August 29th, 2016
When Kelly English travelled the Lake Eden Arts Festival in Black Mountain, North Carolina to compete in the NewSong Presents: LEAF Festival Singer-Songwriter competition last year, she was a relative newcomer to the songwriting scene. Before her submission caught the attention of NewSong judges, she had only performed at coffee shops and talent shows in her Connecticut hometown.
Fast forward to a year later, and English is just wrapping up recording her first full-length album with NewSong founder and music producer, Gar Ragland, at Echo Mountain Recording Studios in Asheville, NC. Further proof that finalists don’t have to win the NewSong competition for the experience to have a major impact.
“Day one of recording was awesome,” says English on her second day of recording. “I was nervous coming in because I’ve never recorded on this scale before, but Gar was so helpful. Yesterday was such a good day, so I was excited coming in today.”
English toured Echo Mountain when she was in the area for LEAF last fall, but the idea of recording an album at the award-winning studio was just a dream at that point. “I didn’t think that [making an album here] was going to happen, but after the contest, I stayed in touch with Gar, and we decided to record together,” she says. “Gar understands my music and likes my writing, and after visiting the studio last year, I knew I wanted to record here.”
As an entrant to last year’s NewSong Competition, she was able to take advantage of the exclusive, discounted recording package that Echo Mountain offers to NewSong entrants.
English says her experience competing at LEAF was an “eye opener” that pushed her to keep pursuing her career as a musician. “It was so cool,” says the artist of her LEAF performance. “It was the biggest crowd I’ve played to. People were so kind and so into it. You could tell that people were rooting you on as you were competing.”
While English has songs recorded on her YouTube channels and bandcamp page, this is her first album. Putting out a full-length record feels like a natural next step in her career as a musician. “I just hope to play out more and get more people to listen,” she says.
To learn more about Kelly English, visit her YouTube channel and Bandcamp page.
