2015 X Factor finalist and 19 year old singer/songwriter Kiera Weathers, who was one of Rita Ora’s girls in that year’s final, has turned the pop world on its head with the release of her newest single “You Gotta Be”, which has received a phenomenal amount of support and coverage since its BitchyOnlineUK blog premiere.
Since appearing on the hit TV show, Kiera, who was described by Cheryl Cole as “star quality”, has been working hard on perfecting her uplifting pop music through headlining her own UK-nationwide performances. She has also been busy touring with Bars and Melody, performing at various festivals last summer, and supported The Game on his UK tour.
Kiera’s career began around the age of 12 with her entering local talent competitions. She then went on to do The National Youth Music Theatre at 16, and that led her to hone the X Factor audition stage at 18.
In addition to Kiera taking part in The X Factor and honing her performance skills on stages across the country throughout last year, we recently spoke to the rising star about her present movements – starting with the successful support and coverage of her newest single “You Gotta Be”, whilst also learning more about her motivation as an up and coming singer-songwriter.
“You Gotta Be” is a remake of the Desiree original, and Kiera’s interpretation of it was more about “finding who you are and focusing on you, and not other people.. knowing the inner strength that only you can find to be the best version of yourself, to be happy, and to do things for you because nobody else can determine your path in life except you“.
She adds “It’s something new, something fresh for the younger generation, and for the older generation it’s a throwback“! When it was first released, it charted at 103 on the iTunes chart which let Kiera know that her hard work had not gone in vein. “Seeing the rewards of all the hard work put I just makes me want to work even harder“.
The track resonates with her reflecting on the eventful year she has had, as she figures out who she is, and where she wants to go. With lyrics like “You gotta be bad, you gotta be bold, you gotta be wiser“, Kiera expresses herself and wants her fans and listeners alike to know that she is coming into her own, and doing it for herself, whilst not worrying about the opinion of others like she previously did.
“Know yourself, who you are, and what you wanna put across. Whether that be with your image, your music, how you present yourself… nothing can stop you from achieving what you set out to, as long as you work hard and never lose sight of that vision you had in the beginning, your possibilities are endless!”
Kiera’s music is influenced by her inspirations which according to her are, “the real queens and kings of the industry! Michael Jackson, Whitney Houston, and Aretha Franklin“, given the impact that they have had in the music industry which she considers “unreal!”
Speaking on her X Factor experience Kiera states that it taught her many lessons. However she goes on to add that “The hard work starts when you leave that show, because you’ve been given that platform, so it’s up to you what you do with it“.
So what’s next for Kiera? Well, she aspires to continue “riding the wave“, remaining focused on her end goal and “let things happen organically“.
For the new year Kiera aspires to provide her fans and listeners alike with new music, more shows, and lots of exciting projects including a music video later on this month, which will be shot in London, and an album or EP later on this year. Very exciting!
“You Gotta Be” is out now and can be purchased on iTunes here. Keep tabs on Kiera Weathers on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and Snapchat.
Words by Chama Mulenga
