It all started with a guitar for Lyle Kam. Music had always been a part of his life, and the old, classical guitar just existed in his home until he decided to give it a go. After learning the basics, Kam wanted to create his own music. “I thought ‘maybe I could try doing music, and posting it on YouTube,’” Kam said. 

Fast forward to today, Toronto-based singer-songwriter Kam has released two full albums and numerous EPs, his most recent being “pov:”. 

Kam’s music style is very relaxed indie-pop, with breathy lyrics and a mix of synthesized and acoustic elements. He described his music as being “like the feeling of driving down a highway at sunset with the wind blowing in your hair.” Lyrically, Kam’s songs are heart-wrenching, frequently playing into the theme of feelings not being returned. 

When Kam started writing his own songs, he joked that he used to focus on making deep poetic lyrics. His most recent work takes a more direct approach to storytelling, which Kam said makes his songs feel more real. 

Kam’s favorite lyric from “nice about it” is “You don’t have to tell me if you’re meeting up with someone else/ ‘Cause that would really break my heart and destroy my confidence” because it does not sugar coat the feeling of unrequited love. 

“Sometimes just writing things more raw hits even harder,” Kam said. 

Connecting with the audience is particularly key for musicians’ successes as social media plays a major role in their growth. Social media played a big role in Kam’s music career, as a TikTok video helped his song “Unlove” become popular overnight.

Social media is making music more accessible, but changing the industry itself to be more unpredictable, Kam said. In the past, radio and record labels controlled what kind of music made its way into the mainstream. Now, the power dynamic is shifting toward the audience choosing what songs do well. “It’s more about the content you put out on social media that will dictate how a song will do,” Kam said. 

“Virality” is something creators are constantly chasing, but “you cannot force a song to go viral,” according to Kam. While different social medias, such as TikTok, Instagram Reels and YouTube Shorts have similar content, that does not mean that content does equally well across the platforms. Kam joked that YouTube Reels are the most unpredictable, as YouTube itself is built for more long-form content. 

Because of this change in dynamic, Kam noted that artists are having to change, too. “It’s like a cycle,” Kam said. Over time, music evolves through the blending of genres. Kam described how in 2018 pop artists incorporated drum samples from dance halls, as heard in “Shape of You” by Ed Sheeran. More recently, artists like Lauv use trap drums in their songs. All of this blending could lead to a new genre in the future, something Kam expressed interest in. 

“If I don’t become Shawn Mendes, I would be OK with that,” Kam said when discussing his future plans. For him, the joy of creating music, and potentially making a steady income, is what his career is all about. Music for music’s sake and others enjoyment is more important than “blowing up,” because “the passion is not to become a millionaire, but to create music that people can relate to,” Kam said. 

“There is more stuff coming on the way,” Kam added. As a heart-broken hopeless romantic, I highly recommend Kam’s songs “june”, “Somebody to You” and “Unlove.” These songs play my heartstrings like a violin, and I am not ashamed to say that I have scream-cried these songs during my nightly commutes home. Kam’s music can be found on all streaming platforms, such as Spotify and Apple Music. 

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