Tag Archives: kathy cisneros

Kathy Cisneros: Keeping Dreams Alive

If you have been listening to KC Cafe Radio lately you have no doubt been enjoying the unique, ethereal sound of Kathy Cisneros.  Painting a melodic tapestry of music and emotion, Cisneros endeavors to soothe the listener with a soft, free-flowing style.

Conveying emotion is nothing new to Cisneros.  She began doing it early in life when she took up an interest in poetry, which eventually led to her down the path of music.  The rest, as they say, “is history.”

Recently, KC Cafe Radio’s Music Director Kathy Forste talked with Cisneros via email.  Here, we get to know this unique and talented singer/songwriter.

Cisneros tells us about her influences and how they have influenced her soft rock style. She talks about her unique writing style, and how she uses the Internet as a way to collaborate with other songwriters.  She is an author, and was awarded VH-1’s Song of Year through their Save the Music Foundation in 2004 and 2008.

KC Café Radio: Tell me a little bit about your background in music. When did you start playing?

Kathy Cisneros: I have always been a writer. Ever since I was small I put my feelings into poetry to help me deal with whatever was going on in my life.

KC Café Rafio: When did you start writing?

Kathy Cisneros: I began writing when I was five. I remember writing a poem called “One” and reading it to my mother. She was so excited about how I expressed myself and she conveyed how proud she was of me and after that my pen took over my life.

KC Café Radio: What/when was the first song you ever wrote?

Kathy Cisneros: I have written so many songs for so many reasons. The first song that I ever really put music to was “Are You Real?” I haven’t published that song yet because I want the perfect venue for it before I do.

KC Café Radio: How would you describe your style?

Kathy Cisneros: I have described myself as Soft Rock Adult Contemporary, because my music doesn’t fit any of the “norm” categories. I wish and hope to create a category that is unique to my perspective on how I write and sing music.

KC Café Radio: Who are your favorite writers and how do they influence your style?

Kathy Cisneros: My biggest influence was of course and always will be Stevie Nicks. She touched my heart as a teenager and she still touches my heart today. I am so proud of who she is and how she became the icon for many of us who strive to produce our passions because of her.

KC Café Radio: What is your writing process?

Kathy Cisneros: I have worked with musicians who send me their music. I listen and feel their tone. If I can get into it, my lyrics and vocals just flow. Then we create a mutual masterpiece. More often than not, I work with my own software system. I write music based on the feelings I get from the music I compile. Often the music comes first and then the lyrics and the vocals create the story. By and large I have to feel it to even get into it or even write about it. Once I am connected to a certain sound, a song is born from my heart.

KC Café Radio: How often do you write?

Kathy Cisneros: Every single day for over (too many years that I care to mention) LOL

KC Café Radio: What comes first: music, lyrics, or do they happen simultaneously?

Kathy Cisneros: That depends. If I am working with someone else’s music, I have to listen and see if I can even fit into it. If I’m not feeling it, it won’ t happen. If I am doing my own thing, usually I create the music first and then build the story around the vibe I am feeling.

KC Café Radio: What is your favorite cut on your new CD, Just Imagine You?

Kathy Cisneros: I love the song “Dance With Me” , but I have received so many positive comments on the song “Without You” because of the ironic hate love factor! Go figure! LOL

KC Café Radio: Where wasJust Imagine You recorded?

Kathy Cisneros: All of my CD’s are recorded in my own home in my self made studio.

KC Café Radio: How long did it take to record?

Kathy Cisneros: Lyrics come quickly and daily. Music takes at least a few days to create but perfecting everything to the standard I wish it to be can take months at a time.

KC Café Radio: What’s your favorite song of all time by someone else? Why?

Kathy Cisneros: I guess I have so many favorites but of all time my favorite would be “Dreams” by Stevie Nicks. As a teenager, I felt that song so deeply that it got into my core and inspired me to become who I am today.

KC Café Radio: How did you hear about KC Cafe?

Kathy Cisneros: I heard about KC CAFÉ RADIO through Linkedin.

KC Café Radio: Anything else you like to add?

Kathy Cisneros: As old as I am, I still enjoy conveying my heart through my music. I wish I had known what I know now several years ago but it doesn’t matter. When you are driven to be who you are, age and time has no place in defining you. If I could advise those who wish to go down this road in their own lives I would say follow your dreams and never doubt yourself. You are the decider of your own destiny. You are the melody of the songs you write. You are the music that might be played long after you have left this earth. Follow your dreams, follow your heart and let your music be heard. You never know where it may lead or who you may influence to keep the dream of our music alive.

Music By Kathy Cisneros On KC Cafe Radio: