At 18, many young chaps are transitioning from being teenagers into becoming adults and coupled with a lot of bad decisions that kids make around that age due to teenage exuberance. It is impressive to see an 18-year-old who has not only quite figured out what he wants but built a strong foundation for the course he intends to chart. Sitting comfortably on a list of 18-year-olds who have found their calling is Karson Leighton, a singer, songwriter, performer and producer from Kalamazoo, Michigan.
Karson’s music journey began in fourth grade when he started taking classical piano lessons. He quickly realized that he has an aspiration to create his artistic image through music. He decided not to pursue learning piano classically and started teaching himself. Before long, he grew an affinity to writing his songs and realized after realizing he had a singing gift. He fell in love with performing when he started participating in karaoke at a small bar in his hometown. From this point onward, all he had to do was continue to hone his skills throughout middle school and in an attempt to take his musical career to the next level with producing his music.
Karson seized every opportunity he had to perform at school, whether it be the national anthem, choir concerts or fundraising events. He started teaching himself how to produce music on my family’s home computer during his freshman year, and a few months later, he released his first song. And with the support from friends and family, he gained a following and acceptance from people in his area. There and then, he realized he was on the right track that satisfied the dreams he had as a kid. His ability to have full control over every aspect of his music, from lyrics, instrumental, cover art and profile were all created by Karson and reflected who he is and his journey so far.
On his motivation, Karson said, “I am motivated to build my own brand because I am in love with the idea that I can showcase my talents and creativity to the world. Through music, I can declare my message that I want my listeners to take away. By building a brand, I will keep people’s attention and continue to instill the positive energy that I want people to feel with my music. I want to use any platform I am given to make the world a better place and fight for what people believe in within my brand.”
On his music, Karson notes that his music is different from that of other upcoming artists because of his sound, though very experimental but at the same time easy to listen to. And with sound cutting across different genres, it is hard to place his music in one particular genre. “I try to make my music interesting by having unique storylines and production methods. I take inspiration from songs that portray certain moods and emotions.” He summed. “I believe this sets me apart because many artists who are trying to “make it big” attempt to be someone they’re not and getting everything put together for them. Not that getting help and management is a bad thing; I could probably benefit greatly from the right professionals, but I plan on being involved in every single part of the behind-the-scenes action for as long as I am making music and creating myself as an artist.” He concludes.
For the next five years, Karson plans to devote all his time to his music and continue to follow and feed his passion. With a childhood dream of one day headlining his shows and performing in front of large crowds, Karson says, even coming close to his dreams five years from now is enough success for him. “I want my music to be a comfort zone for all of my listeners, and I see myself growing my audience to help other people by doing just that; creating music.” He added.
To learn more follow Karson Leighton on Instagram or stream his songs on Spotify.
