Ky Baldwin & Molly Jackson Interview
Hey Ky & Molly. Hope all is well. How have you been?
Always well. Never a dull day.
How would you guys describe yourselves in 5 words?
Enthusiastic, resilient, easy-going, happy, clueless (at times)
Compassionate, Helpful, Determined, Precocious, and Professional.
K&M: Since you are both 15, how do you guys manage school with your busy schedule?
I homeschooled so do it at my own pace. Some days spending all day focused on one subject, other days not doing any. I love school work as I get to choose what I spend the majority of my time on.
School definitely comes first right now, because I am in tenth grade and that has a lot of requirements. I am homeschooled though, so I am allowed more flexibility in deadlines, because of what I do outside of school. I have a really great guidance counselor that helps me with my school schedule, so that I can still act, but achieve the high school standards at the same time. My time is mainly split between school and acting, but I try to get a little bit of socialization with my peers and physical activity in there too.
M: Molly, you started your acting career at a very young age, what inspired you to try acting at all?
My mom was looking into summer camps for me when I was four, and the one that caught my attention was a theater camp. I started performing in front of my family as soon as I could walk. I guess I thought it would be really fun to do it in front of a larger crowd than just my family. So when I turned five, I was old enough to go to the summer camp. After that one summer I just never stopped.
M: What actor/actress are you influenced by?
Julie Andrews, Natalie Portman, and Brie Larson.
K&M: What’s your friends and parents thoughts on your career in singing and acting?
My family are very supportive. My family is my biggest asset. They are very honest about the good, the bad and always willing to help in any of my ideas. My mum does so much for my music and youtube. I know I could never get it done without her and my sister who are heavily involved. My nana and Grandad are also huge supporters and have helped my mom and dad get us here.
My parents are very supportive of it all. They think it is great and love that I am having fun with it. My friends are mainly in the show business themselves, so they are also completely supportive.
K&M: Have you ever been star struck by someone? If so when, where, and who was it?
No, never but never met any really big names here in the US. I did enjoy saying hi to Ed Sheeran last year but wasn’t starstruck. I don’t think I ever would be. Celebrity has never really interested me. But if Michael Jackson were still alive it may be a different story.
I met Corbin Bleu at a movie premiere of mine (his dad was in the movie with me). I was pretty star struck, because I grew up watching High School Musical. So meeting him at a place where he was watching my work was just un real!
K&M: What’s an average day for you guys look like?
No day looks like another for me. Lately I’ve been going to the studio a lot or meetings. When at home I’m working on my latest songs or an audition. Each day I try to practice the piano, guitar and do some singing warm ups at the very least or learn a new song. So much to do with so little time to do it in. I’m always behind.
Gosh, my days are all over the place. I don’t think I have any that are the same. I guess the majority of the time they are pretty spilt between school and acting.
K: Ky, your new single, “Why” is amazing. How did this song come about? & What’s the meaning of the song?
Thank you so much. That song started with the melody on the piano which I just love and then I just randomly started with the word why. The chorus then just kind of fell out without a lot of thought. Then I put more thought into building a story around that. I am a voice against bullying and trying to build peoples confidence. I hope this song leaves people with the message that although they may be down and feeling worthless that they aren’t. That life is full of ups and downs for everyone and it’s ok to allow others to help you. And then one day you can do the same in return.
K: Can we expect any new music soon? If so can you spill some details about them?
I have so many brewing right now. I could easily release an album tomorrow but as I’m now working with producers and talking to record labels it takes a lot longer but will also be a whole lot better. We hope to have something out in the new year. I have also written a ballad that might go on a movie soundtrack so waiting to hear back about that. My new songs are definitely better than anything else I’ve done. There’s a really great dance track and then some great guitar songs. I can’t wait for this one.
K&M: Are there any other projects in the works you guys can tell us about?
I’m heading back to Australia next week to perform again at the Woolworths Carols in the Domain. It’s a massive open air Christmas event with over 100,000 people live and then broadcast nationally in Australia and Asia. Apparently my section is going to be huge but not even I know what it involves yet. I’m really excited for it. I had the best time doing it last year and so happy that they’ve asked me back again. Then I have two hosting jobs I’m waiting to hear if I’ll be doing in the New Year.
I have two more episodes of Nick, Ricky, Dicky, and Dawn that should be coming out early 2017. I also filmed an episode of a brand new Disney show in October called Andi Mack. That will also be coming out in 2017.
K: I watched your newest music video for your new single, “Why”. How did the idea for this music video come about? & What’s the process to make a “Ky Baldwin” music video?
Well as the song is about a friend who is helping you through a hard time we just thought of likely scenarios that you might find yourself in. So you can see initially that I am depressed, things aren’t going great for me, but that I have a great friend (Molly) who understands and is being really supportive. I feel guilty that I let her down but she is so patient and doesn’t take it personally. Then obviously at the end we get back to good times.
K&M : You guys also did a cover video together for Shawn Mendes’ song, “Imagination”. What made you decide to cover this song? & How did Molly become a part of this video?
I love that song. My friend Laura had shown me that song months earlier and I kept saying I wanted to cover it. Then my mom had my IPAD and was listening to the song while she was at the gym and said “Ky you should do that song – it’s beautiful”. She obviously wasn’t listening to me. 🙂 It was my moms idea to ask Molly. We’d only just met Molly through a mutual friend but my mom reached out to Molly’s mom to see if she’d be interested. They are the nicest family you’ll ever meet and been so supportive to us. And obviously a first class actor so it was all very easy.
I had met Ky through a friend at a gymnastics class. Our parents got along really well and stayed in touch. When they were looking for a girl to act alongside him in his music video, his mom reached out to my mom and the rest was history!
M: What’s it like working with Ky on his music videos compared to a role on a TV show?
It is a lot more relaxed. I can throw in some of my own ideas sometimes and it is more like hanging out with a friend than working. On a TV show set everything has a scheduled time down to the minute and it is go go go! Both are super fun to work on though!
K: In a lot of your music videos you dance, how long does it take you to learn those dance routines for your music videos?
Just a couple of hours. A lot of people think that’s really fast but if you’re a dancer you’d know it doesn’t take long. Usually each dance class you learn brand new choreography and that’s in 40 minutes. My videos aren’t dancing for the whole song so it doesn’t take that long. I have an hour or two with the choreographer and then another session with the dancers. Then we’ll film it a few times.
K: What’s your favorite dance move to do?
Oh that’s a hard one. I like to pull out my jazz split when street performing. It always gets a good reaction.
K: In our last interview, you talked to me about your street performing. What’s the feeling you get when your singing to your fans on the street?
Not really fans on the street, more like strangers on the street but it’s the best. Trying to pull a crowd from nothing. You are unknown yet they stop and watch sometimes for the full hour. I’ve met some amazing people from street performing and so glad to have had that opportunity. It’s amazing training to handle so many different situations. A lot of people have no idea the work that goes into it.
M: How do you guys want your relationship to be with your fans?
I don’t want my fans to be nervous around me ever. I want to make them feel like they are truly a big part of my life, because they really are.
K&M: What was the craziest fan encounter you have had?
Definitely having a fan show up from Germany as it was my last busking set in Sydney and he didn’t want to never see the show live so took the opportunity in case it was the last. Also when two brothers who watch Uptown Funk every day saw us perform in Venice Beach and their parents were so excited to have them come up and dance with us. The boys were really nervous.
My fans seem to be mainly international, so my encounters with them are more through the internet. I haven’t had a truly crazy one yet, they have all been really nice. The only thing I can think of is that a handful of them don’t always understand that I am not on social media 24/7, so if I don’t like a post of theirs right away I have had a couple get really upset about that.
K&M: What social media platform do you use most to stay connected to your fans?
I definitely have different segments to my support base. I have an older audience on Facebook and younger on Instagram. I’m also just getting into musical.ly.
Instagram is the one I personally use to stay connected. Twitter and FB confuse me, so my family mainly run those two. LOL!
K&M: What’s the best thing that come out of this career so far?
Meeting people and having the opportunity to live and work in the US. I have a great manager and our journey so far is so much fun – not knowing when it all is going to come together is really exciting but just believing that it will.
The best things that have come out of my career in my opinion are all of the amazing opportunities that I now have access too. I feel so incredibly fortunate with all of the things I have gotten to try at such a young age.
K&M: What’s your biggest struggle in this career so far?
Definitely the voice change is a big struggle when you try and perform right through it. I had a meeting with Disney and when I got out my guitar to sing her some originals a voice came out we just didn’t recognize and it wasn’t good. I have probably never sang worse and I have no idea why. But that’s how it goes and I was warned so it’s all good. It is what it is.
The height thing will always be a small issue especially since I am getting older and my face in maturing, but I still have a twelve-year-old body. The largest struggle I have seemed to come upon recently is my follower count. Some projects have been giving the role to someone who has more followers. I have definitely raised my follower count, but compared to some other girls my age it is still very small. I do not agree that some people should get roles because they have more followers. It should be who fits the role the best.
K&M: What goals have you set out for yourself in your career and in your personal life?
My goal is to tour the world in the big arenas. Personal life goals is to just stay me and don’t get too caught up in any craziness that comes with this profession. I always want to really enjoy what I do and not have it cause stress or unhappiness for anyone.
In my career I would love to get to the point where I am doing more dramatic work. In my personal life I want to become more athletic and have better hand eye coordination.
K&M: Where do you see yourself in 5 years in your career and personal life?
I’ll be watching my sister play soccer for Australia and making sure my tour allows me to be at all her big games. My sister is and will always be my best friend. I might be watching my friend Molly win an Oscar or Emmy or something. I really look forward to the day that I get to make a really professional music video where I don’t have to do it all on a few bucks. Hoping to have a few of them under my belt in 5 years time.
I also hope the climate is on the mend and our generation has embraced the environment as something to respect and not something to use up until it dies. I hope that gay marriage is as normal as current marriage and no-one is scared to be themselves.
I hope to either find myself still acting or in college getting a degree in either film or business.
K&M: Do you have any advice for aspiring music artists and actors?
To just get out there and do it and be prepared to work hard and have full confidence in yourself so when others try and bring you down it just slides right off. And that goes for anything you love. My sister gets many offers to be in the entertainment industry. Offers that others would love but it holds no interest for her so she doesn’t do it. It’s that simple. Do what you love and don’t stop for anyone.
Do not give up. I have been doing this for ten years now, and I am still going strong. Success is not usually instant it comes from perseverance.
K&M: Last thing, do you have anything you went to tell your fans?
Thank you for listening, for commenting, for sharing. We appreciate you so much!
I LOVE YOU GUYS!
If You Enjoyed The Interview, Make Sure To Follow Both Molly & Ky On All Their Socials:
Molly:
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm4422265/
http://twitter.com/Molly_C_Jackson
https://www.facebook.com/mollycjacksonofficial
https://instagram.com/molly.jackson/
Ky:
https://www.facebook.com/iamkybaldwin
https://instagram.com/iamkybaldwin
https://twitter.com/iamkybaldwin
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCHYn…
