Pooja Kylasa Is Living Her Musical Dream
Singer-songwriter Pooja Kylasa has gone from a hometown feature to national stages, all while staying true to her love of storytelling through music.
Publisher’s Note:
I recently had lunch with Pooja, who readers may remember from a story we did on her back in her high school days. She’s now graduated from college and doing some exciting things. It was a pleasure to catch up and hear how things have been going for her since we last featured her.
Pooja’s update:
So many exciting things have happened since I graduated with my Master's last year — including appearing on The Jennifer Hudson Show, songwriting in Nashville, singing the National Anthem at big baseball stadiums in Oklahoma, Utah, performing at the California Mid-State Fair and other live performances. As a singer, songwriter, and musician I always feel comforted by the fact that I can go to music no matter how I feel: happy, sad, anxious, overwhelmed, etc. I'm so grateful to have support from my family. Not everyone has that kind of support, especially for the entertainment industry.
Here are some photos from my “adventures” over the past couple of years.
Picture 1: Jennifer Hudson Show
- I was the youngest person to graduate with a Master's in my cohort and celebrated by talking with EGOT winner Jennifer Hudson herself! Fun fact: I talked about my music-inspired thesis.
Picture 2: Songwriting in Nashville
- I had the incredible opportunity to travel to Nashville, Tennessee AKA Music City, for a week-long songwriting retreat with Tyler Ward and seasoned music professionals. I’m excited to continue my journey in storytelling through music as a stronger writer.
Pictures 3-4: National Anthem for California Mid-State Fair opening for Iration and 311
- I was blown away by the kindness and support from the crowd. Many shared that they got goosebumps. Throughout the night, countless people came up to tell me it was the best anthem they've ever heard, even comparing it to big events like the Super Bowl. Such a huge compliment and the crowd hyped me up the entire time! I'll treasure this forever
- Things people said
- “You're going places”
- “I'd vote for you every night if you were on American ldol”
- “All around me people were talking about you”
- “Paso Robles has your back!”
- “Little body, big voice!”
- “I got goosebumps!”
- To my Mama: "You must be a proud Mom" & "You raised her right"
Picture 5-6: National Anthem for Salt Lake Bees (Triple-A Affiliate of the Los Angeles Angels)
- IL’m gonna be happy about this for a while
Picture 7: National Anthem for Oklahoma City Comets (Triple-A Affiliate of the Los Angeles Dodgers)
- I've always wanted to perform in a huge stadium like this one. Dream come true!
Pictures 8-9: High School Musical (East High)
- We toured the real life High School Musical and saw Sharpay's iconic pink lockers! I grew up singing HSM and Disney songs, so this was a full circle moment.
Picture 10: 2nd Annual GRAMMY Hall of Fame Gala
- Busiest weekend of the year. Grateful to be here, celebrating legendary music and witnessing their incredible talent
Bonus Picture: Seven Oaks Living November 2016: The Kylasa Family
- Fun fact: Throwback to almost a decade ago when my family and I were on the cover of Seven Oaks Magazine. Time really flies by!
Follow me on socials (Instagram/TikTok/YouTube): @poojakylasa