Life & Work with Kiana Del

Today we’d like to introduce you to Kiana Del. 

Hi Kiana, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
I’m a vocalist, educator, songwriter, and curator hailing from the valleys of a small, rural Northern Kentucky town called Carrollton. Music fascinated me from a young age – I acted and sang in musicals from pre-school through high school. At the early age of 4, I was begging to hop on the mic to sing solo hymns in church. When my parents saw how serious I was about my passion, they signed me up for piano lessons at age 7. Vocal lessons soon followed at age 12, and at 13 I was playing with a touring area performance troupe singing live in regional venues and festivals. Throughout this time, I learned to play the ukulele and guitar with the help of a friend, wrote some of my first original songs, and dipped my toes into the world of starting and leading bands. 

A couple of great high school mentors who were musicians themselves pointed me to Bellarmine University in Louisville, Kentucky where I earned my Bachelor’s of Music in Jazz Studies in 2018. In college, I met the founding members of my band Kiana & the Sun Kings, and cut my chops as both a lead and supporting vocalist. I started showing up at jazz jams, attending sometimes 3 shows in a night to network with seasoned musicians and venue owners and made my name in the local scene. Taking up space as a young, Black woman in the music scene very quickly showed me the clear divide in Louisville. I had a myriad of questions as to why exclusion was the status quo and vowed to change it. Those experiences shaped me into the musician, educator, and space-maker that I am today. 

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
It has not at all been a smooth road. I started my journey in music really young, so trial by fire was the name of my game. I made a lot of mistakes and didn’t quite have a handle on the emotion/business balance that plays such an integral role in a successful music career. I started many different musical projects that have since fizzled, dealt with the gritty parts of being the “boss,” like handling money, researching record deals, and firing band members. I started cognitive behavioral therapy my freshman year of college and had to come to terms with a handful of new mental health diagnoses. Looking back, learning those things improved so much of my communication and leadership skills, but at the time it felt like drowning. 

On top of personal hardship, to this day I still find it difficult to grapple with the palatable lack of respect for women in music, especially Black women. Whether we’d like to admit it or not, there’s a pretty clear bias in Louisville’s scene and music in general. I’ve had to field a slew of assumptions about my experience, I’ve been taunted and questioned and underestimated simply because a white man in power took a look at me and counted me out. When I say I’ve earned my spot, I earned it with blood, sweat, and tears, and I’m still climbin’ up that mountain. 

Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I specialize in vocal pedagogy, vocal arranging, songwriting, and education. By day, I’m educating the next generation of musicians as the Engagement Manager for Music Education at Louisville Public Media. I’m creating a music curriculum that will reach regional classrooms. Academia has been such a barrier for so many brilliant musicians in the past, whether it be a monetary barrier or the lack of personalized resources for differing styles of learning. I’m passionate about providing free resources to learn about music to counter and hopefully remove those barriers in the long run. 

By night, I lend vocal support to many musicians singing back-up at live shows, vocal arranging for recording artists in the studio, and leading my band, Kiana & the Sun Kings. Being a supporting vocalist has taught me to listen critically and intimately know the voice of the vocalist I’m supporting. To learn to really blend, to become one voice, and act as the safety net for the lead vocalist causes you to be totally selfless. Even still, the music I have and am continuing to write with the Sun Kings has to be the thing I’m the most proud of. I’ve been able to process love, grief, immense pain, and everything in between with this work. I’ve strengthened my skills as a lyricist and learned to be a better leader by listening and reflecting. Music is how we relate to and understand each other and it’s the realest expression of the complexities of our humanity. It’s all interconnected. 

If there’s anything I’d like you to take away from reading about my work, it’s this – my mission in everything I do from songwriting to curation is to ensure these experiences are accessible to all – musician and non-musician alike. When I create an event, I come at it with an “everybody eats” mentality. I want to make space for musicians to create freely without judgement. The exclusion that I have and continue to experience has only fueled me to continue changing the culture surrounding our views on jazz and music access in general. 

Alright, so to wrap up, is there anything else you’d like to share with us?
Drink water, journal, listen to music – really listen to what the lyrics are saying and pay attention to how it makes you feel then write about it. Take care of yourself, then take care of your community. You’re worthy and capable. No matter the backlash, we’ll make change, one little push at a time. 

And check out Kiana & the Sun Kings on your favorite streaming platform – you won’t be disappointed 😉 

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.sunkingsjazz.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kianadelmusic/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kianadelmusic
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/kianadelmusic
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/KianatheSunKings 

Image Credits
Sally Wegert
Trey Griffin
Tyler Franklin