"I try to put a lot of positivity on social and be uplifting. Encouraging my audience to follow their dreams and never be discouraged! The one thing I would say is using my voice to be aware of specific causes and how you can get involved. I’m really involved in the Cancer cartel nonprofit, they collect new and used items, and 100 percent of proceeds go to families and individuals battling the financial burden that cancer treatments come with." Asa part of our series about music stars who are making an important social impact, I had the distinct pleasure of interviewing Kimberly Dawn.
Kimberly Dawn is a country singer/ songwriter using her natural talent for storytelling and music to express an authentic message of perseverance, humility, courage, and resilience. Through original songs like “Cadillac Lovers” and “Slow Dancin’ in the Dark” — nominated for Best Country Song at the 2019 Hollywood Music in Media Awards — the Canadian-born musician shares timeless stories of real-life triumph in the never-ending struggle to find bold purpose and powerful self-love. As a mother of four, Dawn’s personal journey toward creating inner strength and balance on the road to living out her passion is one to which many women can relate, and one that she feels particularly suited to tell. “All through growing up, raising a family, and finding myself, music got me past the most difficult times. If my song gives someone else strength to get through the day, then I’ve done what I set out to do.” Dawn earned her stripes opening for Wilson Phillips in 2015, along with performances at Los Angeles’ House of Blues and celebrity red-carpet charity events. She has also featured on popular podcasts such as Stripdt Down with Ali Levine and All About You. Don’t miss her popular singles, “Nashville” (released February of 2020) and ’93 (set to drop September 24th, 2020), along with a weekly blog where she shares the inspirational experiences behind the music. Get a daily dose of Kimberly Dawn now on Spotify and follow along with 50,000 fans on Instagram @OfficialKimberlyDawn. Thank you so much for joining us in this interview series! Our readers would love to get to know you a bit better. Can you tell us a bit of the ‘backstory’ of how you grew up?
I grew up on a farm in Alberta, Canada, my dad was a farmer and I grew up working alongside him and my family. The town I grew up in was a very small community with a population of 1000 people. I was really involved with my church community and sang gospel music and that’s where I fell in love with music.
Can you share a story with us about what brought you to this specific career path?
As a young girl, I always loved music. I grew up watching movies with tons of singing like every Elvis movie there was. I loved singing which led to singing in church. Fast forward I moved to Los Angeles at 18 from Canada to pursue acting & singing. I ended up getting married at 22. Had all my babies by 30. I woke up at 30 and I felt like something was missing. I wanted to do something that brought me passion. Music is what has always done that for me.
Can you share the funniest or most interesting story that occurred to you in the course of your career? What was the lesson or take away that you took out of that story?
I’d have to say that there have been some interesting stories But the one that comes to mind right now as a preteen is used to listen to Wilson Phillips. I love their music. I thought it was uplifting and I used to see their stuff in my bedroom all day long. Fast forward 20 years later I get asked to open up for Wilson Phillips. It was very surreal but it shows me the power of putting out what you want into the world and trusting God. He knows what he’s doing & everything is within His time not mine. I’m just a Farmer’s daughter from a small town and all of a sudden I’m opening up for Wilson Phillips. It was very cool. I’m just a Farmer’s daughter from a small town and all of a sudden I’m opening up for Wilson Phillips. It was very cool
What would you advise a young person who wants to emulate your success?
Keep your friends and family close to you, the ones who have been there from the beginning. Take time away, have me time. Have conversations outside of your industry with family and friends and surround yourself around positive like-minded people to keep you inspired. though as an artist, you don’t have a ‘weekends’ persee, but make one, you will come back reset, invigorated, and inspired
Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you explain how that was relevant in your life?
“Don’t be pushed around by the fears in your mind. Be led by the dreams in your heart.” ― Roy T. Bennett, The Light in the Heart This quote resonates with me because I always remind myself not to let fear take over. If I let fear take control I will never move forward. I can not be successful if I lead with fear.
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? Can you share a story about that?
There are a lot of people. There is one person who was very instrumental with me. Jeff Cohen, very respectable in the music industry. He is a well-known songwriter. He just wanted to help. Well respected by everyone and they developed a friendship. I want to help you. I proved to him ‘I can do this’ she can write a song in an hour. I showed my worth and felt really lucky. The Bottle is released and co-wrote with him on the next album.
Let’s now shift to the main focus of our interview, how are you using your success to bring goodness to the world? Can you share with us the meaningful or exciting social impact causes you are working on right now?
I try to put a lot of positivity on social and be uplifting. Encouraging my audience to follow their dreams and never be discouraged! The one thing I would say is using my voice to be aware of specific causes and how you can get involved. I’m really involved in the Cancer cartel nonprofit, they collect new and used items, and 100 percent of proceeds go to families and individuals battling the financial burden that cancer treatments come with.
Can you tell us the backstory about what originally inspired you to feel passionate about this cause and to do something about it?
I have a cousin who passed away from ovarian cancer and a best friend who was battling breast cancer, — I’m drawn to bring awareness to this devastating disease. There’s just not enough funding and I want to use my platform as a tool/resource.
Many of us have ideas, dreams, and passions, but never manifest it. But you did. Was there an “Aha Moment” that made you decide that you were actually going to step up and take action for this cause? What was that final trigger?
My passion was greater than my fear — I didn’t let my fear take over. As I pushed forward with faith, instead of fear I noticed all these little miracles along the way. When you let that go, it really helps manifest your dreams into reality.
Can you tell us a story about a particular individual who was impacted or helped by your cause?
Breast cancer. I did a live IG story with my dear friend Elan Bongiorno, we talked about the cancer cartel program. A friend reached out to me after that live because she had a friend who was battling breast cancer and needed some financial help. She’s a vet and was barely keeping her doors open due to her cancer and so I connected her with Cancer Cartel and she was able to get some help from them! Talking about it on social media really does help, being able to give resources to individuals that didn’t know existed, can make a huge impact in their world.
Are there three things that individuals, society or the government can do to support you in this effort?
People can donate to The Cancer Cartel. Spread the awareness via social media. Doing local community outreach and getting involved with your community! Donating their time to an organization.
Fantastic. Here is the main question of our interview. What are your “5 things I wish someone told me when I first started” and why. Please share a story or an example for each.
Don’t quit.
Don’t expect anything from anyone else. Be involved. and your own champion.
Always trust your gut when dealing with people. Your gut is god.
It’s never too late to pursue your dreams.
Don’t take negative criticism personally. Everyone has an opinion, and that’s ok. Stay positive and in your lane.
You are a person of enormous influence. If you could start a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. :-)
I love to help people. I am a philanthropist, and see people in need and want to help in any way. My dream/movement would be to really help people — start a non-profit to shed light on issues many people can’t control. Doing charity concerts and educating the world on what can be done and giving them tools to help would be a dream come true and something I am working towards.
We are blessed that some of the biggest names in Business, VC funding, Politics, Sports, and Entertainment read this column. Is there a person in the world, or in the US whom you would love to have a private breakfast or lunch with, and why? He or she might just see this if we tag them :-)
This is a great question cause there are so many people that I think are so inspiring. If I had to pick one person to have a private breakfast or lunch with it would be : Michelle Obama She’s so inspiring. I think she is impactful. She is someone who is determined and has overcome a lot of adversity in her life. I admire her so much.
How can our readers follow you online?
All my socials are :
You can find all my music on Spotify,iTunes, Apple Music & Pandora IG: @officialkimberlydawn Facebook: @Kimberlydawnmusic Twitter:@officialkimdawn Website: officialkimberlydawn.com