“I was not expecting it in the least,” Kin says of the nomination, sounding genuinely taken aback. “I was absolutely honoured, humbled and totally thrilled.”
Even with the increased exposure, Kin hasn’t let her success get to her head. She has, as she tells it, people to answer to. For the folk and blues-leaning Kin, the question of influences was an easy one to answer because they’re the people who had the biggest influence also moulding her personality: her family.
Sure, nominees and winners of awards are always quick to thank their family during traditional acceptance speeches. But for Kin, her family had such a vital role in the formation of her musical tastes and abilities that they remain an intrinsic part of her aesthetic as an artist.
“My sisters and brothers, they were all full-fledged musicians by the time I was born,” she says. “I really tuned into what they were doing and looked to them for inspiration when I wanted to start expressing myself through music. That was very exciting, because my Dad was also a big country and Western fan, singing songs of love and loss. And my sister was into classical female singers. And my brothers were into these fantastic soul singers.”
When it came time to record Magician’s Daughter, Kin didn’t have to look far for a helping hand.
“My older brother Michael is on the record,” she says in a very sheepish, little sister way. It would appear that by remaining closely tied to her family, she has established levels of accountability for her success and also the necessary encouragement needed from family to continue through what can often be a daunting industry.
“It’s nice to be able to involve my brother after years of hiding my music away from my family,” she says pointedly.
Now, with the ARIA Award nomination and continued touring in support of Magician’s Daughter, Kin finds herself entrenched in a competitive industry that would seem to test the ideals that were instilled in her while growing up a very socially-conscious household.
Recognition from the music industry may be a sign of traditional success, but Kin isn’t getting carried away. She may have also been nominated for AIR and WAM Awards, yet this sort of recognition isn’t as vital to her as the connections she makes and maintains with her fans.
“I don’t know how important (industry recognition) is to me, I think it’s more important to have people turn up to my shows, to be honest,” she says.
“For me, that’s the real indicator for what I’m doing,” she continues. “I’d like to think I perform not for the industry but for the audience and for myself as well. It’s the connection that I can have with people in a room. The stuff from the industry and the recognition just feels like an extension of that.”
At the end of the day, Kin will continue to ply her trade not for the spotlight but in support of those around her and those who need it most. She’s eager to discuss the recent 100 KM run she completed to raise money and awareness for OXFAM. This is, after all, what makes Mama Kin one of the more exciting roots singer-songwriters performing in the country today: she’s focused on ensuring her music finds the proper home, instead of simply winning awards.
“As a family, our music was what we gave to our community,” she says. “As a musician, what I have to share is my music. I’m committed to being in a community, which means if I’m at a place where I have an abundance of something, I should be sharing that abundance. Activism is just an extension of being active in the community.”
BY JOSHUA KLOKE
