By Thomas Dachik
Growing up in the sticks of Woodstock, NY, Kaia Dedek was immersed in a culture of folk, country and acoustic music early on. She is a self-described “lyrical storyteller” who dives into the emotional complexities that all humans face. She began as a solo artist, performing her pieces at live shows back home. In her first couple years at Purchase, Dedek was rather introverted, creating her own original music, but not publicizing it. But when she booked her first gig in 2023 at Purchase’s SUNY Stock Festival, after much deliberation over her own identity as an artist, she began to take control, going on to perform at Purchase’s Culture Shock Festival in 2024 as well as headlining Purchase’s convocation awards ceremony for staff, faculty, and administration this past fall.
At the end of last semester, Dedek appeared to the public no longer as a solo artist, but now as a member of a band known as “Sewn Together,” making their first performance of the semester at a tiny pop-up show in the basement of Purchase’s Music Building. The once center-stage voice is now accompanied by co-lead singer Carson Corona, drummer Jackson Mossey, and the maraca shaking personality Marcus Lopez. The initially laid back Dedek now finds herself in a world of publicity and collaboration with no reason to keep her talents, nor herself, locked away.
When were you first introduced to music, if you can recall?
I remember being in pre-school, we had this guy named “Uncle Rock,” and he would come in and play a bunch of stuff for us on his guitar and I was very enamored by it. I even heard if you wrote him a letter or a thank you note, you would get a free CD!
I had this guy that performed at my birthday in kindergarten called “Big Jeff,” who came in and played these corny little songs. That’s funny how it’s so similar to Uncle Rock. Just a guy with a guitar, plain and simple.
[starts laughing] Yeah! that’s literally it! I was obsessed with him.
When did you first pick up recording?
In 10th grade, flash forward, when I was thinking about college. I had a very funny school career. I was homeschooled for 10th grade and the first half of 11th because I got mono. That’s also when I switched to another school that didn’t have orchestra, and it wasn’t really working for me. My mom was like, “why don’t we look at Purchase.” I went in for production, but I didn’t know anything about production at that point. So, it was 10th grade, then once I hit 11th grade, I started writing songs. And I would record them in garage band.
How did you go from your isolated state at home to wanting to go into production at Purchase?
I had the production mindset for maybe a year, then that’s when I started writing songs, and it kind of switched to the composition side, where I would rather be focused on writing songs.
So, on top of the acoustic performance and songwriting, how did you get into singing as well?
It started when I was doing a rock program. I was also doing choir, which was cool. [snaps fingers] Oh wait! Before that, I was also doing theater in 3rd and 5th grade. And . . . I don’t even know how, but I picked up a couple of main roles.
I mean, it’s fitting when you look at yourself now.
[laughs] I really enjoyed acting, I miss it sometimes. It really helped me get into singing. But as I grew up, I was listening to a lot of artists, and they were pretty. . . vocally forward. Woodstock also has a really big music scene, so. . .
I was going to ask about that.
Yeah, so, we’d have a lot of guest stars come in and sing. And, we’d have chances to sing with them. I would get picked to sing backups with them, which was really fun. It was kind of just watching everyone, being around it. It was really fun being around other good musicians too, getting to vibe off each other.
So, coming into Purchase with this experience, what was your mindset when you came?
It’s funny, because I came here, and I definitely came into my shell a little bit more. I think it’s what I needed, because from my high school experience, it was very easy to get an ego or not be grounded. So, I put myself back a bit and worked on my own work pretty privately. I did session work for other people’s stuff, but for my own, I put it on the back burner a little bit.
So, you were more introverted you’d say? Because it’s interesting since you have a more extroverted personality that you kept your music to yourself.
Yeah! I felt like people were being a lot more collaborative, and out there. I just kind of needed time to figure out my sound and what I wanted to do. I had my inspiration from back home, but I was also being inspired by the complete opposite ends here. Like a lot of hardcore, punk, and I was like, “Wow. I really don’t know where I lie here. What do I wanna do?” My sophomore and junior year were when I came into myself the most, and I was like “this is who I am.” It’s definitely more “yeehaw” [giggles] and I’m so okay with that. I’m embracing it.
Was SUNY Stock your first solo performances at Purchase?
That was the debut of the new Kaia. I was writing my own stuff, but then when I performed it live, like one song sounded more country and I was like “oh I love this.” Then, when I got to another one of my songs, it got almost psychedelicy.
What was the distinct difference between the “old” and “new” Kaia?
I was doing more singer/songwriter stuff, not writing for a full band. I was kind of orchestrating in rehearsal with these songs, which is something I wasn’t doing with the others. I wasn’t thinking about how a full band could be incorporated into it, because it was just me and my guitar.
Going from being a solo artist to now being in “Sewn Together,” accompanied by Carson’s voice as well, how do you feel about that?
It’s relieving. I put a lot of pressure on myself, and I feel like I can get more creative. When we’re singing together, it’s a nice challenge to have to conform our voices to match each other. It’s like a weight lifted off my chest. I really like the collaborative effort.
What’re you most looking forward to in the imminent future?
I’m really looking forward to next semester. I’m just having so much fun. I’m really enjoying the music and I’m so excited just to get in and write with people, because I think collaboration was something I was missing in my life. I’m trying to make more creative friendships this year.
Where do you see yourself by graduation time this spring?
I was thinking of moving back upstate, but nothing is set in stone. Carson and Marcus live in the city, and Jackson lives in Brooklyn, so I’m the odd one out. But they were like “that’d be so cool if you could get us shows upstate.” So, obviously, they’re not planning on getting someone new. Maybe a filler if they need, but Carson’s keen on keeping me an integral part of the band, because that’s something I want to pursue. I don’t wanna just fall back into my 9-5 5 days a week. If I really wanna go for something, I think I’m really gonna have to dive in. And yeah, I’ll have my job on the side, but I have to make this the priority.
I want you to think back to when you were younger now. Do you think little Kaia could have seen herself in the place you are now?
I wanted to do a lot of different things. Everything comes as a surprise to me, so I definitely didn’t see myself being here. It was always changing. At some points, I’d be really into science or being a marine biologist. In 7th grade, we did a career test. It said I could be a teacher or an interior designer, which would’ve been so cool.
I can definitely see you as a teacher just because you have such an outgoing personality.
[Giggling] thanks.
So, music can be a make-or-break thing, obviously. As far as the band goes, where can you see it going?
I feel like we’ve started a little bit slower than the other bands here, but there’s no reason to compare yourself. For me, I’ve had an elongated journey full of highs and lows and figuring out myself. But I definitely hope to see myself playing with them for years to come. But things are definitely going to change.
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