Fresh off her successful run on Season Eight of "The Voice," fast emerging 16-year-old country singer/songwriter Kelsie May (www.kelsiemay.com) - part of Team Blake, under the guidance of country superstar Blake Shelton - is gearing up for an exciting series of performances this summer at regional fairs, festivals and special events this summer.
The Eastern Kentucky raised and based singer, who released her debut self-titled EP in 2013 at the age of 14 - has joined forces with legendary country music songwriter and producer David Malloy to work on developing her upcoming label debut. Malloy, who has 41 #1 hits to his credit, has worked with everyone from KennyRogers,
Dolly Parton and
Reba McEntire to
Julianne Hough, Billy Gilman and Tim McGraw.
"Every once in a while, I have the wonderful opportunity to meet and work with an extraordinary young artist whose voice shows great maturity," says Malloy. "Kelsie's voice comes booming out, but it's not just about power. Her tone is well rounded on the high end as well as the bottom, and there's a natural authenticity where she sings in the same unique accent she speaks in.
"Some young artists try to act country, but she's the real deal - and with the genre's younger artists like
Taylor Swift and
Hunter Hayes in their '20s, and most of the core artists in their '30s and '40s, the time is right for the genre and country radio to embrace a new younger generation and bring fresh teen artists into the fold. Kelsie is that next generation. She's not just using country as a platform to become a rock star. She's country through and through."
Malloy was introduced to Kelsie through her booking agent, industry veteran Bob Kinkead, CEO of the Bob Kinkead Entertainment Agency, who has worked with Malloy on the producer's new artist online platform Teen Hoot. It is a social media community that offers quarterly worldwide streaming video broadcasts of young musicians; its videos are viewed over 50,000 times a month in over 150 countries.
Kinkead says, "When I first saw Kelsie on "The Voice," I was extremely impressed with her style, vocal ability and her persona and in the end I truly believe she will leave her mark in the country music industry as one of the great traditional artist in our genre. The Kinkead Entertainment Agency welcomes Kelsie May to the roster!"
PCG
NASHVILLE - the nation's leading artist development company - discovered Kelsie's talent early on, and signed her at the young age of 13. PCG
NASHVILLE President Bernard Porter is assembling a powerhouse team to help take Kelsie's career and artistry to the next level, met her through a local talent agent.
"Kelsie is an incredibly gifted artist with an equally beautiful spirit," he says. "She's learned from some of the greatest artists in the world and incorporated a piece of each one into her own unique sound and style. The combination is stunning. We feel very privileged to work with her and help hone her God-given talent. She defines something true that speaks to her generation.
"The region of Kentucky she hails from has produced many of country's greatest songwriters and artists, and she is primed to carry on that exciting tradition," Porter adds. "The key to success in this genre is being authentic to who an artist is. We like to use the term 'It Factor,' but it's only something we know when we see it. It's a magic combination of presence, voice, song and character. Kelsie is that rare artist who has all of those. We at PCG
NASHVILLE are excited to put together the right components to help nourish her and help her grow into the artist we know she can be."
Since signing with PCG Nashville, Kelsie has trained with the best in the business and performed all across her region and beyond, including the Renfroe Valley Entertainment Center in Renfroe Valley, Kentucky, which is broadcast world-wide online; the historic Wheeling Jamboree in Wheeling, West Virginia; and the Highway 23 Museum in Paintsville, Kentucky, where she performs regularly.
Having firsthand experience with the isolation and pain of bullying, Kelsie was especially honored when asked to sing and launch the music video for her original song, "Young Love" as the opening act for the "Be A Buddy Not A Bully" campaign in Huntington, West Virginia. She has also opened for country music pros,
Marty Stuart, John Michael Montgomery, Morgan Frazier,
Eric Paslay and Bucky Covington.
Kelsie's performance of her idol, and now fan,
Loretta Lynn's "You're Looking At Country" on the Blind Auditions segment of "The Voice" March 2 earned the praises of Shelton,
Pharrell Williams and
Christina Aguilera. As part of Team Blake, she won The Battles segment March 16 and gave her final performance in the
KNOCKOUT Round March 30 singing
Taylor Swift's "Tim McGraw."
The plan for Kelsie's upcoming debut album is to include potential hit songs penned by some of Music Row's finest songwriters in addition to showcasing Kelsie's own developing talents as a songwriter.
"I was raised in Kentucky and country is who I am both as a person and artist," she says. "I have a lot of traditional and contemporary influences, including my hero
Loretta Lynn, and the truth is it makes me happy to express myself in this genre. This is a very exciting time for me, and I'm so honored that David is producing my album. He's worked with so many artists I love and is truly the best at what he does. My dream is coming true right before my very eyes. With "The Voice," a summer of upcoming shows and the new album, there's so much to take in at once, but I'm loving every second of the journey."
UPCOMING PERFORMANCES:
05/29 - St. Joseph Civic Arena, St. Joseph, MO
07/24- 07/25 -
David Harris River Front Park, Huntington, WV
08/08 - Boone County Fair, Madison, WV
08/21 -
Freedom Hall-Kentucky State Fair, Louisville, KY
09/18 - The Cooler, Rock Falls, IL
09/19 - Poage
Landing Days, Ashland, KY
10/03 - West Virginia Pumpkin Festival, Milton, W.V.
12/06 - Boyd County Community Center, Catlettsburg, KY
Comments
To post a comment, you must
register and
login.
