"I write and sing songs to paint hope and promote healing with one foot here on earth and one in heaven." -Kim Yarson-
JERSEY ACOUSTIC MUSIC AWARD Nominated
·2010 Singer and Songwriter
2011 Songwriter and Album of the Year for Thankful
2012 Top Nashville Modern Country Act
2012 Top New Band for Gyrl Band
Kim Yarson is a singer/songwriter raised by her widowed mother in a little town in Trenton, NJ called Chambersburg. She remembers listening to rock-n-roll, disco and Duran Duran was her teenage obsession. She never had any formal musical training but can remember as a child really getting drawn into the lyric and music of a song and was really jealous of her brother Mike's guitar lessons. She wasn't really introduced to country music until her college days and fell in love with Nashville and songwriting after her first trip there in May of 1994. Her love affair with writing songs began at this time.
Her lyrics come straight from her heart as she weaves truth, faith and love throughout her songs in a way that most people can relate.As a mother of two young sons, she no longer has time to contrive songs for the market, she currently writes songs that move instead.Spontaneous songwriting happens to her all the time while on jogs, at the beach, in her car and these are her best ideas that become her fan’s favorites.
Yarson released her debut CD Satisfied on January 1st of 2009 to a very satisfied audience.Kim’s first release brought about the same fans repeatedly to her shows so she decided to begin recording her second CD Thankful in January of 2010.It has been a beautiful but tedious experience getting this CD together for her August 13th release at the Hamilton Manor.Thankful has brought about such a beautiful potpourri of 13 songs such as, “One Act of Love” written about a friend who donated money towards her music to “Where Did You Go” a song written about her recent miscarriage and then she goes into her fun side with "Make A Bridge", a song about getting over it.“I believe it is my duty as a songwriter to write songs that matter and that don’t drag people down but instead leave folks feeling hopeful” Yarson says about her songwriting.
Along with the CD Thankful is Kim Yarson’s first music video of her song “Without A Trace” done by Trenton film maker Jeremy Sypniewski and co-producer Michael Patty.This song is dedicated to the memory of Kim’s father who was killed by a drunk driver when she was four years old.“I really had the chance to grieve this loss in my adult self with this song and hope it heals others of their losses” Yarson states of her video.She wrote the song while walking along the beach in LBI and returned to the beaches of LBI to shoot the video.“This music video was one of the best experiences of my life and I now release it to the world with a smile in my heart” Yarson says.She thanks her fans for fully funding this video 158% on Kickstarter.com, an artist funded site.
Recently, Kim got together with two other singer/songwriters in NJ, Lisa Bouchelle and Sandy Zio to form a band called Gyrl Band and since April of 2012, they have been performing all over NJ. They were recently nominated for Top New Band with the Jersey Acoustic Music Awards out of Asbury Park. Check them out on www.facebook.com/gyrlbandShe is also in the process of releasing and recording her third CD in Nashville. Her first single "Barefoot and Bra-less" is her "ode to women's comfort" songand a music video will be made soon for Barefoot and Bra-less in summer of 2013 and she suspects it will be a hoot, not a hooter. Stay tuned for this new CD at end of 2013 beginning of 2013
Kim has founded and organized the Songwriters in the Round concert that she has been taking all around the libraries of NJ since November of 2008.She believes in sharing her gigs with other songwriters so NJ will see how amazing the original writers are, as well as, providing a free concert during a tough economy. She also educates privately, as well as, for the local surrounding communities beginner lyric writing, beginner guitar and how to become an idependant artist.
You can look forward to Kim playing all around NJ/PA/NY to promote her Thankful CD. She is ready and very THANKFUL to release this labor of love to the world!
If someone would have told me that I would give up working on my Bachelor’s degree in 2008 to make a CD and become a touring singer/songwriter, I would roll on the ground laughing. The fact that I took a chance in March of 2008 to live out my dreams as a singer/songwriter and that I paid off my debut CD Satisfied in eight months time after it's release, as well as, prepaying my second CD with earnings and donations from fans and sales tells me I am exactly where I need to be in this moment.
I began this journey by writing songs to heal myself. I knew that sharing them would make me vulnerable because they came from such a real place. But time after time, people would come up to me and give me positive feedback and in their healing, I would be healed.
It all started in 1994 with one trip to Nashville where I totally fell in love with the craft of songwriting. It took me on a journey to many places taking courses through NSAI, learning from the hit songwriters in Nashville all I needed to know about songwriting and the business. It has been a long journey of trying to find out why I needed to write songs and what was driving me as a songwriter, but I believe I have finally found my purpose.
So many amazing things have happened to align me with my purpose as a songwriter that it is only fitting to call my second CD “THANKFUL”. On this journey, I have had the best fans ever who have bought more CDs than I could ever have imagined and passed them off to their friends because they were so inspired. Stacey Applegate and MaryLouise Hawken are two such friends, who donated money because they were inspired by my journey and my songs. Stacey Applegate donated in honor of her deceased husband Scott Applegate who was a very generous man while he walked this earth. This donation alone has done more for my heart than I could ever describe so I honor Scott and Stacey with a song I co-wrote called "One Act of Love". Stay tuned for this song on Thankful for every word of it is true. Dropping down on my knees in total thanksgiving has come easily for me with such generosity and love, and in turn, I am trying to give back as much as I can because I have been so blessed. My second CD THANKFUL will be due out in August 2011 and is being done at my cousin Gary’s studio in NJ. I am completely grateful for Gary’s generosity in taking so much of his free time to help me along for pennies an hour. I am also thankful for Clint Morrison in Nashville, who I miraculously found exactly when I needed him, who finished my debut CD Satisfied by January 1, 2009 and did an awesome job.
I now know my purpose as a songwriter is to “sing and paint songs of hope and healing with one foot in heaven and one here on earth.” I discovered this only by doing what I love to do and seeing the amazing things happening to light my path that have led me to this place. I will continue this journey and mindfully write songs that are positive and life giving to add higher vibrations to our world. Fame does not interest me as much as sharing my gift with you and this I will do with gratitude and love.
Along my lighted journey, I formed a band of volunteers who play with me every now and again at festivals and gigs where I need a band. Kim Yarson and the Volunteers was a name I came up with accidentally because no one was being paid but I am thankful that paid gigs are now coming in so I can compensate my generous band members who have helped me for the love of music.
Overall, I can not do this without the love, help and support of my husband Paul who has been with me from the very beginning of my songwriting journey and continues to help me purely by letting me be who I am. My boys Joe and Tom are amazing too and I am so honored to have three men in my life who make it all make sense and keep me grounded. Lastly I can not do this without you, my beloved fans!
