Meet KC Shane | Creative: Singer, Songwriter, Musician, Performer, Poet, & Visual Artist

We had the good fortune of connecting with KC Shane and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi KC, can you talk to us a bit about the social impact of your business?
As a singer songwriter, musician, and performer I am very grateful to have the ability to create music that reaches people’s hearts and minds. Music has the power to unite people from all walks of life and I have been blessed to see that happen from stages and someone amongst the crowds. As a performer, I have been told by many listeners over the years that my voice, my songs, and my story have brought them hope, empowered them, and moved them to tears, One compliment I will never forget is when someone came up to me after a show and told me “your music is good medicine. you are good medicine.” It is such an honour to be apart of someone’s healing journey through my expression of my own healing. It is incredible to be apart of something that goes beyond ME. Music has always been and will always be…and it is such a beautiful way to connect to each other, reconnect with ourselves, and create change. I am a proud transgender and queer person and I believe those parts of me, and being open about it, also brings a positive impact to the world. Being visible in a way that not every transgender or queer person is able to be I believe is important to not only highlight trans and queer joy and success but to also give hope, positive representation, and empowerment to and for the community. I have had both young and old LGBTQ+ individuals approach me to thank me for being so open and vulnerable through my music and have had parents of transgender youth thank me for being a positive role model for their child. That right there is truly what it’s all about. I do what I do to share my story of survival, of queer love and heartbreak, and to be a voice for those who feel they are not heard by using my platform to sing and talk about the injustices we and other marginalized people are facing. Music changes lives and culture every day and I am just happy and grateful to be a part of it. For those reading, I urge you to please support and uplift transgender and queer musicians and creatives! We are out here and our work is important.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I have an eclectic taste in music that shows through my original work because it too is eclectic in genre. I don’t fit into any boxes and my music doesn’t either. I create a genre fusion of acoustic, soul, folk, blues, rock, country, alternative, and a dash of pop. I am a musical storyteller who paints images in the mindseye and get’s listeners in their feelings.

Has it been easy? Singing and playing guitar, sure…those things have come naturally to me. Otherwise, no not really. It has taken a lot of hard work, dedication, and determination to get this far. And of course I wouldn’t be where I am without the support and love of others in my life and community. The journey has been full of high and low points, laughter and tears, heartbreak and love, coming out, a gender transition, a voice change, overcoming abuse, discrimination, and mental & physical health challenges. I am nowhere near where I hope to be on this creative journey. It is continual self-work just like with anything. One challenge, out of many, I have faced is that it has been tougher to get gigs as a fat, transgender, queer, and neurodivergent person for reasons one could imagine. It’s both awesome and frustrating when my inbox blows up in the spring time every year filled with inquiries to perform at Pride events but not so much outside of that time frame. What I want venues and booking agents to recognize is that queer creatives are so much more than their queer identity and I wish more spaces would be open to having queer artists outside of Pride season. (Again, thank you to the spaces that continue to support artists like me all year round.) I create music that is more of a mellow and, at times, melancholy vibe. It invites people to lean in and listen and isn’t what you’d hear at a club or a house party. This has also made it a bit more difficult to find places to perform. So, I would never say it’s been easy. It is not easy. Worth it, without question. Even if I never achieve everything I’d like to, my music has already had a positive impact and has helped many. And really, that’s all I truly want. Even through the difficulties, music and sharing it with others thrills me like nothing else can. I feel most alive when I am on stage and experiencing the exchange that happens between myself and the crowd. I’m really proud of the work I have accomplished thus far and I’m excited to continue that work, get it recorded and released, and I’m looking forward to seeing how some new material I have been working on unfolds.

Some things I have learned would be that I’m not everyone’s cup of tea and accepting that that is okay. What I share will not always resonate with everyone and that is okay, too. There will always be people that don’t rock with you for one reason or another and that’s fact in all walks of life. I just create from my life experiences and whatever I put out there is meant for whoever receives it and that is enough.

One thing I’d like the listeners and readers to know about me and my “brand” isn’t really so much about me, but about all of us. It was a few years ago that I became aware that I mattered. My life, my story, my work, my interactions in relation to the world around me, all of it matters and is important. I spent most of my life before this suffering from ongoing rapid cycles of major depression, suicidal ideations, and a couple of, thankfully, failed attempts at ending it all. I can tell you that after the moment I realized that my life, even all the messy parts of it, had meaning and purpose, I was changed forever. Do I still struggle with depression, I do! However, not nearly to the depths of before. It changed my relationship with myself and created more beautiful, meaningful, and peaceful relationships with others. It has been the most beautiful ripple effect I have been blessed to be a part of. This realization was illumination into my darkness and has allowed me to shine light into other’s lives as well where they get to be reminded how much they (you) matter and then get to experience that same illumination in their own life and thus into their community. This has been the seed of self-liberation in many lives. The ripple didn’t start with me, but continues through me and through those I connect with and so on. In short, you may not ever see how your life, your work, and your light has encouraged someone else to keep going and stay lit themselves. We’re all in this wild life together. So, please stay. Stay true to who you are. Stay kind to yourself and others. Stay lit. Keep going and keep glowing. Because, you are worth it and YOU matter.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
I love living in Sacramento because there is always something to do on any budget. When my friends visit I like taking them to check out the shops, museums, and food in Old Sacramento which is next to the river and probably our most iconic historical landmark- the Golden Tower Bridge. I’d definitely take them to one of my favourite spots to eat at the popular Ink Eat’s and Drink, We would for sure go to an open-mic night and a local music or comedy show. If they’re here for a longer stay, we would take a short road trip to Lake Tahoe, the San Francisco Bay Area, or the Pacific Ocean beaches that are only a couple hours away by car and absolutely something to not miss if you’re in this part of California.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
First and foremost I would like to thank my Grandmother, my Mom, and my Dad. I wouldn’t be who I am or where I am without you and your support to be my most authentic self and to pursue my music and all my dreams throughout my life.

I’d also like to shout out my best friend of nearly 20 years; Emily. My loving and supportive partner; Candy. To Mateo Briscoe and my producers Jesse Hanes and Jesse Szabo and my Let’s Go Studio’s family. To Casey Martinez-Tinnin and the LBUCC. Heather Evans for your music mentorship. To all my numerous former housemates for you friendship and sharing of shelter… and listening to me rehearse my new songs over and over ’til I get it right. To everyone I’ve connected with in the Sacramento music scene; open-mic venues & hosts you don’t get enough thanks for all you have done in providing safe spaces for all creatives to share and grow. To every music professional that I have worked with whether it worked out in the end or not- I learned from you. To those who repeatedly show up to my performances- I see you. To all my past teachers, leaders, and therapists. To anyone who has ever chosen me to sing at their wedding. To my guitar, voice, and songwriting students. To Del for having me as your guest for my first radio interview & broadcasting my first single. To every single fan, new and old, near and far. To love, joy, and happiness I have been able to experience and to the challenges and heartbreaks that have come and gone- you sure have given me a lot of inspiration to work with. To the all of the transgender and queer community – you are so magical and I am so proud to be apart of our community.

Wow… I am so thankful to have had such amazing people in my life that I would never be able to list them all. To everyone mentioned and not mentioned (I’d name you all if I could) here that have shown me unconditional love, kindness, compassion, encouragement, and support through all my highs and lows… I thank you and I love you so much.

Website: https://linktr.ee/kcshanemusic

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kcshanemusic/?hl=en

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kcshanemusic/

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/mrkcshane

Other: TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@kcshanemusic BandCamp: https://kcshanemusic.bandcamp.com/releases Apple Music: https://music.apple.com/us/album/empty-words/1493475548?i=1493475549 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/album/3avLTWyZA0pK4Sj6Jd1Dvx?si=I-cAS-8nSC6YPaCGVFLEUA AmazonMusic: https://music.amazon.com/albums/B083FFBRRH?refMarker=null&trackAsin=B083FFFP6J& SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/kcshanemusic/tracks

Image Credits
Sevie Wilde