For most young girls, teenage years to their early twenties are the most wild and unpredictable. Accompanied by heartbreak, new careers and discovering your true identity, they are often deemed the building block years — finding yourself and your career path for the future.
For 21-year-old Kylie Cantrall, these years have been nothing short of a rollercoaster, exploring all the good and the bad that life has to offer.
Getting her start in the music and acting industries at such a young age, Cantrall is no stranger to the spotlight. From releasing tracks as a child under the moniker “Hello Kylie” and landing her breakout role on television as the leading characters in Gabby Duran & the Unsittables and most recently Descendants: Rise of Red, Cantrall has shown a fierce ambition for her career. These roles have given the performer a strong and growing fanbase, many of whom have grown up alongside her.
Following the release of her debut EP Valley Girl Problems, Crave Music Magazine joined in on a virtual press conference to discuss the project in its entirety. Cantrall opened up on all things inspiration, songwriting and everything that makes Valley Girl Problems a project deserving of everyone’s attention. The EP, along with Kylie’s musical brand as a whole, focuses a lot on the Y2K-Valley-esque aesthetic, taking inspiration from the music and culture she has grown up around.
Cantrall shared that her music taste and influence stems from this era subconsciously since her dad was always playing it in the house as she grew up. She also weighed in on getting to collaborate and produce the EP with Tricky Stewart and Tayla Parx, two of her biggest dream collaborators.
“Working with Tayla and Tricky they always welcomed me and empowered me to trust my instincts,” Cantrall shared, going in-depth into how much admiration and trust she had for the two to help her create a vulnerable project that she felt proud of.
When playing the EP in chronological order, the listener embarks on a journey of events through Cantrall’s eyes. It begins with more upbeat tracks like “GRWM,” “Valley Girl Problems” and “Closet,” representing the beginning of the story being presented. “The Problem – Interlude,” “Carrie Bradshaw” and “The Answer – Interlude” are the climax, introducing the listener to the problem Cantrall is facing — the betrayal and loss of a close friend — with the instrumental taking a more slow pace. The album then closes with “Girls Like U,” “Yuck!” and “Space Between,” the more heartfelt tracks allowing Cantrall to grieve the subject of the story, her sadness and feeling of betrayal taking the forefront.
In the direct middle of the EP, listeners reach the track “Carrie Bradshaw” — named and inspired by the iconic character from Sex and the City. On the outside, the character of Bradshaw appears always fashionable and put together, but she is always going through something on the inside.
The inspiration came easy for Cantrall, stating “it’s emotional, but there is an empowering strength to it … Even though it is vulnerable at the same time.” The song sits on these emotions, Cantrall comparing the emotional weight of what she is going through with designer items — much like Bradshaw. She then goes on to share that she hopes to put out a song inspired by Samantha Jones from Sex and the City in the future, one that captures Jones’ carefree confidence that she hopes to one day embody.Â
When people think of a stereotypical “Valley Girl,” they typically think of a ditzy, glamorous and fashionable girl from the San Fernando Valley area of California. Cantrall is redefining this image, using her social media platform as well as her music to showcase the ins and outs of a true Valley Girl, giving everyone an inside look at her daily life as well as internal conflict that she is facing. It is a raw glimpse into all that is not glitz and glamor, allowing listeners from all over the world to connect and relate to the life of a Valley Girl.
Beginning in late September, Cantrall is taking her new EP on the road for the Valley Girl Problems Tour. This marks her first tour as a solo artist, and fans cannot wait to see what she has in store.
Keep up with Kylie Cantrall:
Website / Instagram / Spotify / Apple Music / TikTok / YouTube
