Kaiyah Mercedes is a young up-and-coming LGBTQI+ singer/songwriter based in Melbourne, Australia, whose lyrics are written with poetic influence and a focus on storytelling and emotions.

Kaiyah began writing in 2020, taking inspiration from everything in her life: literature, films and TV, fictional stories of her creation, and authentic experiences. She writes songs that profoundly express the realities of teenage life through her deep lyrics and rare sincerity and can immerse listeners in feelings of nostalgia and sadness.

Kaiyah Mercedes joined I Heart Songwriting Club in October 2020 and is both a Youth Songwriting Course graduate and Level Up Club member. As a young singer/songwriter based in South East Melbourne, she has been developing her pop, folk and indie sounds that also draw influence from rock and grunge.

Kaiyah’s new single ‘New Year’s Resolution’ was born from our Kid’s Course, through which Club member Helen Shanahan served as a mentor! Kaiyah talks about how she worked through the process that led to this new single: 

“The Theme (which that week was ‘Toast) really stumped me at first, and I had no clue what to write, but when I sat down at the piano, I pictured a story in my head of a person replaying memories of simpler times such as eating breakfast in bed with their love (the breakfast being toast of course). I continued writing, and the story created itself, almost as if the story was being written for me, and it grew to this concept of making a wish and raising your glass for a toast even when you feel heartbroken and lost.”

Kaiyah has just released her debut album ‘Hindsight’ from which 3 of the 12 tracks were written in the I Heart Songwriting Club Kid’s Course. Through our kid’s courses, we foster the next generation of songwriters just like Kaiyah. Read some more info on the kid’s course here.

Listen to Kaiyah’s new album ‘Hindsight’ here