five or ten years’ time seems like an eternity at this point in my life. I honestly don’t know. I have been working tirelessly for the past however many years, chipping away at all my musical dreams and ambitions. I feel very proud that I have never given up on achieving those goals. Right now though I feel I need to take a moment to reset and determine the way forward over the next few years. I will be touring the new album and I have some lovely gigs lined up already, with more to come. I will also want to get back into the recording studio at some point, but what I will be recording I’m not sure. I have some grand ideas, but it all comes at a financial cost which is constantly challenging as an independent artist. I would love to do more composing and recording though and take on some more complex projects (I can’t believe I’m saying this so soon after finishing such a huge album project!). This is what we do as creatives though…we are a mad lot! I would also love to perform again in New York, that was such a special experience.
If you were to choose one album by any artist or genre that you would like people to hear, what would this be?
This question stopped me in my tracks. It’s pretty impossible to choose ONE album as there is so much incredible music to listen to. I tend to go for music that really gets into my heart and soul and I will listen repeatedly to a track that moves me. Right now, I have a particular favourite ‘go to’ track and I have even recently added it into my live performances. It is a track that has so much feeling – composed by the hugely inspiring Carla Bley – ‘The Lord is Listenin’ to Ya, Hallelujah!’ The live version on the album ‘Songs with Legs’ (Andy Sheppard, Carla Bley and Steve Swallow on Watt/ECM 1994) is an absolute masterpiece.
What would you say are the hardest areas of being a musician?
Where to start with this answer? I think it’s probably easier to state the easiest areas of being a musician which for me, is without doubt all the wonderful people who support me and my music. In my lowest times it is always the people that gain something from my music that give me the drive and strength to keep going. As long as my music has purpose then I will do my absolute best to continue. The hardest area of being a musician (and it’s all pretty hard) is retaining positivity and belief that what you’re doing is good enough.
Is it difficult to fit music in with other aspects of your life?
I guess it is easier to fit music into my life as I am in this business along with my husband Mike. Music is pretty much our life so there is constant overlap between what is our work and what is our life. Like any busy, demanding job though, there are times when I wish I could have more free time to do other things. It is essential for me to get some balance between the crazy schedules when we’re ‘on the road’ and when we have time to just relax at home. I love nothing more than having time at home with my husband and with our two adorable bunnies Bertie and Molly. I get very grumpy if I don’t have time with my fur babies.
Have you found the impact of streaming on making a living from your music to have had any impact?
Of course, YES…a huge impact. It is so easy now for people to readily access your music online. Therefore, people are not so forthcoming with purchasing your music on CD or vinyl. Of course, there are always those who do support and people do still buy CDs at live gigs. But the reality is that the means to create music on a sustainable long-term basis is much more of a challenge now. It costs so much to produce a CD. I don’t think people realise that, unless the independent artists are able to receive payment for the music they create, they will not be able to continue making it. Online streaming platforms do not directly support the artists who have had to pay so many costs associated with recording an album – the musicians fees, the cost of studio time for recording, editing, mixing and mastering, any license fees, distribution fees, the cost of artwork design, photographers fees, the physical production costs and this is before you even start thinking about any costs involved to promote the music. So, when your personal savings run out, the music stops being made. Simple as that. Therefore, it is so important to support your favourite artists by buying their music from sites such as Bandcamp or buying CDs and vinyl directly from the artist.
Do you have any other thoughts or information?
My 3rd album ‘Catching Moments’ officially releases on all music platforms on 22nd November. It follows two hugely successful live performances showcasing the new music with my all-star band including a sell-out album preview show at world-renowned Ronnie Scott’s back in the summer and my recent sell-out album launch show in my hometown of Cheltenham. This album marks an important milestone for me in life and in my musical career. It is an album created out of passion, positivity, love and huge respect for the music industry and for all who contribute to the arts, an absolute labour of love, inspired and shaped by personal and world events, bringing together a wonderful line-up of musicians and consolidating four years of creativity and personal expression. I really hope everyone will enjoy checking out the music and the videos which are all about cherishing life and catching the moments:
Next up is a return to one of my favourite London jazz venues, Pizza Express Live Soho, on Monday 11th November to perform music from the album with my wonderful band plus a couple of very special guests! You can book now at the link below. I am looking forward to seeing everyone and to sharing my new music at forthcoming gigs along the way:
https://www.pizzaexpresslive.com/whats-on/kim-cypher-catching-moments
