Artist Spotlight - KINLEY

(Photo Credit - Denis Duquette)

We had the opportunity to interview emerging alt-artist KINLEY! She just dropped her self-titled debut LP on February 21, 2020! So definitely give it a listen, but first read what she had to say in our interview!

1. How did you come to pursue music and how long have you been at it? "I grew up with parents as musicians. My dad is a drummer and my mom plays piano. We were always listening to music and going to see concerts and playing concerts. I started playing violin in grade 4. Later I ended up studying Classical Viola Performance at Dalhousie University. The day after I graduated I got in a van with the band Hey Rosetta! We toured the world for 10 years. It was an incredible experience. A couple of years ago we decided to take a hiatus. I had been recording violin on other artists’ albums for years and decided (with the encouragement of a couple of friends) that I should write my own songs. I released a duo album with my cousin Liam Corcoran, and later recorded an album of my own songs. I realized I was in love with songwriting. I just released my self-titled sophomore album on February 21, 2020."

2. Could you walk us through your process of writing music?

"I love writing by myself, home alone. I love writing at night. I either start by playing a riff on the tenor guitar, or by letting any words flow out of my hand and onto the page. I then try to see if anything I’ve written matches with the vibe of the riff and then it usually just works out. I take the songs to the studio with Colin Buchanan and we flesh them out into full band accompaniment." 3.What artists have inspired you in your career?

"I feel like I have been listening to Sarah Harmer for most of my life. I love her incredible songwriting and perfect voice. I was lucky to get to play a song with her a few years ago. The band I played with, Hey Rosetta!, were opening for her on tour. When I moved to Halifax I was constantly surrounded by amazing songwriters (strangely most of them were from PEI). I was hanging out with Jenn Grant and Rose Cousins. Tanya Davis was around and so was Catherine MacLellan. Some of the best writers around." 4. Do you have any favorite music gear (guitars, amps, effects pedals, keyboards, etc.) that you love to use?  If so, what’s the story on them?

"My violin is my favorite thing to do. It was given to me by my dad. It was passed down from my great grandfather. He found it in a bombed out house in Belgium in 1914. He was a fiddler himself, so he played that violin every day and even on the ship home when the war was over. I’m told he played it every day and night in Charlottetown when he got home. Later the violin was passed down to my grandfather, and then my father and then to me. It’s definitely my favorite music gear."   5. Can you describe the vibe at your live shows?  Also, what do you enjoy most about a venue when you do a show?

"I’ve only performed one song live as KINLEY with a band. It was at the East Coast Music Awards show. I consider myself more of a recording artist. I love making albums. I toured so much for the last ten years with different bands around the world and I am happy to just stay in one place for a bit. I may do a couple of shows around Charlottetown when the time is right. I love the internet though. I make music videos and albums and people can listen and watch any time of any day thanks to the internet. Maybe someday I will be a diva with pyrotechnics..." 6. What is one thing that you want the public to know about your music?

"It is very honest. I find writing honestly is the best way. My songs are 100% me. (unless it’s a co-write which I have done in the past. Those songs are fun to write. They are usually based on the truth but then some magical inspiration shows up and takes it to another place."

7.Can you tell us about the writing, recording, and promotion process for your recent self-titled LP? "I’m inspired by lots of different things in my life. Some of the songs are introspective. I really learn more about myself from writing songs. Some of the songs are about things that have happened in the past and some for the future. ‘The Quiet One’ is about how I was selectively mute when I was a child and reflecting on that now.  ‘I’ve Got Money Coming’ is an ode for all artists awaiting the day when the money rolls in. My song ‘Lightworkers’ was written for my friends who were newly engaged. They had to call off their wedding because Ryan, the groom, was diagnosed with an aggressive cancer. They had to do surgery right away. I called all the ‘lightworkers’ (A lightworker is a special person that some people believe has an almost psychic ability to intuit what other people are thinking, feeling or need, in order to heal.) to help Ryan heal. After a 14 hour surgery and many good vibes being sent to him, he is doing great and they’ll be getting married in PEI at a later date." "I recorded all the songs at The Hill Sound Studio in Charlottetown with Producer/engineer Colin Buchanan (Sorrey, Paper Lions). It was mostly just the two of us playing everything, but we had a few special guests (including my dad- drummer Alan Dowling, and the incredible Bill Bell on guitar). I went to Memphis last year after winning the Women’s Freedom Song Contest for my song ‘Washington’. I had free tickets to attend the Springboard Festival. I had spoken to a few people and they found out I was Canadian and said I should meet the other Canadian at the festival, Dale Penner. He was the guy that discovered Nickleback. He had worked with Holly McNarland. I listened to his stuff and liked it so I hired him to mix my album. I love the way it turned out. As for promotion, I’m lucky to be working with a PR company out of Toronto called Listen Harder. I’m also working with Auteur Research to get my music heard. It’s been great. I’ve done lots of interviews and more keep coming in."