“Character first – talent second.”  Ky Baldwin
Singer, songwriter, musician and dancer with a charismatic personality and a big heart: it is our honour and a delight to feature Sydney, Australia’s Ky Baldwin!
Ky began his career as a dancer and it wasn’t until he reached 10-years-old that he started his first singing lessons. His teacher had him singing Michael Jackson who quickly became his biggest influence.
I asked Ky to describe his music:
“My music is pop – Tweeny pop if I were to be honest. But my latest song Lara is heading more towards radio Pop and would attract an older teenage audience. I do love all kinds of music though but I’m very Top 40 influenced in terms of my melodies. I write all my own music. I have 6 originals. I’d love to collaborate with others in the future.â€
In 2011, Ky was a semi finalist on Australia’s Got Talent with his tap dancing abilities and he participated on The Voice Kids in 2014. Ky has performed in several musicals, such as “Love Never Diesâ€, “Under Milk Wood†and “Mary Poppinsâ€, and has done TV commercials and films.
In October of last year Ky released his first EP  “The Beginningâ€Â with 4 original songs and 3 cover songs and he has since been producing a steady stream of songs and music videos. His latest original is a quirky, catchy collaboration with some other young stars Jamie Cumberlidge, Fletcher Pilon and Balin Rowley.
Ky has an infectious energy and enthusiasm and, as a result, his music and videos are guaranteed to put a smile on your face. One of his music videos is chasing 12 million views! Check them all out on his
Ky remains irrepressibly positive in his outlook though he is only too aware of the struggles and challenges of trying to make a career in the creative arts. I always make a point of emphasising how difficult it can be for young people starting out, especially boys, and I feel it is important to tell the whole truth – it’s not all fun and games! The internet has brought untold opportunities for good but also much potential for harm.
I asked Ky if he had ever had a major struggle or barrier to his career. I want to include a good amount of his response here. I do hope a time will come in the future when I stop hearing these stories, but until that day comes I believe it is so very important to keep raising awareness:
“I am physically very small with a high voice so get a bit of negativity about that and sometimes it is hard to be taken very seriously but it doesn’t bother me at all. I think it’s kind of silly that people judge a person on that and I actually quite like it.
I have had girls as young as 8 tell me they hate me when of course they don’t know me. I have been told I’m gay because my voice hasn’t dropped yet. It’s water off a ducks back to me, it actually just highlights their character, but I can’t help but think that this bullying online is becoming so common place that it has to leak out into the real world. I have girls all the time contact me that they are bullied and it’s so sad. I’d love us all to stop and think – is that really the person you want to be.â€
Ky describes his guitar as his ‘best friend’ and it is where he turns to come up with his original melodies. Like most creatives, says that composing music gives him a real ‘buzz’. Sometimes the most creative minds are very introverted and find it hard to express how much their art means to them. Artists like Ky are a refreshing contrast: their delight in what they do is very evident when they perform!
With a rising star like Ky, there is huge potential to make a positive influence on other young people. It fills me with hope and excitement for the future when I see youngsters as talented as Ky adopting such a mature and compassionate nature. I asked Ky for his advice to other young people hoping to achieve their dreams and I would endorse his conclusions 100%! If only everyone in the music industry followed these guidelines, the music would all be phenomenal and the industry would be a much more positive environment:
 – My first advice is what my mum instills in myself and my sister often. Character first – talent second.
 – The second is no good to the world if the first is not achieved. The second thing is work hard and be confident and enjoy the journey.
 – The third thing which is equally as important is to get the right people to teach you and to be around you and never stop learning.
It must be acknowledged that, for a young artist, the parents and family around them are incredibly important. So many parents I know sacrifice so much to see their children fulfil their potential. Many choose to homeschool, use most of their income and savings, and sacrifice their own hopes and dreams for the sake of their children. Ky’s family is clearly one of these and it is wonderful that, even at a young age, he is very aware of this and chooses to acknowledge it:
“My family is my greatest strength, no doubt. They are my team and you are only as good as the team you have with you.â€
Ky’s dream is to be a touring artist. His first goal is to get one of his songs on the radio. He would like to write with Max Martin and to play with Taylor Swift. Taylor is another big influence on Ky and he emphasises that it is not only her song writing but her character that inspires him. If he is successful in his first goal, Ky would like to use that success to help the fight against homelessness and against bullying.
I asked Ky how we can best help and support him:
“I guess the best way that your readers can help me is to take a look at what I have. If you like it, share it, comment on it, buy it.”
Here are the links to his social media:
And finally, Ky would like to thank some people!
“There are so many people I need to thank and the list keeps growing. Aside from the obvious, my mum, I always come back to Dein Perry and the Tap Pups for instilling the love of dance, Marianne Howard for planting the seed for performing and Robert RAab Stevenson who taught me how to sing. When I came to him 3½ years ago I couldn’t sing at all but wanted to. He could see I was willing to work hard and took me on as one of his students and his teaching is phenomenal. I now have lessons with his business partner, Mindy Pack who can solve any singing problem immediately. These two teachers I owe everything to. And most importantly – they always make it fun and it’s my favourite hour of the week.â€
Every now and then there comes a musical act that slowly draws you in until you find yourself hooked. Even more rarely, comes an act like the French duo “Esteban and Diego” that grabs you by both hands and starts dancing the passo doblo with you! 
During a New Year celebration, the family discovered with amazement that Esteban had an incredible talent for singing. Diego was already a gifted guitarist and, since they were inseparable, the duo was born! 
Esteban and Diego travelled to England to audition for “Britain’s Got Talent†a few years ago. This was before their numerous television appearances so, no doubt, it was a big deal for them. The producers liked what they saw and heard. A lot. But there was one condition: Esteban and Diego would have to separate as the producers were not interested in promoting a duo.