Movers and Shakers Interview with Kaylee Robin

Published by: Dillon Kivo

Tell us your name and a little about yourself.

Hi, My name is Kaylee. I often go by Kaylee Robin. I am the lead singer of Laced in Blue.

What exactly does your company do?

“Laced in Blue” is a Band. We create rock, blues, alternative, and progressive music. Sometimes we get a little experimental, sometimes a little heavy, and sometimes we get a little funky. We break genre borders because no one likes being stuck in a box.

What were the biggest challenges you have faced and how did you overcome them?

Oh man, what a question… Life, man! Life itself is the challenge.. playing the game of life is a challenge, and the only way to overcome is to just keep living and bettering yourself, whatever that may mean for you!

OK, but if we’re just talking about challenges with my band, maybe I can narrow it down. Time Management is a big thing I feel, as well as trying to keep all of us band members on track. Keeping everybody motivated, moving forward, and believing that it is possible to achieve big things with music, that can be the biggest challenge. Working in such a seemingly impossible industry, yet we just keep making music cause we love it and we’re pretty good at it.. and it’s fun! If you’re not having fun, you’re not living your best life.

What piece of advice do you wish someone had given you at the start of your career?

You know what, it’s not the advice I wished I would’ve gotten, but I just wish I would’ve listened more. I’m sure all the advice I ever needed, I heard at one point, but I was so stubborn that I had to figure it out myself. So my piece of advice–listen, there are people out there who want to help you. There are people out there who want to bullshit you, and it may at times be difficult to tell the difference.

Don’t guard yourself against the fear of the bullshit. Just open your ears, open your eyes, and trust your judgment… but don’t be afraid of anything. If someone offers to help you, just let them, and if there’s ever a moment you can help someone else, just help them. Just work hard and be a good person, and good things will come to you… and this should be at the top actually… Believe!!! Believe in yourself! Believe in what you are doing! If you do not believe in your own path, neither will anyone else.

Who are your biggest influences and people you admire and why?

Well, when it comes down to my life as a musician, I’m going to have to say my band is a huge influence in my life. Honestly, I never thought I’d be in a band, yet here I am, and it’s been such an amazing adventure so far. I feel like it’s just getting started.

My guitarist, Jerry Valle, has been working on music with me for the past 4 or 5 years, and he’s really been a motivational push, constantly bugging me to write and sing… I can’t say that’s a bad thing.

Ian LeBlanc, my drummer, is always out on adventures meeting new bands, musicians, and friends. He motivates me to get out there, be more social, and make connections, which is really important in life, especially in entertainment.

Will Smith is also one of my guitarists but has been focusing a lot on bass these days. Actually he focuses a lot on many things. He’s pretty good at enjoying all of his time. I’d say it’s pretty inspirational to see someone really living their best life. He is able to balance many different aspects of his life all at once. This guy gets up at the crack of dawn to surf every day, go to work to build crazy batteries, engines, or something. He races rally cars, fixes cars, plays guitar and bass in a band (“Laced in Blue”), he’s a homeowner, has a garden… and he still makes time for us. I’d say he’s pretty admirable.

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?

Well, I basically answered this in the above question, but I’m going to just add it onto it. Aside from my band, I’m going to give a loving shout out to myself. I’ve put in a whole lot of work–mentally, spiritually, and physically. I have had to pat myself on the back and tell myself everything is fine, when in fact things were not. I’ve been in situations where I truly felt alone as if no one could really understand me, and I’ve picked myself up off the floor many, many times. I’ve smiled when it hurt so bad to smile but it was all I could do. I’ve seen my friends and family destroy themselves and pick themselves back up as well. Seeing that kind of strength has always pushed me to try to be that strong. So I guess with that being said, I want to thank my mother for being the strongest human being on the planet. She has endured, well let’s just say, a lot… and she’s still standing. I am blessed to have her strength.