Southend woman, 60, finds new career as chart-topping musician
A SOUTHEND woman has found a new career in her 60s as a chart-topping musician – after learning the guitar herself in lockdown.
Kym Vincenti, 60, had never picked up a six-string before April 2020 and made a living as a ghostwriter.
But, after her ex-boyfriend left a guitar lying around, she decided to give it a try – and found she was a natural talent.
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Fast forward two and a half years and Kym is signed to a record company and already has a number one single to his name.
Kym, from Southend, Essex, said: “Two years ago when I started playing guitar I never thought I would be where I am now.
“Having a career in music so late in life has been so unexpected, but I’m enjoying every minute of it.”
After breaking up with an ex-boyfriend during lockdown, Kym used a guitar he left at her house to pass the time.
She started practicing using a guitar chart and taught herself the finger positions for each individual note.
As the months passed, and she grew more confident with the instrument, Kym began writing her own music and adding lyrics to accompany it.
She uploaded clips of herself performing on social media, sharing them with friends and family – and their positive feedback inspired her to devote more time to music.
Two years later, she was approached by Dutch Van Spall, an acquaintance who owns her own label – Big Help Music.
And, after hearing her perform, he offered her a deal to help her launch a new career.
Kym said: “Like millions of others around the country, I was distraught during lockdown so I decided to try my hand at music.
“My ex had actually left his guitar to mine, and when I started learning the different notes, it came very naturally to me.
“I used a guitar chart for finger positions, remembered the notes in my head and started strumming them on the guitar.
“I made videos as I got better, and my friends and family were really supportive.
“I then started writing my own country and jazz music and adding lyrics over it – which took a lot of practice to perfect.
“I had been playing on and off for two years when Dutch Van Spall contacted me.
“It was my background with his own label, and when I played him some clips, he invited me to his recording studio in Warwickshire.
“We recorded one of my songs in the studio, and he offered me a recording contract on the spot – I couldn’t believe it.”
Kym signed with Big Help Music and released her debut single in early August of this year.
Since then, she has released music on multiple platforms including Apple Music, Spotify, YouTube, Soundcloud, and Amazon Music.
Her songs have been listened to by thousands of users – and she says last month she hit number one on the blues genre chart on Apple Music.
Kym says she hasn’t taken advantage of her music yet, but hopes to do so in the future when she reaches enough streams across all platforms.
His next song Let Him Go will be released on all platforms on December 9.
She said: “Since I released my first single in August, I’ve released a song about every six weeks.
“My first song entered Apple Music’s top 20 in the country chart, and my second entered the top 10 in the jazz chart.
“But my biggest accomplishment to date is securing No. 1 for my last release on the blues charts at the end of October.
“The past few months have been a whirlwind of travel, and launching a new career at this age seems strange for sure.
“But I’m taking it slow and I love recording songs and working on new projects.
“Think how far I’ve come from sitting at home with a guitar board locked out – it’s truly a surreal moment for me.”
