Kid Sister

In 2007, I was hired to shoot at the Lollapalooza Hard Rock Lounge by 4th Row Films. It was a place were the artists came and got some free swag. There were a few people that we interviewed that stood out. One of them was Kid Sister. Melisa Young aka "Kid Sister" grew up in Markham, Illinois. In 2007, she was on the cover of URB's "The Next 1000" and She released her first single "Pro Nails" which featured Kanye West. In 2008, she was nominated for Best Female Hip-Hop Artist at the BET awards.

G: Why do you play music?
K: It comes very naturally to me. For a while, I thought it didn’t make any sense to pursue muic beyond the shower. I didn't know anybody that was making a living out of it. Then, I started meeting people that made it their career. My brother got really good, I met Diplo, I met M.I.A., those 3 people showed me that I could do this, and it’s not really like a job, it’s fun and you get paid for it. And I was like, "Sign me up". I do this anyway, for free, in my shower.

G: Favorite food?
K: Depends on the day, what I’m craving, but usually pizza.

Favorite drink?
K: French sodas, I like creamy shit.

G: How do you handle distractions?

K: They don’t phase me. Really, I’ve had a lot of weird things happen at shows.
There was a girl that was rolling on stage at CMJ, she was shaking her body awkwardly. So I moved her off the stage but never stopped rapping.

G: Where do you get inspiration?
K: Sometimes, when you hear a beat it gives you a feeling, and it makes you wanna go xyz to that beat. It seems like saying xyz is right for that song. It's a sneeze, you sit down and write. Writing is deffinately work, sometimes you gotta trudge out to the top the hill and go to your work. And you sit down and you listen to the beat and you try to think of something, and you write those things.

G: Has there been a turning point that made you end up in your life?

K: I guess, it’s not really one thing. I was living a hard life. Working three jobs. I had a rickety bicycle which I rode in the winter, spring, summer, and fall. I was on this loud bike and I thought to myself, "If I try out this music thing, I don’t have shit to lose. I guess I could get poorer but it’s not going to kill me, it’s not like my life was that great. I was passing out fliers, working in a children’s clothing store, and being sales lead for bath and body works. I was really depressed so I started making music. And I feel like when you’re doing what your meant to do in your life, everything works out for your.

G: Musical influences?
K: Anything that sounds good, I really don’t have just one. I listen to anything that has an interesting asthetic and is provocative in some way, mentally, emotionally, and it makes you feel, makes you think, makes you emote, I like anything like that, and it doesn’t have to be music. When I eat, I want the food to take me somewhere, make me feel something, to satisfy some sort of need for adventure. And it’s the same thing for music.

Kid Sister - Pro Nails ft. Kanye Wes

This was the interview I shot in 2007.

You can get check out Kid Sister at www.myspace.com/kidsister.

adios amigos,

greg k