Jae-Ha Kim
Chicago Tribune
December 10, 2019
Jazz pianist Kayla Waters kick-started her career with back-to-back No. 1 singles on Billboard. Her latest release, “Full Bloom” (from her CD “Coevolve”) is zooming up the Smooth Jazz Songs chart as well. Residing in the Capitol Hill area of Washington, D.C., Waters says touring is a perk of her job. But even when she doesn’t have to travel, she enjoys squeezing in a quick visit somewhere. “I love traveling,” says Waters, who’s the daughter of acclaimed jazz saxophonist Kim Waters. “The first trip I can remember was taking a road trip up to Maine to visit my Dad’s brother-in-law’s family. I absolutely loved it. It was a summer trip and I can remember playing outside in a pristine field of grass. (It was) the greenest grass I had ever seen!” Waters, 28, stays in touch with her fans on Instagram, Facebook and at www.iamkaylawaters.com.
Q. What untapped destination should people know about?
A. Smaller cities and towns often have more character and an intimate cultural nature about them and that is a huge draw for me. I noticed this feeling while in Minneapolis — an artistically unique city — and Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, which is a high-end, boutique beach off of the Atlantic coast.
Q. What’s the most important thing you’ve learned from your travels?
A. As I mature and spend a lot of time traveling with my music career, I realize that wherever I go, there is an opportunity for me to be a blessing to someone else, perhaps giving a hug, sharing a conversation, showing love, encouraging or inspiring. Traveling has taught me how to be selfless and more aware of people.
Q. Where are your favorite weekend getaways?
A. If I am feeling adventurous, New York City is always a fun weekend trip. If I want to hide away, I drive an hour and a half south of D.C. and hang in Richmond, Virginia, which is another city full of character.
Q. If you’ve ever gone away for the holidays, which was the best trip?
A. I went out of town once for Christmas. That was last year. I flew to Atlanta and spent Christmas there. I had a wonderful time, though it was a bit odd that it was 60 degrees on Christmas Day.
Q. Do you speak any foreign languages?
A. I took AP Spanish courses in high school and can still speak enough to be functional in Spanish-speaking countries. I could probably pick up a language quickly if I am around a group of indigenous people of whichever country I’m in.
Q. What are your five favorite cities?
A. Denver, Minneapolis, Phoenix, Chicago and D.C.
Q. Where have you traveled to that most reminded you of home?
A. I am from a small town called Aberdeen (Maryland). There is no place like home.
Q. Where would you like to go that you have never been to before?
A. I would love to spend a few weeks in Morocco or South Africa. I yearn to visit the motherland — the roots of my African American heritage. I also would love to study their culture of music, rhythm, song and dance.
Q. What would be your dream trip?
A. Traveling abroad to various countries in Africa, Asia, Europe and South America, and Australia. I’d be delighted to delve into the field of ethnomusicology to understand the purposes of different types of music around the world. I imagine this trip would take anywhere from six months to a year to complete and from this experience, I’d create and compose an entire album dedicated to this adventure.
Q. What is your guilty pleasure when you’re on the road?
A. Anything chocolate. It’s my favorite sweet.
Q. What kind of research do you do before you go away on a trip?
A. I always research the area I will be visiting and seek to understand more about the area from a cultural and historical perspective. I also search on Yelp for great places to eat and where to go to hear great live music.
Q. What is your best travel memory?
A. I went to Portugal for the first time this year. It was an incredible experience to perform and play my original music in the Algarve region. The beach, the pine cliffs, the people, the food … absolutely incredible. I cannot wait to visit there again.
© 2019 JAE-HA KIM
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