At just 19, Montreal-born artist Kayla DiVenere is hitting all the right notes with her latest alt-pop single, “Date Myself.” With the new track, she delves deep into the highs and lows of young adulthood, venting her frustrations with today’s dating scene. The record arrives as a bold statement that self-love trumps all disappointments in modern romance.
Although Kayla now calls Los Angeles home, her journey began at age six. She started acting with roles in shows like “Love Victor” and “Law & Order, but her transition to music proves her to be a double threat in the entertainment industry. With singles like 2022’s “Megan Fox” and even this latest record, she’s creating a buzz by crafting a mature yet relatable sound that captures the essence of youth and introspection.
Regarding the new song, Kayla shares, “‘Writing ‘Date Myself’ reminded me of how beautiful it is to spend time by yourself and how important it is to be comfortable owning your high standards and loving yourself. Being able to hear the song back after writing it and screaming it at the top of my lungs has comforted me more than any guy has, and I hope it can comfort people who relate to it, too.”
Ahead, Kayla DiVenere chats with us about how she got started in music, her influences, acting, and the creation process of “Date Myself.” Check it out below!
To anyone unfamiliar, can you tell us more about yourself and how you got into music?
Hi!!! I’m Kayla. I’m an indie artist from Canada, now living in LA. I started acting when I was six and then soon after, dove head first into the creative space. I first started making music when I was 13 when I overheard my brother writing a song in his room (very musical family).
For some reason, it had never occurred to me until that moment that writing music is not individualized to the Taylor Swifts and Katy Perry’s of the world, but I could write songs too. Anybody could write songs. Music belongs to everybody, and it was a beautiful realization. After that moment, my brother and I would soon embark on our “sibling battle of songs,” where we would see who could write the best song every week. It really helped with my songwriting skills. Over time, I feel like I really found a pocket with my music that feels 100% authentic to me, and I can’t wait to release the music I’ve been working so hard on.
What kind of emotions and experiences influence your work?
Growing up and ever-changing creates a lot of conflict within myself and the people around me. I love writing about relatable concepts that I hope can make people feel a little less alone. We all go through the same things more or less living the human experience, and I think it’s so great to openly talk about it. Heartbreak and love are obviously the easiest to write about, but every emotion in the book can be written about from so many different perspectives.
Let’s talk about “Date Myself” — it’s your second single of the year. What makes this song so special to you?
“I kinda wanna date myself” blurted out of my mouth while ranting to my mom about all the horrible dates I’ve been on. I knew from the moment I said it out loud that it could be turned into an anthem for everyone going through the endless, treacherous dating cycle of constantly being let down. Writing “Date Myself” reminded me of how beautiful it is to spend time by yourself and how important it is to be comfortable owning your self-love and high standards.
Being able to hear it back after writing it and to scream it at the top of my lungs has comforted me more than any guy has, and I hope it can comfort people, too, in any way they can relate to it. “Date Myself” is the first of many songs to come out in my project that has a nostalgic, anthemic feel to it, and I can’t wait to roll out the rest.
On the topic of spending time alone, what are your favorite me-time activities to do?
Spending time alone is just as important to me as spending time with friends and family. To recharge, I love to meditate, journal, and watch 80s movies.
How can you describe the music creation process as opposed to your experience acting and modeling?
Music creation is a lot different than acting and modeling in the sense that I have a lot more control, which, of course, is amazing for my creative mind. While acting is super dope because you can fall into a set role/script, and modeling forces you to fall into the vibe of a brand shoot, every little thing about making music is in your control.
Talk to me about your influences. What did you listen to growing up, and has it changed at all since creating music yourself?
My dad heavily influenced my palate for music at a young age. Having played drums in his teenage rock band when he was 17, he was super adamant on showing me how beautiful music can be. He introduced me to countless classic rock growing up like Queen, Led Zeppelin, AC/DC… I definitely think I carry that little rock element throughout my songs with guitars and such, but my influences have definitely geared more toward indie pop growing up. Now, I love listening to artists like Dominic Fike, The 1975, and Holly Humberstone, and I love to blend the two genres together.
Let’s talk style — how would you describe yours?
Picking out my outfit is one of my favorite parts of my day. I really like to blend styles to create new fashion genres. I love thrifting old and unique pieces, and I also love the baggy skater look, so I would describe my fashion style as vintage streetwear.
Last up, what’s the big plan? What’s the rest of this year consisting of, and where are you hoping to end up?
I’m definitely gonna release one more song this year and then lead into the new year with a new release every month. I hope to end up touring one day and impacting people with my music in any way.
