Meet Zach Kiekhaefer | Singer/Songwriter

We had the good fortune of connecting with Zach Kiekhaefer and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Zach, Let’s talk about principles and values – what matters to you most?
As a singer/songwriter, values and principles create the base of my entire brand. I stress authenticity more than anything else. Being authentic and true to yourself is really the only way you can be successful. You can’t be the next Drake or the next Justin Bieber. You can only be you! I’ve seen lots of people try to copy exact paths from people who are successful. They’ll move to certain cities or only listen to certain people. For a while, I specifically was trying to reach certain milestones based on my age. Justin Bieber released his first album at 15 years old. When I was 15, I was disappointed that I wasn’t reaching those same milestones (even though I actually had some success at that age!). Looking back it sounds obnoxious that I was trying to race to success. Being authentic means taking the time to perfect your craft and sound. I am not near perfecting my craft, but the learning that comes with the grind is addicting!

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
My name is Zach Kiekhaefer! I’m a 17-year-old singer/songwriter from Lakewood. I’m really proud of my early success ! I began releasing covers on Soundcloud when I was only 12 years old! My covers began gaining lots of traction and I released my first song on all platforms when I was 15 years old! This song has reached over 150,000 streams, and I’ve reached 330,000 streams in total! I feel like my voice and my music cannot be put in a specific genre. I have hard times reaching playlists because it’s not “hip-hop” enough or not “pop” enough. That can be a struggle, but the enjoyment of my craft easily overrides that struggle. Learning to set little goals has been the biggest part of my young career so far. Taking every opportunity and truly loving what you do can lead to success!

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Red Rocks has a special place in my heart. Red Rocks is my number 1 goal as an artist, similar to lots of other artists! Being right in my backyard, it’s such a therapeutic spot that I think everyone should witness at least once. In Lakewood, there are lots of awesome places to eat. Cafe Jordano is one of my favorite Italian places! A small business with food that creates lines out the door every single night. Checking out our Downtown art museum is also a really awesome experience.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
Shoutout my parents for always allowing me to pursue this dream as its so unconventional. I’ve heard of lots of parents not supporting their kids for pursuing arts and I am very lucky.

Website: https://linktr.ee/zachkiekhaefer

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/zachkiekhaefer/?hl=en

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCVVNPDZehpSG-mF0KMGBapw

Image Credits
Emma Lundin-Martinez, Jen Cohen