We’re looking forward to introducing you to Tory Kindla. Check out our conversation below.
Hi Tory, thank you so much for taking time out of your busy day to share your story, experiences and insights with our readers. Let’s jump right in with an interesting one: Are you walking a path—or wandering?
As of right now, it really feels like I’m wandering. I’m in a very odd place, mentally – not good, or bad, just odd. It feels like I’m in limbo because right now, I’m a full-time musician. Both my husband and I support ourselves by gigging – which is great! It’s a huge blessing that a lot of artist wish to have, but the reason it feels like I’m in this space of wandering in limbo is because I feel ready for our next chapter in life. I’d love to slow down on the gigging, and start a family.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
Hey there everyone! My name is Victorya Kindla (y’all can call me Tory), and my brand is my band! We are a variety cover band, based in San Antonio, TX called ‘Jackie Not Marilyn’.
There are dozens and dozens of cover bands in San Antonio, and all throughout Texas, but something that is really special about JNM is that we have this palpable chemistry on stage. A compliment we often get is how cohesive our sound is, and how all of us look like we’re having so much fun on stage, together. The reality is, WE ARE! I’m a firm believer that a lot of the time, the audience can feel the vibe and energy of the band – the energy that’s deeper than the music they hear. The chemistry you can see on stage is present when we perform because it’s an overflow of our real lives. JNM is a lot like family. Sometimes, we want to pull each other’s hair out. We get annoyed with one another, we bicker, but we always work through it. We’re a very tight-knit band, and that’s something that I especially am thankful for because it’s something that was important to me, from the very start.
Appreciate your sharing that. Let’s talk about your life, growing up and some of topics and learnings around that. Who were you before the world told you who you had to be?
Oooooh, wow! That’s a great question. Got me really pondering, deep in thought, over here! Hmmm…who was Tory before the world told her who she had to be…?
Before the world told me who I had to be, I was fearless. I wasn’t afraid to shine, I wasn’t afraid to sparkle. I wasn’t afraid to get up on a stage, and be me. I didn’t really care what others thought, but I think that’s because I didn’t think they were thinking about me. As I grew up, I started to see some of the things in others, that caused me to shut myself down – that caused me to dim my light. Let me give you an example of a core memory I have with this.
When I was twelve years old, I was a part of a performing arts organization that would travel all over the country to perform. One year, I took a trip with them to South Padre Island to perform for some event – I can’t remember what exactly the event was – and two of the girls in the organization, who were also on the trip, I had grown very close to over the last year. I considered them to be two of my best friends. We were all around the same age, and one night, the group had gone down to the hotel lobby to do karaoke. In short, the girls ended up telling me that they thought I was a “show-off”. That every time I get on stage to perform, I do it for attention because I’m just trying to show-off. As a twelve year old, that really broke me, Especially because I considered them my best friends.
There are different memories very similar to that one, that shaped my experience as a performer. Unfortunately, the negative memories far outweighed the positive, especially because I was so young, and coming into my own. But before any of those moments – before being called a “show-off”, “attention seeker”, and all sorts of other things, I didn’t care what others thought. I wasn’t afraid to sparkle, I wasn’t afraid to shine because I wasn’t trying to do any of those things – I was just doing what I loved, and was passionate about it, even at a really young age.
Was there ever a time you almost gave up?
Yes. And I wouldn’t even say that I almost gave up, I’d say that I fully did GIVE UP. I stopped performing around the age of 16, and didn’t get back into performing again until I was 25. In that time, I think the only performance-based event I was a part of was a musical I was in, senior year of high school. I didn’t start performing again until I was accepted into an acting conservatory at the age of 25. Performing wasn’t a part of my life for 9 years, and I thought I was done with it forever, before I started conservatory.
I think our readers would appreciate hearing more about your values and what you think matters in life and career, etc. So our next question is along those lines. Is the public version of you the real you?
I’d say so, yes! And I think if you were to ask anyone who knows me, they’d say the same thing. I’m a huge extrovert, big time social butterfly, so I do believe I flourish out in public (LOL)!
Okay, so before we go, let’s tackle one more area. Are you doing what you were born to do—or what you were told to do?
Nowadays, I believe I’m doing what I was born to do. It took me a long time to get here, though, especially being in an industry that a lot of people would say to stay away from, for various reasons.
But I do believe there are things I was born to do, that I’m not doing yet. Not because someone else is telling me what to/what not to do, but because I’m not in that chapter of my life, yet. For instance, becoming a mother. I wholeheartedly believe that I was born to be a mother, just as much as I was born to be an artist. But I’m not there yet, and that’s okay. That time will come when it’s supposed to.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.jackienotmarilyn.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jackienotmarilyn/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jackienotmarilyn
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@jackienotmarilyntx
Image Credits
Jojodancerphotos (Anthony Garcia)
Christy Sanchez
