A Conversation with Independent Artist Kenny Elrod

University student and up & coming indie artist, Kenny Elrod is navigating his newfound solo artistry and in doing so, opening up doors within social media and the music industry as a whole. We were able to discuss his process as a solo artist, maintaining authenticity in his work, and navigating social media pressures as a smaller artist.

Kenny Elrod | Instagram

Kenny's music touches on multiple genres, from indie pop, pop, synth-pop, and more with the desire to continuously expand his reach into other areas that relate to how he's feeling in the moment. His musical journey began in 2020 out of pure amusement for creating music & uploaded a song onto social media with no intention of beginning a successful music career, however, two months after its release, he's never looked back. The single gained major traction on platforms, including TikTok and Spotify with over 5.2 million streams.

He followed through with other singles, including "Sunrise", "the butterflies", and "so low", which combined have over 230k streams to date. Each song touches on relatable themes and brings with it a shred of vulnerability from past experiences. Despite touching on heavier topics that hit your heart-strings, the positivity between the lines reminds us that the grass is always greener. The most recent release, "stove" is no exception to this rule as he maintains the optimistic tone within a more negative storyline.

Prior to dropping music publicly, his start to adoring the industry came at an early age where he was prompted to audition for the school play and the delight in performing live began. He explained, "performing on that stage for the first time changed my entire trajectory... it was such an electrifying feeling being onstage". Currently attending the Berklee College of Music has only sparked the love for music even more and allows him to explore other realm of the industry.

Kenny continues to break barriers that seem to confine other artists by prioritizing authenticity & vulnerability within his work as well as his public image. He strives to keep these hand-in-hand as he proceeds to gain a following, release more music, and perform live in local venues, which seem to be his personal preference. He finds that booking smaller, nearby venues provides the ability to not only do what he loves but not break the disconnect between himself & fans.

Kenny Elrod | Instagram

A major theme for him is being consistently and candidly himself regardless of success. When asked about how he'll balance it all, he provided us with an honest and candid look into his personal life, "One thing I'm very big on is staying true to myself... growing up in a place where being yourself isn't the easiest thing to do.. I am LGBT, I am a Black individual in a predominately white neighborhood, which is not easy... If there is an opportunity that comes my way that tries to force me to change any part of myself, I'm not taking it".

We have immense admiration that he not only cares about his craft and voice in music but also the perception of fans, desiring consistency and a relatable presence in the industry where this is few & far between.

Some of his musical influences include a plethora of artists as he takes pieces of inspiration from many. Kenny's unique touch in music sets him apart from current & other rising artists from the craftsmanship to production. He feels his music is similarly to that of Labrinth, Finneas, and Logic and attributes them as his biggest role models. Although his interests and musical preferences lie in multiple genres, the idea of squaring away into one or a few categories doesn't give the needed creative freedom. He continues by explaining, "I don't want to limit myself to one genre, I want to release the music that I enjoy and the list never ends. I adore indie-pop music, which resonates with me and what I listen to the most".

As Elrod finds his way through their career, they prefer to keep it this way: solo. Although the idea of working alongside other like-minded producers and artists may be a creative breakthrough for him, having control over his music and self-reflecting unaccompanied seems to be his main priority. Kenny speaks on this further, "at some point I may want to work with other people... I really enjoy the authenticity of producing and writing work on my own...working with other people, I'm scared I won't be able to transfer what's in my brain into words". Perhaps in the future he'll have the urge to share a story and talent with others but the fears that having too many cooks in the kitchen will hinder the story he's urning to create.

Despite sparking his career on social media, where millions of others have turned to for showcasing their talent, he's had to separate his mental health from the picture in order to maintain a balance. Kenny continues by saying, "I have a love hate relationship with social media... For a while I would struggle with my online presence, I would see videos of other songwriters blowing up and for some time I didn't have a song gain the same traction.. I would try to replicate and continue to make content but it would be discouraging after a while ... It started off as fun but it took me a while to be okay with not having expectations". The negative side of social media, especially as an artist who's promoting, releasing, producing, and writing their music solo, it can be daunting when comparing your success to others.

After just 3 years of exploring the world of the music industry, Kenny Elrod continues to break barriers, maintain a connection with fans, and have pure fun while doing it. Through relatable tracks, addictive melodies, and the positive outlook on negative situations, his music has and will continue to hit home for millions.

To listen to Kenny's new single "stove", click here