Hey Kelley! So excited to be chatting with you! Can you tell us a little something about yourself?
I am so excited too!!! My name is Kelley Jeanne and I was born in Italy since my Dad was in the Navy! I moved around a lot as a kid as a result but ended up in Pittsburgh and went to the University of Pittsburgh, H2P for LIFE, and received my degree in Chemistry. I started writing some songs and met Chase Kalina, and we performed acoustically for a year then we met the rest of the band (Ryan Caldwell, Braden Ball, and Jordan Kaye)! At the end of last year I was invited into CMTs artist mentorship program for independent artists. I made the decision to move to Nashville to grow as a songwriter and a performer and we all decided to move down to Nashville together! Currently we are traveling, performing, writing and we cant wait to see what the future holds!!!
What inspired you to pursue music?
My mom was a music teacher so I have been singing my whole life with her. We would sit at the piano playing songs and singing all day and seeing her passion and love for music just drove me to love it even more!
How would you describe your musical style?
I would describe my musical style as country with a little bit of rock and pop influences! When writing I don’t really aim for a genre or a box to fit the song into but instead just set out to write the best song that I possibly can!!
What artists do you look up to right now?
There are so many artists that I look up to right now! I think I am most excited about seeing all of the women in country music just writing and performing some of the best songs out there today! Carly Pearce, Kelsea Ballerini, Caylee Hammack, Ashley McBryde, Stephanie Quayle, and Mareen Morris.
What would you say is your most braggable moment?
There have been so many moments that I am just so grateful for and I have to remind myself to not always be looking constantly for the next one and to enjoy the moment. I have been so grateful to move down to Nashville with my band and play at festivals in different states but I think being able to play at Three Rivers Arts Festival in Pittsburgh (our hometown) has been one of our favorite moments!
What has been the greatest lesson you have learned from a mistake?
I took a break from music and went to the University of Pittsburgh and earned my degree in Chemistry! I thought that waiting to move to Nashville and taking a break from singing was a huge mistake and always wondered why I never came down here earlier! Seeing how amazing things are right now being able to sing, write, perform, and travel with my best friends is amazing and would not have happened if I moved here earlier! The experiences have helped me write songs that otherwise wouldnt have been written. So I guess the important lesson for me to learn is that everything happens in the right time and you cant rush things!
Why do you think social media is so important for artists today?
Social media is so important for artists because it lets us reach so many people we might not be able to reach ever and share our music but not just that our LIVES!! I constantly share, probably overshare, parts of my life with everyone! Being able to share my authentic self as well as the behind the scenes of song writing and performing and working with the band has been amazing!
Can you share with us what you have in store for 2020? Any new music you will be releasing?
Right now since we are currently quarantined I have been writing and will begin recording in the next couple of weeks! We have also been doing as many instagram and Facebook Live shows for everyone! Not only that we have been adding videos to our Youtube channel, please subscribe to Miss Kelley Jeanne 🙂 , including grilling videos as well as videos of me playing video games for the first time and cleaning our Keriug!
Do you have any advice for aspiring music artists?
My advice would be do it! Get out there and do what sets your soul on fire and what makes you happy! Sometimes people struggle with the fear of not being a good enough performer or a good enough writer (I struggle with this as well) but you need to continue to do it to get better and I promise you will get better! Right now I am working on my guitar playing…I know enough to play chords and write songs but I want to be able to play my songs by myself one day and feel comfortable and excited! The only way I can get there is by practicing and working on it everyday and sometimes I want to give up but I wont let myself and you shouldn’t either! If this is your dream don’t give up…you are going to get no’s sometimes more than yes’s at first and you are going to have setbacks but you can not give up! Surround yourself with people who have your back and support you and can help you during the rough times! I was able to meet Joe Ginsberg at Songathon in Nashville this past year and he said one thing that has really stuck with me and that I always go to when I am struggling which is he has never heard of anyone in the music business making it who has given up. You need to keep working, keep improving and most importantly keep being honest and true to yourself!
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End of Interview