BITB Alumni Stories: Kyle Ivan
Kyle joined Be in the Band at just 14 years old. At the time, music was quite a new experience for him. He didn’t sing and never thought that he ever would! He joined with a few friends and they were partnered up with a very young 10 year old singer. Their band coach suggested that they needed a back up singer to help support the lead and Kyle ended up taking it on. “I wasn’t sure about singing as I only ever pictured myself as a guitar player, but my dad thought it was a good idea and encouraged me to give it a shot”.
The band did a combination of originals and cover songs and while they managed to successfully play the community centre concert to earn a spot at RBC Bluesfest, the main singer quit shortly before the festival show. “This was a seriously pivotal moment in my life. We had a couple rehearsals where I took the lead but it was so close to Bluesfest that we needed a new plan so we wrote a song the day before and I memorized the lyrics hours before jumping on stage. I’ve got to say, I was super nervous but there was this moment where I felt I could play it safe, or go for a high note I probably couldn’t reach, and own the moment. With a fist pump in the air, I went for the note and even if it didn’t sound great, something changed then, it was like I had this new found confidence and desire to be a front man”.
Kyle, now seeing himself as a lead singer, developed the band ‘Adam’s Leaf’ with his friends performing covers of the Black Keys, Tragically Hip alongside some originals. They wanted to perform high energy rock and roll. Kyle remembers playing his first paid gig ever with this band opening up for Riot Police.
After high school, Kyle went to Fanshaw college where he enrolled in the music industry arts program. He worked on audio production, songwriting, as well as music business and law. “The application was tough and very involved, not many people get accepted to the program. This program really set the tone that music would be the career I would pursue going forward”.
This eventually led Kyle to becoming a solo artist. Shortly after moving back to Ottawa, he met Tara Shannon from Willow Sound Records who took him on and helped to develop his new artist persona, Kyle Ivan. Two years into this new project he was booked onto the main stage at RBC Bluesfest in 2019 equipped with a 5-piece band for one of the biggest shows in Bluesfest history opening for the Back Street Boys.
Kyle has been pursuing music steadily for the last 10 years and he always has something new and exciting coming up. While 2020 took a toll on his path, including a cancelled ‘Sleep On Your Couch’ tour in March, he has plans for new music in 2021, and hints at a new band he might be forming… You can learn more about Kyle at his website https://www.kyleivan.com/.