My Story
"I was introduced to playing music with violin at a young age - so much so that I don't remember not making my own sounds. Being born and raised in Ann Arbor, Michigan as the fifth child of a musical family, there were many opportunities to connect to music my siblings had already taken advantage of and pursued. As a 10th grader listening to a high school female a cappella group sing Toto's "Africa," I was in awe of what human voices could create together and I eventually joined an a cappella group in high school before using skills practiced there to audition into a Michigan State University group called State of Fifths. Serving for 3 years as a co-music director, we won ICCA awards for arranging, beatboxing and choreography and as I graduated out of State of Fifths, my hunger to create and explore the human voice persisted.
Going from arranging vocals and beatboxing for a group of 15+ talented singers to feeling constrained by being one voice with a guitar was frustrating as I couldn't properly display the harmonies and expressive percussion that lived in my head. Inspired by artists such as Reggie Watts, Ed Sheeran, and Julia Easterlin (aka Hite) I decided to buy an RC-505 Loop Station made by BOSS and it was the single best investment I've made in my life. The loop station allowed me to release all the sounds I wanted to hear in an instant and then have them build on one another like I could with room full of versatile singers. Since April 2015, I've been steadily improving my live and recorded looping style and technique to create the very best music I know how to. I'm now performing at Southeast Michigan music venues, weddings, and schools and I'm excited to keep learning, growing and sharing what I like to create with the world.
The next step for me, Kyler Wilkins aka Ki5, is to turn what I do into lessons for other artists of all kinds. I want to be brave enough to be seen to the benefit of people who aren't sure if they can be that brave. I want my music to go further and enhance other art forms such as film and television with the hope of reaching more people my music would resonate with.
It's a journey filled with uncertainty, but in stories about others we always call those adventures. Thanks for looking into my adventure - Hope to see you along the way."
-Kyler
A Favorite Quote
"As we let our own light shine,
We unconsciously give other people permission to do the same.
As we're liberated from our own fear,
Our presence automatically liberates others."
-Marianne Williamson