How Kayleigh Beato strives to provide support through her music
Written by Anna Durning, Photographed by Kayleigh Beato
Close friends and relatives of Kayleigh Beato, a senior media studies and production major, know that above all things, she is a strong woman who is well acquainted with the ups and downs that life throws her way. “Anyone who has known me my entire life knows that once a year something happens,” she said. As a musician in this day and age, she strives to include topics about the inevitable ups and downs in life in her music. She hopes that her music can give any and everybody an outlet for when they are going through difficult moments in life.
At the beginning of her career, Beato’s first few singles could have been categorized by what she calls “bubblegum pop,” upbeat songs with simple chords and harmonies that tend to make people feel upbeat and peppy. However, she doesn’t think that the category fits the subject matter that she wants to focus on— according to Beato, the term “dark pop” suited much better.
Beato finds inspiration for her music in her desire to help people. “I’ve been through a lot and – I mean everybody has been through a lot in their perspective – and a lot of those things are not typically talked about in people’s music. Since middle school, there have been things coming from all different angles and there was nothing for me to listen to.” There weren’t many artists out there that really delved deep into difficult issues that she could listen to while feeling like there are other people who understand her situation.
Beato knows the impact that music has on a person’s life and that when you’re going through the darkest of times, the right music can help you get through it. She understands just how hard it is to talk about difficulties that someone may be battling. She has come to realize that by using her art as an outlet to express indescribable feelings would help others through tough times.
In her song “I am a Waste,” Beato talks about a time in her life when everything was going perfectly, even during a global pandemic, yet she was still experiencing very heavy, self-sabotaging thoughts. Beato would ask herself, “Do I even deserve all of these things?” Her hope in releasing this song was to let others know that it is perfectly normal to have thoughts that contradict and downplay the good that is happening in the moment.
When asked how she combatted those feelings, Beato said, “It’s really helpful…to talk to your inner child. I think most of our issues [as we get older] come from childhood, especially if you’re an overly sensitive person or an empath. I don’t forget things, I don’t forget [when someone says something to me], and it sticks in my head forever. Trying to soothe that inner child… I try to talk to myself as if I were talking to a five-year-old me and that has helped me get out of that mentality.”
She realized that no one was going to advocate for her more than herself when she was in the process of combating her inner thoughts. Because of that, she discovered that to truly succeed in the industry she dreamed to be a part of, she would need help. Upon being struck with that reality, she began reaching out to people who are now part of Beato Music Group.
During the time when she was in quarantine, Beato was pushed to change her mentality as an artist while realizing that there were people in the world who were able to help her further her career. Beato’s hope is that her dark pop has the power to show people the light that they possess.
Leave a Reply