Kiah Linae Coleman also known as Khiy is a multi-talented hip-hop/Rnb singer and songwriter based in Stone Mountain, Ga. She has taken all the time she needs to learn all that she can about her craft and where it will take her in the future. Her skills set varies from mixing and mastering to singing and rapping, to producing as well as songwriting for various other artists.

Khiy has made tremendous steps toward her mainstream goals, independently releasing three albums and six singles since her first release in 2018. To date, her full-length albums include; Stay Focused (single) 2018, Sum Mo’ (single) 2018, Mixed Feelings (album) 2018, Where The Plug (single) 2019, Just The Beginning (album) 2019, Just The Beginning part II (EP) 2020, Jamaican Me Happy (single) 2020, Secrets (single) 2021, Zodiac (single) 2021.

Her latest single “Zodiac” which was released last year has shown the world how talented and resilient she is in making her music.

Watch “Zodiac” on youtube:

 

 

Hello there, welcome to Honkmagazine. Can you tell us a story about what brought you to this specific career path?

Khiy – Destiny is what brought me to become the artist and musician I am today. When I tell people music is in my blood they usually don’t pay me any mind until I tell them that my mom was a singer and my dad was a DJ and they met at the same gig and started dating from there so music is literally something that I wouldn’t be here without. Music is a universal language, a way of expressing when you can’t express, a way of telling when you want to repress. My passion, hunger, and work ethic for my career is unmatched if people were able to see how much I have done without a team behind the scenes. It’s definitely a struggle along with a beautiful journey. Music is something in my life that has taken over my mind body and soul and I truly believe there’s no Plan B! This is my life, this is what I choose and this is what I know and I am gifted with. Music is a universal language. A way of expressing when you can’t express, a way of telling when you want to repress. I’ve used music and my creation of it to get me through almost all my struggles.

Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you started this career?

Khiy – A lot has happened on his journey in my career thus far and it’s so funny how the universe works in your favor when you need it to the most. In 2020 I took a chance and signed to a small independent label because most artists like me who were trying to figure out the game know that a lot of the artists that we look up to our sign to labels. I can never say I regret signing to the independent label that I did but I also had to learn that all along God has given me all the tools that I need even down to the wisdom of the game to wear anything less than my deserving is it beneficial to me. After leaving the label, I was really lost and looking anywhere and everywhere for guidance, even people who knew nothing about the music industry! Knowing that I had tons of songs ready to be released, in my heart I knew that without that direction and clarity that I needed, it would be hard for me to take my music career far. I can’t tell you exactly around what time or how things change but I do remember having a lightbulb moment and realizing how I should brand myself and market myself and what type of music I should make to get me through the door. I trusted in my intuition and in 2021 as soon as I became independent again I released a single called ‘Secrets’.  To be honest around this time I kind of wanted to quit because I knew that the funds that my career required of me were so hard to get and survive at the same time. I felt like survival was more important. Later on, God dropped a miracle into my life that really ignited the flame within my soul to go even harder. While on vacation that I didn’t have money for in Miami for the first time I received my first mechanical royalty check which made me realize that all this is possible and the results were coming! The fact that that check came from my music with those types of numbers at a time where I felt like nobody was listening to me nobody heard me, I knew that that was the confirmation I needed to never doubt my craft or where I could take it. Because I knew that was just the beginning!

Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?

Khiy – The funniest mistake I’ve made in my career is trying things that we’re not me. I used to try to make music that would impress people as a result they would laugh at my attempt to be “Hood” or “hard” knowing that wasn’t me. Listening back to that music I made (which will never be released) I laugh as well knowing that now I’m creating from a place of purpose instead of validation and insecurity.

What are some of the most interesting or exciting projects you are working on now?

Khiy – So the last year 2021, I dropped three singles which all have gained me new supports and recognition along the way. ‘Secrets’ was the first one coming in February and being featured YouTube movie “Secret Admirer” directed by SlimTheWriter. Apple of My Eye came in July just to keep the love alive and has also been featured in multiple YouTube series and shows. Lastly ‘Zodiac’ dropped in December and once you hear it, it’s a song you’ll always remember because of how catchy it is! I wasn’t going to disclose this information but for my friends at Honk Magazine, I will drop a little tea. This year 2022, I plan to drop my biggest project and the three singles mentioned will also be featured on this project. That’s all I have to say about the future because one thing about me is I love to use the element of surprise 😉

Who are some of the most interesting people you have interacted with? What was that like? Do you have any stories?

Khiy – The beauty of being an artist is you get to travel and meet so many different people along the Journey. I feel like everybody in their own unique way is interesting because we are all created so different even though we are similar in so many ways. The people with who I like to interact the most carried the spirit that I want the most; which are people who always have a smile on their face, people who are strong and stay confident and faithful during any trials life may pitch.

Those are the most interesting people to me on the planet because they have the same struggles as everyone else yet they continuously hold their heads high and set the example.

Which tips would you recommend to your colleagues in your industry to help them to thrive and not “burn out”?

Khiy – In order to not burn out, I would recommend artists treat their careers like going to the gym. When you work out there’s no way that you can gain that 6pack from scratch overnight no matter how hard you go, so you always pace yourself and expect to see the results over time. That’s how this industry works, you may not see the results for a while but as you’re working it out and growing within your craft, you know you’re making progress and THAT is what’s most important.

You have been blessed with success in a career path that can be challenging. Do you have any words of advice for others who may want to embark on this career path, but seem daunted by the prospect of failure? 

Khiy – Success in anything you do is 90% mentality 10% skill. Once you change your mindset your skill will follow and you will become consistent (if you are passionate about it). Lots of consistency and discipline with a little bit of talent is the formula for success these days!

Can you share with our readers any self-care routines, practices, or treatments that you do to help your body, mind, or heart to thrive? Kindly share a story or an example for each.

Khiy – Self-care is such an important aspect of life seeing as how deep down we all dream of making a change in this world. The beginning of changing this world is a change within oneself and that is where your self routines come in. My life became a lot better once I realize these things and made little changes daily. Sleeping to meditations, praying, taking care of my body no matter how much it costs because without a body I couldn’t do much anyway LOL. I make sure that I take vitamins, eat healthily, drink plenty of water and preserve myself as much as I can for the purpose that I was put here for.

 

What are your “3 things I wish someone told me when I first started” and why? Please share a story or example for each.

Khiy –

1. I wish somebody told me that pain is just a trigger for you to unlock your best self if you chose to perceive it that way.
2. I wish somebody could have slapped the insecurity out of me that I had when I first started my career. I used to sleep on myself a lot, unfortunately.
3. I wish somebody told me that it is way worse before it gets better and the struggle is something that really just makes you tougher along the way to where you’re going.

Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life? 

Khiy – Keep pushing forward and do your best let God do the rest are the two quotes that I may get tatted on my grave. Lol Not only are these sayings tatted on me because of how much they resonated with me when I heard them, but by following these two life models there’s nothing that I cannot accomplish! I will always work hard and outdo myself and I will always keep pushing forward no matter the obstacles or circumstances and God will forever bless my efforts.

None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful towards who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story about that?

Khiy – Fortunately, there have been a lot of people who have come in and dropped gems and blessed me along my journey, but there is one person in particular who has played a big role in my life and her name is Kimberly Pearson Aka Kp2dope.

She is an engineer/songwriter-producer based out of Atlanta and it’s so funny because I and Kp never thought that our relationship would become the way it has. Not only do we do business together, but we also sharpen each other’s tools, help each other grow, pick each other up when one falls we’re almost like guardian angels for each other. She was the first one to introduce me to keep pushing forward, so even from the beginning of our relationship, she has always been giving me pieces of wisdom that I needed to become stronger and more confident in myself, which has also reflected in my music!

You are a person of enormous influence. If you could start a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. 🙂

Khiy – I feel like mental health is a big thing but I feel like every part of us is a branch that we have to individually work on and I feel like the root of mental health is self-worth. I will create a self-worth movement showing people and encouraging them to act on what they feel they deserve no matter how big or crazy the vision gets, that’s what we are here to do! We are here to create the realities that we want while serving a higher power. My movement would solely be based on progression within the mind, body, and soul of a person. I’m a firm believer that everyone should be rich, everyone should be wealthy and everyone should be well-off but half of the battle is what a person feels like they deserve. I would hope that after my movement the messages of self-love, attention, and expansion were still spread far and wide encouraging people to take a chance on themselves.

We are very blessed that some of the biggest names in Business, VC funding, Sports, and Entertainment read this column. Is there a person in the world, or in the US with whom you would love to have a private breakfast or lunch, and why? He or she might see this. 🙂

Khiy – If I could sit down and have lunch with anybody and it was just one person that I could pick it will have to be Les Brown. The special thing about this man is a lot of the people that he mentors and that his messages resonate with are not under the same career path as him that’s how powerful his message is. He can be heard by many far and wide and his motivation has such a fire to it that if you have any ambitions in your bones it should be ignited by a lot of the speeches that he has said. I would love to sit down and have a one on one with Les Brown just to pick his brain even more and see if I could be a blessing to him as well as much as he has been to me along my journey without even meeting me.

How can our readers follow you online?

Khiy – You can follow me on all social media platforms.

IG: @khiyktm444_

Facebook: Khiy The Musician

Khiythemusician.biz

Twitter: @Khiythemusician