Singer-Songwriter Kaylee Lauren On Single ‘Make Believe’, Taylor Swift, And Her Rising Fame

A rising star!

With over 1 Million streams on just Spotify alone, singer-songwriter Kaylee Lauren is quickly becoming known in the music industry. One of her most recent songs is ‘Make Believe’. And spoiler alert: It’s a bop.

We had the amazing honor of talking with Kaylee about the song, performing at Hotel Ziggy, and more!

When did you first realize that you wanted to pursue a career in music?

K: “When I was a child I was always singing around the house, my parents said I could never stop, I just loved it! I was always a creative child growing up, I was the lead role in Annie when I was younger and I loved learning my lines and singing for the crowd. The confidence I had when I was a little kid was unmatched, I feel like I tune into my inner child when I perform now that I’m older, for that confidence!!”

Tell us more about your amazing new single ‘Make Believe’.

K: “This record is very meaningful to me because I wrote this about connecting to my inner child’s emotions of feeling misunderstood, and how it has affected my self worth as I’ve grown up. The lyrics came to me when I was feeling like nobody in my life was seeing me or my struggles and pretty much overlooking what I was expressing. I hope anyone who listens to this record, if they feel misunderstood, can feel a sense of connection to the emotions I’m conveying and feel less isolated. I want people to feel accepted, understood, seen, and heard when listening to “Make Believe”, that’s the most important reason why I write these songs.”

If you had to choose, what has been your favorite song you have released so far?

K: “Oh, this is such a hard question because.. like.. all of them. If I had to choose, I think “Not Enough” because the song was a beginning of a new era for me in many ways, it started my career, it began my love for dark pop sounds, and it was just a new style for me. When the song was mastered, I brought it to one of the producers/friends and I was doubting myself, second guessing myself, and asking him what he thought of it? He said “it was the best record I’ve made so far and I should put it out into the world”.

I almost didn’t put this song out. It was very different for me. Something inside of me finally convinced me to release “Not Enough” and it now has almost 2 million streams on Spotify and has reached so many people. I get messages everyday about how this song has saved someone, or helped them through a really dark time. This means everything to me that I have the power, through my music, to help people. I’m very grateful for this record and I hope it continues to help people around the world forever!!”

What is your songwriting process like?

K: “I usually start writing with a concept in my mind whether it is the title of the song, a lyric idea, or just a sudden urge to write about a feeling or moment that can sometimes hit me out of nowhere. I’m trying this new way of writing songs where I just write poem-like pieces on the notes app on my phone, then writing in my journal has become a new step, I draw a big heart in the middle of the blank lined piece of paper with the song title/idea and I brainstorm words/concepts that correlate with my idea and i’ve found that to be so helpful, and special as apart of my songwriting process.”

You have over 1 Million streams on Spotify! What has been your reaction to your rising fame?

K: “I am so grateful and blessed for the success in my career!!! I have dreamed of moments like receiving my 1 millions streams Spotify plaque and it feels amazing and exciting. I feel so happy now that my record has reached over 1 million streams, now almost 2 million. I feel like the luckiest girl in the world!!!”

If you could collab with any music artist, who would it be and why?

K: “Working with Taylor Swift has been a big accomplishment in my career… *manifesting this*. I listen and study Taylor’s writing process and beautiful melodic strategies when writing my songs. I think she has been a big inspiration for my career recently, and I feel so grateful to be able to understand and connect to her music. I think if Taylor and I were to write a song together, it would definitely chart because I feel like our styles are similar and writing together would absolutely be a treasure. She is the music industry and she is very talented. I’m lucky to be able to call her one of my biggest inspirations.”

You just performed at Hotel Ziggy! How was it?

K: “Yes, I performed there a few weeks ago, it was an amazing show! Grant Owens hosted the live showcase and it was an honor to perform at the event. It was the best performance I’ve done so far, I practiced with my band prior to the show and perfected it down to the last day. I had my amazing band play with me “Them Fantasies” and I performed a couple released/unreleased songs. I also sang a cover of “You don’t own me” By Lesley Gore. That song is so special to me, I love 60’s music and oldies, so this was a full circle moment for me. I’ve posted some videos and pictures from my live show on my instagram if you want to check them out!”

Where can we follow your amazing journey?

Instagram: @Kayleelauren_

Tiktok: @Kayleelauren_

YouTube: Kaylee Lauren

Spotify: Kaylee Lauren

Make sure to stream her newest single ‘Not Enough’, available now on all music platforms!

Je’Kayla Crawford– Founder and Director– Je’Kayla has been a journalist for years and decided to start a publication of her own, New Scene. When not helping her team and working on the monthly issues, you can find her watching a movie on Netflix or baking using a viral Tasty recipe.