5 Questions with…Kyle Anne Duggan!

Although I didn’t start seriously writing songs until I was in college, I always knew I wanted to be a songwriter. I started taking piano lessons when I was around 4 years old, and when I started getting proficient I began experimenting with my own compositions. I was very inspired by composers such as Nobuo Uematsu, Thomas Newman, James Newton Howard, and Danny Elfman. I picked up guitar at around 12 years old because I wanted to be the next Kurt Cobain, but that didn’t really work out how I’d anticipated. Although I was always creating music, I never really thought to write words to any of my musical pieces until I got a little older and wiser and had things of substance to say. I started taking songwriting classes in college, and that really helped shape the way I write today.

I took voice and piano lessons as a child and through my teens, then went to Berklee College of Music in Boston for about 3 years, but I didn’t graduate. Voice was my principle instrument and I majored in Songwriting. I’ve never had any formal guitar training. 

I think formal music training is invaluable. It’s very easy to rely on raw talent, but having an education can really help shape your skills and ultimately take you to the next level and beyond. At the same time, I know plenty of songwriters and musicians who have never received formal training but are still just as competent as educated musicians. I think it all boils down to your level of self discipline. If you’re not seriously applying yourself and discovering new ways to hone all aspects of your craft, you’re not going to make much progress. I think it’s also important to note that having a music education is just a small part of a whole range of factors that can determine your success as a musician.

Here are some little things that helped me on my songwriting/musician journey:

Stay true to the song, not necessarily what’s true in real life. If you’re feeling inspired by something personal in your life and want to write about it, you should absolutely follow that instinct! However, a lot of songwriters (myself included) can get muddled down with trying to include every little detail of what happened to you instead of just conveying the message and spirit of the song. Say what you need to say as simply as possible. Simplicity speaks volumes! You’ll be surprised how poetic you can be with very few words.

Being competitive is pointless, so support your local musician friends. Even if your peers are creating music similar to yours, at the end of the day they’re not you and they don’t have your unique perspective from your unique life experience. Be confident in yourself and be confident in your music!

Listen to absolutely all kinds of music. That may seem pretty obvious, but I know many musicians who find themselves in a listening rut and seem to stick to only one genre. There is a lot to be learned and discovered from obscure and/or outdated genres of music, and incorporating unusual elements in your song can make it really stand out.

Choosing between my songs is like choosing between children! It really depends on my mood. Usually my favorite song to play solo is “The Greater Need,” because the lyrics are very raw and almost esoteric, and the fingerpicking pattern I do makes it fun to play. I was in a really weird place when I wrote that one, so it’s always interesting to tap into that head space when I perform it. I definitely can’t include that song in my set at most of the venues I play due to sensitive content. My favorite one to play with my band is a song called ”
Stick Around,” because it’s just upbeat and fun and I really like the melody I came up with for it. When I play it live with my band, there’s this whole extended breakdown jam session at the end of it that we all get really into. We usually save this song for last since it has such a dramatic ending!