When you’ve worked with the likes of Carly Rae Jepsen and DYLN, you might be persuaded to remain one of the shadowy co-writers in the background, away from the limelight. But for Vancouver-based Kyle Richardson, there are some words that just need to be said from those who wrote them. Ahead of the release of his upcoming solo debut in October – and following the latest single, ‘Anything’ – I sat down with Richardson one Friday evening and found out what music was all about for him. We talked about what to expect from Louder Than Words, his first album,who he’d want to work with if he could, and what inspires him in the first place.

First things first, congrats on the new single! What does it feel like having it out there?

It’s awesome. This song has been a long time coming, so I’m really happy to finally have it out there. I wrote the song years ago, and a couple of years ago I finally brought it to my producer, and we recorded the final version. It’s been great to get it out.

What’s ‘Anything’ about?

‘Anything’ is about letting the people you love know how much they mean to you, and it’s about taking the small moments – day to day – to reinforce how much you care about them.

Your debut album, Louder Than Words, is due for release in October. How would you describe the record as a whole?

It’s a very upbeat and positive album. Stylistically, there’s pop, pop rock, some piano ballads, then some kind of throwback sounds. Like almost a Motown vibe, or a soul kind of sound.

If you could sum the album up in one word?

I think ‘uplifting’.

What were the biggest inspirations for the album?

I base what I write on life experience, or things that have happened to me, or the people I know. It’s less specific stories, and more emotions, or a feeling.

Would you say personal experiences and emotions are your biggest muse in general?

Yeah, I think so.

You’ve written with some pretty iconic people. What’s it like writing just for yourself, and worrying less about how something sounds for someone else?

It’s kind of the same. I write similarly if it’s for me or someone else. Sometimes when you’re in a session, too, you’re just writing and seeing what happens, then you figure out if it’s better suited for you or for the person you’re working with. We kind of just start with a melody or lyric, and go from there.

How long has Louder Than Words been in the works?

I started recording seriously for the album in 2018. It was kind of all done through 2018 to 2019. Then the pandemic happened, and kind of shifted how I wanted to release everything. So, I took a break and focused, just to make sure the album was how I wanted – shuffled around a couple songs. But yeah, it took about a year to record, but some of the songs have been around longer than that. Some are relatively brand new.

In terms of the production, you’ve been working with Grammy-nominated Jeff Dawson. Was it a case of letting him do his thing, or did you get involved in the production, too?

The way we write stuff – because I wrote a lot of the album with him, too – we write based off of a piano vocal or a guitar vocal, like a scratch demo, and then he’ll build the track around that. Then I’ll come in, re-do the vocals, finish them up and do all the backing vocals. And if I have any tweaks, he’s very open-minded, so we’ll collaborate and figure out what the best medium is. But he’s great at what he does, so I really trust what he’s brought to the album.

If you could collaborate with anyone, who would it be?

There’s so many! I think I’d love to sing with Adam Lambert, just because his vocal range is crazy, and his stage presence is insane. It’d be great to learn from him. I’ve always wanted to write something with someone like John Mayer, too. I just think as a songwriter he’d be really cool to work with. But yeah, there are tonnes.

You’re an LGBTQ+ performer and you’ve played at several Pride events. Sadly, that still puts you in a minority within the music industry. Did that fact have any relevance or add any extra meaning to the upcoming album?

I think it’s definitely in there. The album is a really positive and emotional one, just about being true to yourself and making the best of hard situations, and powering through. Yeah, it’s a very resilient anthem of an album, so I think so.

What musicians inspired you when you were younger?

When I was really young, I listened to a lot of soulful stuff, like Stevie Wonder, that kind of thing. And then, when I started listening to pop music, it was John Mayer, John Legend… Gavin DeGraw was a huge influence on me. Then artists like Kelly Clarkson, for how crazy her voice is. I have a lot of inspirations, but those are some of the main ones.

Who are some of the best artists out there right now?

I like what Sam Smith has been doing lately; the last album is amazing. Kim Petras is really cool. John Legend; l like every album he puts out. And yeah, all the people I’ve listed are some of my all-time favourites.

What’s the plan when Louder Than Words is released? A well-deserved break? Booking some live dates? Powering through on the next record?

Definitely, I want to start booking more shows. And since this album has been done for a little while, and then the pandemic delayed it, I’ve been wanting to get back in the studio and work on new stuff. So, I think I’m gonna work on some follow-up stuff pretty soon, either in fall or early new year and then go from there. So that I keep having stuff to put out. No more long breaks for me!

Will we hear outtakes from Louder Than Words on your second album, or will it be all new stuff?

There’s a mix of stuff. Like, I have some older songs I never properly released that I would love to get out there, just so I can include them in live shows. But I also love being creative, so I’ve been itching to get back in there and get working on new stuff. So probably a mix of both.

Do you ever have to force yourself to be creative, or is it all flashes of inspiration?

It depends. Usually, it’ll be a lyric or a melody that gets in my head and then I’ll start working on that. Either I’ll work on a bunch of it, or just get a little voice memo of a line I’ve been working on and bring that to some collaborators. Or sometimes we just meet up and write and talk about what we’re going through – see what we want to write about and go from there. It’s open-ended.

Last question, and it’s such a cliché one to ask, but I’ve got to! What advice would you give to an aspiring singer-songwriter?

I would just say be true to yourself and find out what’s unique about you and your voice, or your message. Try your best to get that out there, because there’s only one of you.

So, there we are. Not long until Richardson’s debut album is out, and if the contagious, summer chart sound of ‘Anything’ is any indicator, Louder Than Words could be the biggest underground smash record of the year. And of course, we here at ‘Fred will review it when it drops, so watch this space!

Thanks to Kyle for taking the time out to have a chat about all things music. If you’d like to listen to ‘Anything’, his latest single ahead of Louder Than Words’ October release, it’s available to stream and purchase digitally on all platforms.