With several MCMA Awards to her name, including 2019 Female Artist of the Year and back-to-back Fan’s Choice Awards, Kendra Kay has earned the title “Canada’s Country Girl.” Her powerful vocals are on par with Kelsea Ballerini (now that would be an amazing duet!) and she’s had the opportunity to work with none other than fellow Canadian and Grand Ole Opry Member Terri Clark on her 2018 sophomore EP More To Me. Earlier this summer she released her current, and very catchy, single “Steady” which was co-written by up-and-coming songwriter Madeline Merlo.
We caught up with Kendra to talk about her musical journey, her latest single and more.
CN: For our readers who may not be familiar with you, can you tell us a little bit about yourself?
KK: I grew up in a small town in western Manitoba called Elkhorn. I’ve spent the majority of my life around horses, spending my summers at fairs and rodeos racing chuckwagons with my family. I enjoy barrel racing with my horse “Jan” when I am not busy on the road with music! I spend the rest of my time helping with the cattle and the farming on the Ranch!
CN: With everything that’s going on in the world in regards to COVID-19, we hope everyone in your circle is safe and healthy. How are you holding up?
KK: I have been doing as good as can be expected. I am, of course, missing being on the road for music this summer. I had a ton of big and exciting shows in the books for this year. But I really have been making the best of this year by spending extra time working with my horses and helping with the farming. I have also been able to make that extra time to visit with friends!
CN: When one is first introduced to your music, your vocals just blow the listener away. When did you realize that you could not only sing, but belt out those notes?
KK: It took a little bit to find my voice. I sang for the first time in front of a crowd when I was 8 years old at our school’s Christmas Concert. I started taking singing lessons not long after that and the coach that I had (who had actually trained me Classically) was the one who was able to pull the big sound out of me.
CN: At what point did you decide that you wanted to follow this talent for a career?
KK: It wasn’t until a hockey injury and trip to Nashville at 15 that opened my eyes to the idea of a music career. My parents took me down to Nashville to record a demo for a singing competition that I wanted to enter only for me to fall in love with the idea of the music industry down there. The excitement behind creating music and being in the studio became realistic to me and it was when I knew that I wanted a career in country music.
CN: Which musicians, country or not, have influenced you both personally and as an artist?
KK: I would have to say that out of everyone my biggest influence has been my aunt Leona. Growing up, she and her band performed all around and she was always the one to bring me up on stage to perform a few songs (even when I was too nervous to get in front of a crowd) She taught me a lot about performing and if it wasn’t for her I don’t think I would be the artist I am today.
CN: What was the first album you ever owned?
KK: Garth Brooks – In Pieces
CN: In 2018 you released your sophomore EP More To Me which was produced by fellow Canadian Terri Clark. What was it like to work with someone like Terri not only for her established career in the industry but also as a female country artist?
KK: Working with Terri was one of the coolest things I have got the opportunity to do. I have been a Terri Clark fan for as long as I can remember (she was actually the very first concert I attended – I was 11). To have her in the studio with me, coaching me through songs and giving me advice was something I will never forget. She is so down to earth and opened my eyes to the type of person I want to be if I ever get to where she’s at one day. I truly apricate all that she has taught me.
CN: The discussion about female artists’ representation in country music in the States is well known, what is it like to be a female country artist in Canada?
KK: Being a female artist can definitely have its disadvantages at some points, but I believe that there has been a realization of the wrong doing of misrepresentation of females at radio, festivals, ect. The talent pool in Canada right now is huge and there are so many strong females coming up the ranks and making a name that we have started to see a shift in the way females get looked at!
CN: Following last year’s hit “How It’s Done,” you released your current single “Steady” which was written by winner of NBC’s Songland Madeline Merlo along with Victoria Banks and Karen Kosowski. What was it about the song that drew you to it?
KK: When I heard this song, I knew it was for me. I connected to the lyrics so fast and it felt like I could have been the one to put them to paper. The whole idea of this song is about the people in your life that keep you “steady” when troubled times hit and I am truly blessed to have such a supportive family and team of people around me that is able to do that so this song is all about them to me.
CN: What message from the song do you want listeners to walk away with?
KK: I want them to listen to this song and be able to think about the people in their lives that keep them strong and to look to those people when things get tough. We all have those people in our lives who we can use as our rocks when things come crashing down so I just want people to remember that they are never alone.
CN: The official music video for “Steady” features you – love the sparkle dress and lace skirt! – with many beautiful landscapes and sunsets edited in between – where was the video filmed?
KK: We shot this video while I was out in Ontario on a radio tour (pre-covid). The barns scenes were shot at a Christmas Tree Farm and the rest we shot in a beautiful warehouse called Millworks Creative.
CN: If you could collaborate with any one artist, who would it be?
KK: My dream collaboration would be George Straight – no question.
CN: If you could describe yourself in one word, what would it be and why?
KK: Personable – I am very outgoing and genuinely enjoy meeting people, getting to know them, hearing their life stories (guess that’s the small town girl in me). I truly believe that’s why I am able to connect to my fans so easily. I want them to know the real me and I want to know the real them!
CN: What’s next on the horizon for you?
KK: Once this crazy world starts to normalize again, I am hoping to get back into the swing of things out on the road playing tons of shows again. I am working on new music (always) and working towards another music project!
For more information on Kendra Kay, visit her website at kendrakaymusic.com and follow her on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.