From a dedicated member of her small community church’s choir to becoming a successful R&B musical artist with hits such as “Loved by You” and “Vain,” Kirby demonstrates that with passion, faith and determination, any dream is possible.
Kirby, born as Kirby Lauryen Dockery, is a singer and songwriter born in Memphis, Tennessee but spent most of her upbringing with her tight-knit, loving family in Southaven, Mississippi. During her early years, Kirby realized her gift for music when she led as the youngest member of the Sunday choir alongside adults who backed up her vocals. However, it wasn’t until high school that she began thinking of the possibility of pursuing a career involving music. During her time at Stax Music Academy (SMA), she began diving into music more and discovered the concept of music publishing, which led her to yearn for a long-lasting music career.
However, her journey to fame was anything but an overnight success. After graduating from SMA, Kirby enrolled at Berklee College of Music (BCM), which she later dropped out due to financial issues and her desire to kick-start her career. From the skills she learned during her time as a student at BCM, Kirby decided to take a leap of faith to pursue her musical career by challenging herself to post an original song every day for 275 days on YouTube. This immediately sparked the interest of many watching, including Jay Brown, co-founder and vice chairman at Roc Nation. Brown was intrigued by Kirby’s talent and determination that soon enough, Kirby signed with Roc Nation on day 302 of the challenge, giving her a big push toward her dream.
“Being a small town girl, I’ve never been afraid to start from the ground up,” Kirby said in an interview with The Line of Best Fit. “I’m never overlooking a small idea that maybe doesn’t feel big in the moment because I always believe everything has the potential to mean a lot to people. You never know, it could be the idea that changes your life.”
Soon after being signed, Kirby began writing hit songs for various artists such as “Only One” by Kayne West, “Break Your Heart Right Back” by Ariana Grande and “Die With You” by Beyoncé. Even though she was doing something she loved, she felt as if something was missing in her life. Kirby had always loved the idea of being able to perform her music but didn’t have enough confidence to pursue it. It wasn’t until artists such as Christina Aguilera and Brandy pointed out her ability to sing that she finally decided to embark on her singing path.
“Once it caught up with me how much I really enjoy performing, that changed,” Kirby said. “That was the one thing I was missing as a songwriter, was singing songs in front of people and feeling that moment. I would never trade that ability to do both.”
When listening to Kirby’s music, one prominent thing about it is the intention of trying to connect with her fans on a deeper level. Besides infusing pleasing, soulful beats and touching lyrics to her music, she focuses on personal and meaningful themes to add a feeling of authenticity throughout her music. These themes mainly involve the exploration of womanhood, love and her Southern roots. To Kirby, being able to love and learn about her Southern roots is something that she holds dear in her music and her own life.
“I have to write songs so I can learn to love my Blackness,” Kirby said in an interview with Atwood Magazine. “Growing up in the South, you are constantly influenced by the white gaze. I write this music to heal; to tear down those walls and relearn how I feel about myself.”
So far, Kirby has been able to write two albums of her own, multiple singles and even a soundtrack album for the dark-comedy, thriller TV series “Swarm.” Even though she is making her music, she will never pass up the opportunity to write songs for other artists. She’s worked on countless projects over the years that have shown her extraordinary growth as an artist.
Kirby is an artist who pours her soul into every piece of work she crafts which shows the talent, passion and creativity she carries as an artist. Currently, she’s living in Los Angeles and has not released any recent music. However, this only leaves fans with even more excitement and anticipation for Kirby’s future work.
