Student Spotlight: Kirsten (Ki) Kirk The Texan vocalist, producer, and engineer talks about recording new music with a band of all women and nonbinary people and picks five tracks ranging from country to bubblegum metal.
By
Editorial Staff
July 24, 2023
Image courtesy of Kristen (Ki) Kirk
What's it like to study at Berklee? Our Student Spotlight series asks current students all about their Berklee experience-what they're learning in class, what kinds of projects they're involved in onstage or behind the scenes, how they recharge, and of course, what they're listening to.
This week, meet Kirsten (Ki) Kirk, a sixth-semester voice principal with a double major in music production and engineering and music business/management. A native of Dallas, Texas, Kirsten recently studied abroad at Berklee's campus in Valencia, Spain, serving on the student advisory board and leading the She Knows Tech collective.
Follow Kirsten on Instagram, SoundCloud, and Spotify.
Tell us about your path to Berklee. What made you decide to come here? My senior year of high school I committed to a small school in Texas to double major in neuroscience and applied mathematics, potentially on a pre-med track. Then Covid hit, I decided to take a gap year (I was a third grade assistant teacher during the week and worked at a restaurant on weekends) and realized that in the quarantine and stress of a 50-hour a week teaching job, the only thing that was really keeping me sane was music. I ended up applying to about 40 schools for musical theater and five schools for classical voice performance, and when I auditioned for Boston Conservatory [at Berklee] they actually recommended I look at Berklee College of Music. I didn't know anything about it, auditioned with my aria, because I thought it was like Juilliard. It wasn't until I got in that I realized that with MP&E and business I could combine music and math and science-I really don't think I would be as happy as I am doing anything else.
Whats been your favorite class so far, and what has it taught you? My favorite class so far has been Mix Techniques with Ted Paduck. The class is exactly what it sounds like. We learn about mixing on the API [mixing console] and with outboard gear. We worked on a different song each week with raw stems and it taught me more than any other class at Berklee. If it means anything, I am taking a Monday 9:00 a.m. class just because it was the only class that Ted is teaching that fits my MP&E semester.
Whats a project youve worked on since coming to Berklee that youve been especially excited about? My most recent project. It's a single coming out right before an EP, and it's a totally different sound than what I normally create. The song is called Fool Me Twice, and I've been recording, producing, and engineering it with a team and band of all women and nonbinary people, which has been a really beautiful experience for me.
How do you typically recharge or find new ideas outside of class? I feel like these should be two separate questions. Recharging for me often means taking a break from music or even creativity as a whole. I like to go outside and read on the grass or a playground. I like to watch TV shows and share meals with my roommate. I like to blast musical theater and bubble gum metal and country music and dance around my kitchen like a crazy person. When it comes to finding new ideas, I try not to search for them. I like to write and create from my own experiences or the experiences of my friends or even fictional characters. I like to experience as much live music as possible-house shows and Tuesday night open mics at the Burren in particular. I love listening to other songwriters and producers and rarely leave a live show without feeling inspired.
When you think towards your own future, who inspires you most? My mom, without a doubt. Our career paths are not similar at all-she doesn't do anything musical (she had a solo line in her high school production of Godspell but I'm not supposed to talk about that), but she has the strongest work ethic of anyone I've ever met. After working in contracts, mergers, and acquisitions for years, then taking 17 years off work to raise my little brothers and me, she just renewed her attorney's license and went back into the workforce as a judge's attorney in an appellate court. She reminds me every day that I can do anything I want, no matter where I am in my life or career, and is one of the strongest people that I know.
Whats one piece of advice youd give to your high school self? It's not that deep -and this is applicable to pretty much everything that I was worried about in high school. I would also say that music is a viable career path. I wish I had spent more (or any) time in high school writing music or learning guitar or bass or drums. Like, I think, most people at Berklee, I felt so out of place here when I arrived; I'd never been in a band, never made a lead sheet, couldn't tell you the difference between a dynamic and condenser microphone, and it was a tough transition from my high school anything I need to know I'll learn in class mindset to the Berklee success method of if you want to learn it, learn it and the classes will improve technique and supplement the learning you did on your own.
Kirstens Top Songs Right Now 1. Baptized, Chris Daughtry Daughtry has been my favorite artist since I got my first iPod in fourth grade, handed down from my dad, and the only songs on it were that one U2 album that just appeared on everyone's phones and It's Not Over by Daughtry. He was sort of my intro to country rock, which has been inspiring me ever since.
2. 18+, Scene Queen Scene Queen was my top artist of 2022 when she had eight songs out total. She was my intro to what I call bubble gu
Most recent headlines
17/02/2025
TVBEurope talks to the team who brought a piece of broadcasting history back to life on BBC Wales last night
By Jenny Priestley
Published: February 14, 2025 ...
17/02/2025
Eligible studios will receive the relief directly from their local authorities, with no need to submit a claim
By Matthew Corrigan
Published: February 17, 20...
17/02/2025
As DEI initiatives come under pressure in the USA, supporters of Rise, which promotes diversity in the media and entertainment sector, discuss the continuing im...
17/02/2025
EIB Global loan will partially fund SES's continued O3b mPOWER medium earth orbit (MEO) fleet expansion enabling additional capacity worldwide. O3b mPOWER s...
15/02/2025
At Nielsen, Business Resource Groups (BRGs) play a critical role in nurturing a ...
15/02/2025
Innovation to empower creativity: Explore the latest in Lightroom
Rob Christensen February 15, 2025
0 Comments
Whether you want to remove distracting ...
15/02/2025
Wisycom, a worldwide leader in RF technology and provider of wireless solutions, announces a new distribution agreement with EQUAPHON. An Argentinian profession...
15/02/2025
DPA Microphones, the leading manufacturer of high-quality microphone solutions, is pleased to welcome Nicholas Nick Mariano and Vincent Vince Divine to the ...
15/02/2025
Tuxera, a leading provider of quality-assured file systems and networking solutions, will showcase how Tuxera Fusion SMB enables unprecedented performance for m...
15/02/2025
Bitmovin's latest Video Developer Report indicates an increasing role of AI, the slow adoption of next-generation codecs, and continuing challenges when it ...
15/02/2025
When Michelin Enterprises set out to promote its prestigious Hotel Guide in the new Sleepless in the Kitchen , campaign, veteran German/Slovenian gaffer Robert...
15/02/2025
Formula E, the world's first all-electric racing series, revolutionizing motorsport with cutting-edge technology and a commitment to sustainability has sele...
15/02/2025
Agile Content, a global leader in TV and video technology solutions, announces its rebranding to AgileTV.
The transition to AgileTV stems from a commitment to ...
15/02/2025
Hiltron Communications will promote the latest additions to its range of satellite communication products, systems and supporting services at GovSatCom 2025. Th...
15/02/2025
Following the success of the original Airglow Booklight, DoPchoice debuts a new addition to their inflatable line the Float. This lightweight, inflatable, round...
15/02/2025
LAS VEGAS Marshall Electronics has announced that it will debut its newest camera controller, the RCP Plus, at the 2025 NAB Show at Booth N2649 between April 5 ...
15/02/2025
ATLANTA Gray Media has named Blake Sebo as the next general manager of KTUU and KYES, Gray's NBC and CBS affiliates in Anchorage, Alaska....
15/02/2025
KOKKEDAL, Denmark DPA Microphones will feature its new CORE+ technology for distortion-free microphone sound at the 2025 NAB Show, April 5-9, in Las Vegas....
15/02/2025
SWANSEA, U.K. QuickLink will launch StudioPro-NDI and StudioPro-3, two new models of its QuickLine StudioPro video production platform, at the 2025 NAB Show, Ap...
15/02/2025
Live From 2025 NBA All-Star Game Weekend: After 25 Years, Turner Sports All-In F...
15/02/2025
NASCAR Driver Cam on Max Embraces Cloud-Based Workflow for 2025 Season Chris Brown of WBD Sports says Mobii will play key part in delivering signals from the tr...
14/02/2025
Last month, we officially launched the Spotify Partner Program, a powerful new m...
14/02/2025
From an island off the coast of Lutruwita to the global stage in France SBS & ...
14/02/2025
The future of electro-optical/infrared (EO/IR) land systems is evolving so that ...
14/02/2025
Here are 5 reasons why you should attend ISE 2025
Discover more about Calrec: Learn more about Calrec's legacy of innovation in broadcast audio solutions ...
14/02/2025
World Radio Day: On the same wavelength
By Graham Murray, International Sales Manager at Calrec
To mark World Radio Day, Calrec's International Sales Ma...
14/02/2025
DALLAS and TYSONS, Va. Tegna has concluded a broadcast rights agreement that makes Tegna's KFAA in Dallas the exclusive local television partner of the Dall...
14/02/2025
Amazon's Prime Video has released a new app for Apple TV that the streamer said delivers an improved streaming experiences with faster scrolling, improved s...
14/02/2025
CLEVELAND Telos Alliance announced a software update for its Axia Quasar XR and SR line of audio-over-IP (AoIP) mixing consoles and will show the offering at th...
14/02/2025
Puget Systems Returns to HPA Tech Retreat 2025 with New Analysis Tools for Puge...
14/02/2025
Glass Animals: Tour of Earth Uses Blackmagic Live Production Workflow
Brie Clayton February 14, 2025
0 Comments
80six deploys Blackmagic URSA Broadcas...
14/02/2025
A dispute between Paramount and Youtube TV that would have pulled CBS stations and Paramount's cable channels from the streaming service has been temporaril...
14/02/2025
Colourist Deidre (Dee) McClelland details how she helped shape the distinct look and feel of whimsical Oscar-nominated stop-motion film, Memoir of a Snail
By C...
14/02/2025
BitFire said it intends to introduce forward-looking services that simplify the launch of live production workflows, and enhance real-time collaboration
By Jen...
14/02/2025
The claim by the liquidators is the latest twist in the ongoing saga of the companys collapse at the end of 2021
By Matthew Corrigan
Published: February 14, ...
14/02/2025
A carriage dispute between YouTube TV and Paramount could come to a head today (Feb. 13), with the virtual pay TV provider threatening to pull all of the progra...
14/02/2025
ENGLEWOOD CLIFFS, N.J. LG Electronics USA has opened a new in-house, state-of-the-art virtual production studio at its 360,000-square-foot North American headqu...
14/02/2025
NEW YORK In a bid to help local broadcasters find new ways of monetizing their content, the Coalition for Innovative Media Measurement (CIMM) and TVB have relea...
14/02/2025
WASHINGTON Three Democratic U.S. Senators have sent a stern letter blasting FCC Chair Brendan Carr for the weaponization of the agency for attacking broadcast...
14/02/2025
Years after launching the streaming service Apple TV+ in November of 2019, Apple has finally released a version of its steaming app for Android devices....
14/02/2025
FOOTHILL RANCH, Calif. Red Digital Cinema will make its V-RAPTOR [X] and KOMODO-X camera systems available with Nikon's premier Z Mount, providing filmmaker...
14/02/2025
DAYTONA, Fla. The Fox Sports production of this year's Daytona 500 will see the addition of a few new tech elements and the continued unfolding of the broad...
14/02/2025
Watch Bryson Battles Blind Audition on The Voice Get a Four-Chair Turn Michael Bubl said the Boston Conservatory at Berklee musical theater senior might have...
14/02/2025
2025 Daytona 500: FOX Sports Looks To Ride Super Bowl LIX Momentum Into NASCAR S...
14/02/2025
14 Feb 2025
VEON's Kyivstar and the Come Back Alive Foundation Raise USD 2....
14/02/2025
Max Renews THE PITT, Starring Noah Wyle, For A Second Season
Max
Warner Bros. Television Group
The Pitt
New Episodes Of The Medical Drama From John...
14/02/2025
This year, Technicolor proudly celebrates 110 years of shaping the magic of cinema pioneering color, visual effects, and innovation that bring unforgettable l...
14/02/2025
NBA All-Star: More Games, More Teams, More Music, More Sound From the Court Turner Sports' team will deploy familiar tech to capture all the audio By Dan D...
14/02/2025
LIV Golf Continues To Innovate With Drones, Data-Driven Graphics, and All-Access...
Student Spotlight: Kirsten (Ki) Kirk The Texan vocalist, producer, and engineer talks about recording new music with a band of all women and nonbinary people and picks five tracks ranging from country to bubblegum metal.
