To dream of becoming a musician, whether while belting out a favorite melody in the shower, rocking an air guitar at a live show or during a heated round of carpool karaoke, is a fairly common notion. But for one 16-year-old Poplar Bluff native, his dream of musical stardom is on its way to becoming a reality.
Aspiring singer/songwriter Kyle Richards spent the first week of June honing his musical skills at Grammy Camp, a five-day summer music industry program for high school students hoping for a career in music. Richards, along with 39 other young musicians, was selected to travel to Belmont University in Nashville to learn about a specific industry track. Upon arrival, Richards was immersed in the ins-and-outs of song writing.
"We learned about the royalties and the money aspect of all that, which was really scary, and then we transitioned into actual song writing," Richards said. "It was an extremely professional experience."
The various student groups worked together to understand how the real music industry operates. Richards said at the beginning of camp, vocalists came in and each sang a cover so the songwriters could get a feel for everyone's individual style. Richards said during the course of the week, he co-wrote seven songs.
"The first one was called 'Heart in a Box,' and we finished it in about an hour, which is kind of surprising for co-writing," he said.
During performances away from Grammy Camp, Richards said he most enjoys playing original music, but that he spent most of the time at Belmont behind the scenes.
"I did sing a little bit," Richards said. "The day of the show, the songwriters would go on stage and sing the song the way they wrote it, because the vocalists put their own twist on it."
Richards said prior to arriving at camp, he was worried "it would be pretentious."
"But it wasn't that way at all. Everyone was super laid back and it was an amazing experience," he said. "Watching someone else sing your songs is almost cooler than performing it yourself."
The camp introduced Richards to various professionals throughout the music industry. He learned about different types of song writing, including advertising jingles.
Richards said one highlight from his week was meeting Noah Cyrus, daughter to performer Billy Ray Cyrus and sister to Miley.
"She gave me a hug," Richards said. "They said it was picture time after she spoke to us so I seized the opportunity and thanked her for talking to us and then she casually put her arm around me for the picture."
Richards, it's safe to say, has an outgoing personality and happens to be familiar with Nashville. He said during the course of the week he became the unofficial event planner for his group.
"Everyone started to look to me for ideas, so we went bowling one night and out to dinner the next night. We just explored the city a little," he said.
Richards, whose agent is based in Nashville, said at the moment, he doesn't have any local performances lined up, but that he usually tries to entertain at the Iron Horse Festival in Downtown Poplar Bluff in the fall.
Since returning from Grammy Camp, Richards has been spending his time working with junior high students during summer school. He's leading the music for a class called "I'm a Citizen, Too," which performs patriotic songs around town during the duration of the summer session.