Kim Cameron (musician)

Kim Cameron
Background information
Birth name	Kim MacGregor Cameron
Born	(1966-11-28)November 28, 1966 Eau Claire, Wisconsin, United States
Genres	pop
Occupation(s)	Singer, songwriter, author
Instruments	Vocals, piano
Years active	2005–present
Website	sidefxband.net

Kim Cameron (born November 28, 1966) is an American recording artist and author from Washington, D.C.. Her music incorporates elements of rock, pop, Rhythm and Blues, and jazz.^[1]

Early life

Kim MacGregor Cameron was born in Eau Claire, Wisconsin on November 28, 1966. Her father, Paul Cameron, was a professor of Psychology, and her mother, Virginia Cameron, was a teacher. She has an older brother, Kirk and a younger sister Karyn. Cameron moved with her family throughout the United States, beginning her music education in St. Mary’s Maryland, where she learned to play clarinet at the age of six. She went on to perform in several marching bands after she moved to Thousand Oaks, California, where she also performed as the lead actor in the musical Pirates of Penzance. After several lead roles in musicals and plays such as Grease, Li’l Abner, and King David, she was selected for the choral group Singers, as well as the Indian Hills Choir in Lincoln, Nebraska. At the same time, she finished first in the state in the Nebraska for Poetry Interpretation at the Nebraska State's Speech competition and fourth in the nation. She attended the University of Nebraska–Lincoln for three years, completing her broadcasting major courses before finishing internship in broadcast journalism and her Bachelor of Arts degree in Journalism degree at Wichita State University in 1988.^[1]

Early career

Cameron began her broadcast career as a radio personality at KHAT-FM, in Lincoln, Nebraska. A year later, she took an internship at KAKE-TV in Wichita, Kansas. Cameron then moved to the east coast and began a corporate career developing training and promotional videos for information technology companies. She worked at MCI, as the National Training Manager for several years before moving to Siebel Systems as a Practice Manager.

In the early 1990s, Cameron began performing in a local cover band in Washington, D.C. After 10 years of working the D.C. clubs, the band took a break after a band member’s father was murdered.^[1]

In 2007, Cameron left her work as a corporate executive to pursue a full-time career in music. She wrote her first song, 'Never Forget,' about her brother-in-law.^[2] After attempting to produce her own album in 2007, she was introduced to Marco Delmar from Recording Arts. The album, Contradictions, was re-produced by Delmar and released September 2008.^[1]

Billboard success

Cameron secured placement for three months on American Airline’s In Flight Entertainment. With one of her songs written about a military man she met on a plane, she became known within the American military community, and her songs were granted airtime on Great Americans, Hooah Radio, Mil Bloggers, VA News and the Pentagon Channel.^[3]

Cameron signed a short one-year contract with Realize Records. She released her second album ‘Turning Point’ in 2010 using both Marco Delmar and Robert Jazayeri as producers. The album had some charting success on Adult Album Alternative and College Music Journal radio stations. She also self-financed her first tour, which took her through 20 states in 2010. She received a not-so-favorable article in Smart Money,^[4] but later garnered positive performance reviews from music trade publications.^[5]

In November 2010, she terminated her relationship with Realize Records and continued to self-publish her original songs. She released her first from her upcoming third album ‘The Blond Side’in September 2010, called 'Sexy Smile'.^[6] This was Cameron’s first foray into commercial radio, and she hit #103 on Mediabase in November, staying on the charts for seven weeks. In November 2010, she released her first Christmas original 'My Memories of Christmas' which was aired by 30 Top 40 commercial stations in the first week.

Cameron released 'A Dance' in January 2011, which hit #31 on Billboard’s Adult Top 40 in May, 2011. She released 'Paradise' for the Adult Contemporary genre in February 2011. Cameron hit #31 on that chart, and stayed on it for 16 weeks. The year ended with Cameron headlining the Army-Navy Game Gala at the Washington Convention Center and performed the National Anthem for NFL's Washington Redskins on Fedex Field to over 68,000 people in attendance.^[7]

In January 2012, Cameron released a music video ‘3 Seconds’ which garnered over 1 million views in less than two months. In March 2012, she was signed to Huber Entertainment-based out of Minneapolis, Minnesota.^[1] The fourth album, 'Spin Me Ever After' was released and the newest music video 'Man I used to Know' received over 2.4 millions YouTube views in just weeks. The year was finished with an international tour and the Universal Conquest Award for Album of the Year.

In 2013, Cameron's live performance concert was placed on Comcast Xfinity onDemand in the Washington, DC metro market, New England, and Northern California.^[8] It was also placed on Time Warner’s Staten Island cable network.^[1] At the same time, the single 'Man I Used to Know' was picked up by 10 stations in the first week. Cameron released two new singles in the spring 'Not into You' and 'A Little Bit in Love' for her 'Still Spinning' EP.

In July, producer/remixer Mike Rizzo remixed the single 'Not Into You' which not only charted on Mediabase within the first two weeks, but hit #8 on the DJ Times National chart and the Top 20 on Billboard's Dance Club chart.^[9]

By 2014, the newest single 'Now You're Mine,' had become Cameron's second Top 20 Billboard hit.^[10] The renown P.S. 22 Chorus asked to recreate the magic with the hit single along Cameron. The song now joins the likes of Tori Amos, Crowded House, Carrie Underwood and a host of others who have all performed with P.S. 22.^[11] Continuing with the success of the single, on 11/12/13, 'Now You're Mine' made its way to #1 on King of Spins.^[12]

In 2014, Cameron released her next hit called 'Let's Fall in Love,' which was picked up by the Top 40 stations in San Francisco, Palm Springs, Panama City, and Las Vegas after her video attracted 300,000 views. The song was also included in the Top 200 on Medibase and was picked up by national DJ pools.

Kim performed the National Anthem for the NFL New York Giants vs. Pittsburgh Steelers game Saturday, August 9, 2014 7:30 p.m. EDT at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, US.

Author

Since 2013, Cameron has written three children's books as part of the Seaper Powers series. The books are available in hard copy, eBook, and Audio book (including original scoring). Cameron continues to travel across the country as part of the series' national book tour/puppet show.^[13]

Seaper Powers book series:

• In Search of Bleu Jay's Treasure
• The Mystery of the Blue Pearls
• The Rescue
• 'The Riddle'

^[1][14]

Awards

• 2012 Universal Conquest Award – Album of the Year, Spin Me Ever After^[15]
• 2011 named in the top 100 live unsigned acts in the nation by Music Connection magazine^[1]

Discography

Albums

• Contradictions Album (Released 2008)
• Turning Point Album (Released 2010)
• The Blond Side (Released 2011) Produced by Richie Cannata of JLo and Billy Joel
• Spin Me Ever After (Released 2012)
• Still Spinning (Released 2013)
• No Regrets (Released 2015)

Singles

• Let's Fall in Love (Released 2014)
• Now You're Mine (Released 2014)

References

Corrected Miami Herald: Duque, Pamela (2010). "Side FX band helps U.S. military veterans take the edge off". The Miami Herald. Frank B. Shutts (April 18, 2010): 14.