Artist Feature | Kip Fox

CA: Kip, thanks for taking the time to connect again. Before we get into some of our questions about writing, could you just tell us a bit about how you found your way to music?

Kip: I grew up in a musical household! My parents were elementary school teachers. My mom was a music major in college and directed the school choirs, school musicals, and also taught private piano lessons. My dad loved music and played acoustic guitar and has a great tenor voice. Early in their ministry, they started a teen music group ministry called “New Life Seekers” that was made up of kids from churches all over Northern California and would travel around to churches on weekends. They also had their own folk trio and wrote songs and covered songs, traveling to churches to put on performances and put out a record (or cassette tape at the time) of their songs. So I was surrounded by music! I loved to sing, was forced to take piano lessons, and eventually decided I wanted a guitar to play and write songs at age 16.

CA: I heard that one year (maybe more), you wrote something like 100 songs in a year. Is that true? What was your routine to keep yourself disciplined to write that much?

Kip: Yes, that was true! When I decided to get serious about writing, I got up and wrote from 6AM to 8AM every morning. Back then, that was absolutely crazy to a late sleeper like me. Now, with two little kids, I’m up way before then every day. There were a few years when I was writing songs every day. And, with a publishing deal in Nashville, I would often take trips there to write two songs a day. So it all adds up quickly!

CA: How has your writing process changed now that you have two little ones? 

Kip: Simply put, the writing process has been shortened! Instead of having large chunks of time to set aside, in this season, I write a lot more in 30-minute increments. I also have to schedule out writing time for specific projects if I need more time. But what’s really cool is that I’ve learned I can still write the songs I want to write in those chunks, and in some ways, I spend less time spinning my wheels. There are always times when I need those chunks, and I believe having to sit down for long stretches helps create endurance and perseverance in writing. But having been confined to shorter writing times, I can come back to a song with fresh eyes every time. This often helps me figure out what it is the song is trying to say more efficiently. 

CA: Not that long ago, you released your album Right Time. Tell us a bit about the record.

Kip: Right Time was the first full-length album I had released in several years. For a variety of reasons, it had been a while. But one day, my wife Michelle and I were talking, and she was encouraging me to put something out into the world again. I started looking through old tunes and working through some new ones, and felt I was pretty close to a full record’s worth. Around that time, I had set up some writing time with a friend in town named Adam Lamb. I showed up with this idea in my head, and we ended up writing the song, “Right Time.” I recognized later on that it was a fitting name for a record I was putting out after a stretch of life that taught me a lot about God’s faithfulness in his time.

CA: Do you have a favorite track off the record?

Kip: When you ask that question, every single song starts pinging in my brain. They each have their own story and their own ways in which they came together. “Remember” and “Garden” stick out to me because they are songs I believed in from the beginning, but had to really work through. A lot of times, songs that make the cut are songs that kind of materialize easily. But to see the response those two songs have gotten, knowing I spent a lot of time on each of them, makes them my favorite. They’re a reminder that songs are worth fighting for.

CA: We recently saw that you were releasing acoustic versions of the songs on the record. How does the arrangement and production change the way you approach a song? Specifically, these tracks that you’ve been releasing. 

Kip: Acoustic versions of releases are almost always my favorite versions. I think because I am just a plain old acoustic guitar player and singer. I wasn’t a “band” guy in my formative years as much as an “artist” guy. So I like hearing songs like they sounded in my room as I was learning to play and sing together. I love the way we produced Right Time, but I also want people to hear what the songs sound like in a more raw form. And I want to hear what they sound like that way too! 

CA: I know you are a huge encourager to a lot of other writers, and that you are also the director of The Songwriter Initiative through the Center for Worship Leadership. How has mentoring a group of writers changed the way you approach writing, and what have been some of the most life-giving aspects of leading that community?

Kip: That’s a great question. I’m not sure if it’s changed my approach to writing, but it certainly keeps reminding me of all the ways the songwriter’s journey can twist and turn. When I’m reminded of that, it helps keep me grounded and patient with myself as a writer. I get so much joy out of seeing people share their songs. I love it when I see people becoming better and better writers. I love it when people work together to create something completely unique or hilarious, or joyful, or truly heartbreaking. And the most lifegiving thing is just having a community of people you can be with and know you’re not alone. The most affirming thing is to see someone say or do something about songwriting and think, “Oh, that’s not just me?”

CA: Kip, thanks again for taking the time to answer our questions. We really appreciate it! If people want to keep up with what you are releasing or learn more about you and your music, what’s the best way to do that? 

Kip: There’s always kipfox.com! One of the best ways to stay connected with what I’m up to is to sign up for my email list there. Otherwise, you can follow me on social media: (Instagram, Facebook, Tiktok, YouTube)

CA: Thanks, Kip!

You can find Kip’s music at kipfox.com and more information about CWL’s Songwriter Initiative here.