Melodic Kaedyn Kashmir, Green River’s Rising Star

Green River College student  Kaedyn Kashmir, 17, follows the motto to live life as if her last day.  

Currently studying to aim for a major in arts and animation, this go-getter is going above and beyond with a set goal to work at Nintendo in Japan. Having toured the Nintendo headquarters while in Japan, Kashmir’s love for the game ‘The Legend of Zelda” sparked a hope to one day work in the multi-billion dollar video game company.

Kashmir is no stranger to big dreams and hard work. In order to achieve her dream job she has taken upon herself to learn the language by taking three years of Japanese.

Nintendo Japan is only one of her aspirations. She was born into a family of musicians, her mother being a singer/guitarist and her father a pianist/guitarist. It would seem as though her destiny of becoming a musician was set. Gifted with a beautiful voice and a love for music, Kashmir began to sing in kindergarten. Soon after she learned to play various instruments; guitar being her instrument of choice.

Growing up, Kashmir would listen to a variety of genres such as: classic rock, jazz, and classical music. Some of her favorite artists being ‘The Beatles”, “Panic at the disco”, “Owl City”, and “Paramore”. The lyrics of these artists influenced her immensely.

She described music as a bond or a connection that was formed between the listeners and the musician; although the listener does not know the artist personally.

 Kashmir´s love of music began to flourish when she first listened to the 38-year-old pop-soul singer Sara Bareilles. Kashmir expressed her admiration for the artist saying “[h]er lyrics, they’re so imaginative, inspiring and moving. Also her attitude as an artist. She jokes with the audience. It feels like your jamming with an old friend.”

Combining her love of music and hopes of becoming an artist, she took multiple dance lessons of various genres such as jazz, tap, hip-hop, lyrical, etc.

At 13, she began to pursue her passion and began singing and recording for a job. The pop-soul singer Kashmir came out with her first album “Coming Home” with hit original songs. At times her parents and manager produced and co-wrote songs such as “Warrior” and “Sliding Doors”. Both reaching up to 7,000 views on YouTube.

At times life for the artist can be overwhelming. Her parents are always there by her side and her dad is always there to give her advice. 

“My dad is my biggest critic, but he is also incredibly supportive” said Kashmir.  Not only does her family’s support and advice help Kashmir unwind but writing songs as well helps her de-stress.  

“It’s just kind of one of those things where you channel those emotions that you are holding in and being able to express that in a song is honestly one of my favorite things to do” said Kashmir.
Her advice to those who dare to dream big would be, “As cliche as it may sound, follow your heart.”