Written and recorded by Kaitlyn Baker
Produced by Scott Arnold
Available Feb 23rd
Born and raised in the small town of Pound, VA, Kaitlyn Baker rises from the depths of the coal mines where her family has worked for generations and where the coal dust covers more than just the birds in a veneer of black. Baker has always known that singing would carry her far beyond the Appalachian peaks that she calls home. Referred to as a modern day “coal miner’s daughter,” her pure country voice rings true and her songwriting rivals Nashville’s finest.
Like many country artists, Baker got her start by singing in church, but she also began to perform professionally, as a young girl, at events in her small hometown and surrounding area. By the time she was 14, she had recorded three self-produced albums, which were sold at live performances. Though she is a country artist, she is steeped in musical influences spanning beyond.
Baker’s debut single “Burn” charted on Music Row’s Breakout Chart in 2015 and inspired the creation of Kaitlyn Baker’s BURN Sauce, a hot sauce produced by Pepper Palace in Sevierville, Tennessee. Her follow-up singles “Coal Train” and “To Pieces” garnered national attention on music industry charts and media outlets. In 2016 her self-penned “Heart of Appalachia” song was adopted as the official theme song of the Heart of Appalachia Tourism Authority, a nonprofit organization that promotes tourism.
On January 1st of 2017, Baker’s close friend and guitarist was killed by a drunk-driver when their vehicle crossed the center line and struck his on a Virginia highway. As a means to ease her pain, Baker wrote the song “Blackbird” as a tribute to her friend, and it is now the first single from her forthcoming EP of the same title.
On “Blackbird” Baker’s voice soars. The six songs, all co-penned by the 23 year-old, are songs about life and love. They show impressive growth, both lyrically and sonically, for the artist who began winning regional talent contests when she was just seven years old, and made national waves with a song called “Coal Train” before her eighteenth birthday.
Baker is quite settled into herself now. A strong young woman with a message to share and a song in her heart.