Formula Indie Sessions _ Interview with Caden Jester x Kendra Checketts

✱ What is your earliest memory connected to music?

Caden: When I was 4 or 5, I’d dump all of my toys onto the floor, flip the boxes upside down, and use them as drums. I’d get wooden spoons from the kitchen to use as drum sticks. Oh and one other: does anyone remember this cereal beat maker?

Kendra: My earliest memory connected to music is sitting with my grandparents, listening to The Beatles and The Rolling Stones on their CD player in their house. Looking back on it now feels really special, because I’m always thinking about what shaped me as an artist and the kind of music I love today. Those days spent in their music room were some of my favorite memories growing up. My grandpa would teach me songs on the piano, and I’d put on little performances for my family. What started as such a wholesome childhood experience slowly turned into a career, which still feels kind of unreal to think about.

✱ How did your passion for creating music begin?

Caden: When I was 10, I found GarageBand on the family computer. I assumed it was another program like Terminal or something, so I asked my dad about it. He opened it and figured out how to arrange the stock loops and showed me the ropes. From that day on, I was hooked and never put it down. 

Kendra: I’ve always had a passion for music, so it’s hard to pinpoint exactly when it started because it came so early in my life. But I really started to understand how important music was to me when I was in fourth grade and my dad had a cerebral brain hemorrhage. After four brain surgeries, two and a half weeks in a coma, and about a year in the hospital, he’s now better than ever. During that time though, I wanted to stay positive for my family, and singing and writing became the thing that carried me through it all. That experience pushed me deeper into my creative side and made me realize that music wasn’t just something I wanted to do. It was something I needed.

✱ What’s the story behind your current music project?

Caden: Right now I’m primarily focused on sync. I’ve had success passively over the past 10 years with it, so I wanted to double down on it. I’m really focusing on building up my catalog to be well-rounded so that I have music for pretty much every need across film, television, commercials, or any other kind of project.

Kendra: I actually have two music projects right now. One leans more into pop and EDM, which I’ve always loved. True pop music paired with a sick EDM sound has always resonated with me, especially during high school. I grew up listening to a lot of Disney Channel artists, and that definitely played a role in shaping that side of my sound. As I’ve grown as an artist, I didn’t want to box myself into one genre, so I created my band, Kendra Checketts & The Riot Cinema. With the band, we play more punk, pop, and rock sounds. A lot of that project is inspired by the music I loved as a kid, and I really want to bring a classic rock feel into the modern sound we hear on the radio today.

✱ How would you describe your sound to someone who has never heard your music before?

Caden: Pop, EDM (house mostly), Dark Pop, and Indie/Alt are the primary genres I work in. But pretty much everything I do has some pop sensibilities to it.

Kendra: Anything and everything, all at once. I have a wide range of music out because I love being creative and I don’t like limiting myself to one lane. Whether it’s my independent project or my band, I think there’s something for a lot of different people. I never want to just do one thing, it’s not in my nature. At the end of the day, the biggest goal with my music is for people to feel something. Whether that’s happiness, anger, sadness, or anything in between, I just want my songs to make you feel.

✱ What is one thing you’ve learned that completely changed the way you make music?

Caden: It’s not always about creating the perfect song or perfect production, but more about creating a feeling and a mood that listeners resonate with. Especially in the sync world, it’s really about setting a vibe more than creating a groundbreaking piece of art. Take genres like dramedy or investigative, no one would sit there and listen to them on their own, but when paired with visuals, it can set the perfect mood for the scene.

Kendra: One thing I’ve learned over the years, and something I constantly have to remind myself, is that music is my creative space. I can be whoever I want to be and do whatever I want to do in it. I think it’s easy to get caught up in questions like “What do people want?” or “What will make people listen?” and while that can be helpful when thinking about the bigger picture of your work, basing every part of your creative process on that can pull you away from who you really are as an artist. When I let go of that pressure, my music feels more honest and way more fulfilling to create.

✱ What tools, instruments, or software are essential in your creative process?

Caden: Really all I need is my laptop (MacBook Pro M1 Max), headphones (Neumann NDH 30s), and Logic. But when it comes to software, the things that I use in every single project are Fabfilter Pro L2, Pro C2, Soothe2, Yum Audio’s Crispy Clip, and Serum 2.

Kendra: My ride or die is my Shure SM7B, I’ve had it for years and it’s my go to. I track everything myself in my home studio on Logic, unless I’m working with my band and we’re in an actual studio together. I also always have a big notebook full of random thoughts and one liners with me. Caden and I actually wrote our song Blasé off a melody I came up with while I was peeing. TMI, but it really proves you can create anywhere.

✱ Which indie artist or song are you loving right now?

Caden: Agar Agar is probably my new favorite find. Specifically their songs I’m That Guy and Prettiest Virgin.

Kendra: I wouldn’t be me without first saying Kelsy Karter & The Heroines. My band and I actually opened for them on their tour earlier this year, and it was genuinely one of the craziest and coolest experiences of my life. I’ve listened to them for so long, so getting to share the stage with an artist I’ve loved for years felt surreal. It was one of those full circle moments that reminded me why I do this in the first place. I’ve also been really loving Devon Again lately. I think her music is so sick, and I love how unapologetic and confident her sound feels. She has such a strong artistic identity which is always inspiring to me. Honestly, if I kept going, this would turn into a whole separate interview because there are so many indie artists I’m obsessed with right now, so I’ll stop myself before it gets out of hand.

✱ How have your personal experiences influenced your music and artistic vision?

Caden: I think when the world is as dreary as it is right now, people gravitate toward fun, upbeat music, myself included. So that’s typically reflected in the music that I like to make. 

Kendra: Where do we even start? Honestly every single experience I’ve had in my life has influenced my music and my artistic vision in some way. Growing up, and especially throughout high school, I was constantly told that I couldn’t do this, that making music wasn’t realistic, that I wouldn’t be successful, and that it was just a crazy dream. But I’ve always been the kind of person who wants to prove people wrong, and hearing that only pushed me harder. Deep down, I knew this was what I was meant to be doing, and I refused to let anyone else decide that for me. The harder moments in my life have shaped the rawness you hear in my songs. The sadness I’ve felt has turned into vulnerability. The anger I’ve carried at certain points has turned into the angst and edge that shows up in my music. Even the smaller, quieter moments matter just as much. I could step outside, see a leaf on the ground, and suddenly a feeling or lyric hits me. I know that sounds kind of stupid, but it’s true. Everything inspires me. My music is really just a reflection of how I move through the world and process things emotionally. Writing is how I make sense of what I’m feeling, what I’ve been through, and who I’m becoming. Every experience, big or small, finds its way into my songs, and that’s what makes my artistic vision feel honest and personal to me.

✱ What emotions or messages do you hope listeners take from your work?

Caden: You can have fun, be yourself, and not worry about what others think. I think that really reflects in the music I make, as I don’t have one particular ‘sound’ and I release whatever I make that I like and feel represents me. 

Kendra: I honestly just hope people feel something when they listen to my music. I want someone to put on Higher and get hyped for a party. I want someone to listen to Enough About Me and sit in that angst. I want people to play my slower songs and just feel. I think we’re getting better as a society at talking about emotions, but not everyone always has a safe place to do that. If my music can give someone that space, even for a few minutes, then that means everything to me.

✱ What’s the most important lesson music has taught you so far?

Caden: With enough time and dedication, you truly can make a living doing what you love. It’s difficult for sure, but it’s possible. 

Kendra: This is probably going to sound cliché, but it’s taught me not to give up, and not to hate my craft when it starts to feel like work. I know a lot of people, myself included at one point, who put so much energy into something so vulnerable that they hit burnout. As a songwriter, you’re literally letting people into your diary, and that can be a lot. Even my more fun, upbeat songs like Higher come from a real feeling or moment, and I’m inviting everyone who listens into that with me. It’s easy to get stuck in the mindset of “I have to do this today” or “I have to record this by 11pm” and suddenly it feels like just a job. Taking a second to remind myself that yes, this is my work, but it’s also my love and my dream, keeps me wanting to create.

✱ What is a dream venue or festival you would love to perform at?

Caden: I’m honestly not much of a performer, I really prefer to be in the background. But I have always loved DJing. I DJ’d all of my proms and homecomings growing up, and even continued to do so after I graduated as a little side gig. So if the opportunity presented itself, I would love to DJ something like EDC. 

Kendra: I would love to perform at When We Were Young Fest and Coachella. I think both would be unreal. Venue wise, my absolute dream is Madison Square Garden. I saw One Direction there as a kid and I’ve been picturing myself on that stage ever since.

✱ If you could collaborate with any artist, past or present, who would it be and why?

Caden: Skrillex, hands down. He’s my favorite artist of all time and I would love to be in the studio with him and watch him work. 

Kendra: I would 1000% collaborate with The Beatles. There’s just something so real and timeless about their music. The way they recorded, the rawness of the takes, and how unpolished and emotional everything feels. It all feels so human. You can hear the imperfections, the breaths, the moments where they just went for it, and that’s what makes it special. You can feel everything from just a 30-second clip of one of their songs, and to me, that’s what music is supposed to do. I love how they weren’t afraid to experiment, evolve, and completely change their sound while still staying true to themselves. Their music feels honest, emotional, and fearless, and it never sounds like it was created to please anyone but themselves. That kind of freedom is so inspiring to me as an artist. Collaborating with them would feel less like making a “perfect” song and more like capturing a moment, an emotion, or a feeling and that’s always been the heart of why I make music in the first place.

✱ Where can our listeners follow and support your music? (Website,Spotify, IG, links)

Caden:

Instagram – Spotify – Apple Music – Website – Work With Me (SoundBetter)

Kendra:

Kendra Checketts: Instagram – Spotify – Apple Music

Kendra Checketts & The Riot Cinema: Instagram – Spotify – Apple Music

✱ Looking toward the future, what’s your dream for the next chapter of your musical journey?

Caden: To be making a full time income from sync placements and royalties.

Kendra: My dream for the next chapter is to reach more people and, hopefully, impact listeners in a genuinely positive way. I want to create a full project that really speaks to people and takes them on a journey from start to finish. I’m less interested in chasing singles and more interested in building something that feels intentional and immersive. I want my music to feel like an experience, something you sit with, connect to, and even see yourself in. If someone can press play and feel understood or inspired, even for a second, then I know I’m doing what I’m meant to be doing.

✱ What do you hope listeners will discover about you along the way?

Caden: My music isn’t really about “me”. I care more that they feel something or have an experience with the music more than discovering things about me personally. I’ve always loved when people hear my song in a TV show or movie and then reach out to me to tell me that they loved the song because it means the song made them feel something.

Kendra: I hope listeners discover my inner self, the parts of me that are usually kept quiet. I want people to listen and feel like they’ve stepped into my diary, hearing thoughts and emotions I would normally only say to myself. Not in an oversharing way, but in a human way. I’ve always believed that being honest in art can make people feel less alone, and if something I write reaches someone who feels the exact same way, then that’s the whole point. At the end of the day, I just want my music to create connection and remind people that whatever they’re feeling, they’re not the only one.