JERSEY ACOUSTIC MUSIC AWARD Nominated -2010 Top Female vocalist and Top Female Songwriter -2011 Album of the Year forThankful and Top Female Songwriter Kim Yarson, a singer/songwriter, has been writing songs with abandon since 1994. She has been trained by some of Nashville's top hit songwriters through NSAI (Nashville Songwriters Association International) workshops over the years. She has won awards for her songwriting through contests and has had single song contracts for several of her songs over the years in Nashville. Kim decided that 2008 was her time to fulfill her deepest potential as a singer/songwriter. She began the journey by releasing her debut CD Satisfied, with the help of Clint Morrison of Underdog Studios in Nashville and Gary Jakubicki of SBG Studios in NJ, on January 1, 2009. Kim’s second CD THANKFUL was released on August 13, 2011 to a standing room only crowd at the Hamilton Manor in NJ. Thankful was also recorded at SBG studios in NJ and Under Dog Studios, now in Texas, with guest appearances by some of NJ’s best musicians such as Ernie White, Lisa Bouchelle, Sandy Zio and Jo Wymer. The fans have given her second CD huge thumbs up and even her publisher in Nashville is working on pitching two songs off Thankful: Manhattan and the Falling! Along with the CD Thankful is Kim Yarson’s first music video of her song “Without A Trace” directed by Trenton film maker Jeremy Sypniewski and co-produced by Michael Patty. This song is dedicated to the memory of Kim’s father who was killed by a drunk driver when she was four years old. “This video really gave me the chance to grieve of this loss in my adult self and my only hope is that others are helped by it too,” Yarson states of her video. She wrote the song while walking along the beaches in LBI and returned to the beaches of LBI to shoot the video. “This music video was one of the best experiences of my life and I now release it to the world with a smile in my heart,” Yarson says. She thanks her fans for fully funding this video 158% on Kickstarter.com, an artist funded site. Kim has been also bringing her music all around the libraries of NJ in her 3 years running Songwriters in the Round concert series, as well as, Mommy and Me Sing-A-Longs, teaching beginner lyric writing and a new class on how to become an independent artist. She enjoys teaching about her love of songwriting and music just as much as performing. Currently, Kim has penned a song for an independent film called “Acceptance” which is due to be released to the public in June of 2012. Her songs “Reach” and “In This Moment” off her Thankful CD also can be heard in the film. Her song “Why Me” which was written after she read the script about a mom’s struggle finding out her son has autism. Kim is thrilled to be able to help families of autistic children with this song. A music video is in the works for “Why Me” very soon. Soon after Kim's Thankful release, she released her first single with co-writer, John Connolly called "I Want To Live." This song is the first from a fetus' perspective crying out that it wants to live. "I am giving voice to a life that has no voice with this song." says Kim. Yarson had been touring NJ/PA/NY with her long time band mates Danny Coleman, Mike Thompson and recent member Al-Vis to form the Kim Yarson band. This band supports her two albums Satisfied and Thankful. She is also currently in a new band with two other female singer/songwriters from NJ called Gyrl Band. Lisa Bouchelle, Sandy Zio and Kim Yarson formed a super group late in 2011 and they are playing in support of each of their own CDs while writing music for a future EP release of new material for their band. When Kim is not doing music, her focus has been on raising her two sons, taking care of her family all while living out her dreams, a balancing act that requires ingenuity and love. You can look forward to Kim playing all around NJ and east coast to promote her Thankful CD!