I grew up listening to country music. My mom loved Charlie Pride, Merle Haggard, Hank Snow, Freddy Fender, Conway Twitty, Loretta Lynn, Tammy Wynette and many other legends. That country music seemed to be a thing of the past when new Country took over. I really missed the fiddle, the steel guitar, the washboard, the jug? These are my Country music roots but they’re different for everyone else. Depending where you grew up, what your parents listened to and what kind of music spoke to you. I’ve watched countless music award shows, only to find that the old Country music sound has died out with their creators…. or has it?
Homegrown Heart is a song that digs deep, goes back, way back to a time of great storytelling in music… and there’s a fiddle. The music will have you closing your eyes and taking a trip through time to yesteryear. A simpler time, when we didn’t rush and your neighbours were your closest friends. You ate supper together after a hard day’s work and you shared stories that meant something. I never thought I’d hear that old Country sound again, but I’m glad I was wrong.
Kendra Kay to the rescue and just in time. We are all craving live music and Kendra Kay loves to perform live. Call it a gift, but she’s got presents for everyone. Her voice can bring smiles, it can cause mass hugging and dancing and her band is pretty incredible too. They’ve been together since 2014 and they’ve grown pretty tight. It shows in the music and the lyrics when you listen to Homegrown Heart. Kendra says she’s going back to her roots with her music and many of us applaud that news. The song was released Oct.8 and the music video followed a couple of days ago.
Kendra is a 2-time MCMA Female Artist of the Year winner and during the pandemic, she’s had the opportunity to spend more time on her family ranch, which is a welcome change from her busy life on the road. She found herself inspired again to start songwriting, but this time she’s starting at the beginning – with her roots in Country music.
“This song is my story – it is inspired by my roots, life and family. I wrote it to tell the story of who I am, and from the idea that everyone has that little piece of home, it is a universal feeling.”
When Kendra Kay was unable to tour with her band, she turned to another passion – barrel racing. She loaded up her horse and hit the road after joining the rodeo circuit. It led to winning a Championship Buckle for Barrel Racing and proved that her tenacity, her perseverance and her true grit is still in tacked. With over 1 million global music streams, she and her 5-piece band are ready to blow audiences away after the long shutdown.
Homegrown Heart was co-written by Tyler Del Pino and produced by award-winning producer Murray Pulver (Doc Walker, The Bros. Landreth).
To listen to Homegrown Heart, click here.
She was an incredibly gracious and charming guest, filled with a positive light more contagious than Covid. An amazing spirit and a huge inspiration to others seeking a reason to turn up your speakers. I am very happy to share this talented singer, songwriter and champion barrel racer with you all. Roll the tape!
HNMAG “This is an amazing song, I loved it. Knowing that it was inspired by your roots, adds a personal touch. How long has it been since you released a single?”
KENDRA “It was June of 2020 that I had released the last single. I’ve put a few covers online, but I’ve really focused this last year on recording more music. I am country through and through, I grew up on a farm and rode horses my entire life. I felt like my music had been going more commercial, and I liked it. I think it was important to try it. It allowed me to explore some new options and go with the flow but my heart is definitely in more traditional country music. This last year has been about finding that truth and where I’ve been, which is why it’s been a while since my last single. This song is a way of saying who I am and here is my story. We’re using this as a reintroduction to the true Kendra Kay sound.”
HNMAG “Does that mean an album could be following shortly?”
KENDRA “I haven’t technically announced anything but there’s been a lot more recording going on. I’ve been in the studio a lot this past year and it’s been great. I’d say that this body of music I’ve been working on, has definitely been the most involved that I’ve been in quite a while. I’ve been much more hands on about the way it sounds, rather than handing the reins over to the producer or the musicians to create something. That’s been a cool experience for me because I’ve been able to tell people exactly what I want my music to sound like.”
HNMAG “You co-wrote this song with Tyler Del Pino. Have you co-written before?”
KENDRA “I’d say that I start songs quite frequently on my own, but I don’t know if I’ve ever finished a song on my own. The songs that I have written, I haven’t felt that strong about. I really enjoy bouncing ideas off someone. I’ve taken, almost completed songs into a co-writer, to have them tweak it for me. It’s also nice to have a second ear on something. For this particular song, I had the song started, the first verse was done; I had the storyboard and storyline of what I wanted to say, when I took it to Tyler. I tend to pick and choose to collaborate with, by who I’m writing with at the time. There’re some songs that won’t match up well with a certain songwriter but I knew Tyler was very much a storyteller and would be able to pull those stories out. It’s funny, because he’s not a country boy and lives in the Winnipeg area. Although I hummed and hawed about bringing it to him, it was a good mixture because he was able to take my stories and relate it, in a way that would resonate with almost anyone. That’s my take on the co-writing, I really enjoy it and believe that it makes the song much stronger, having a second, third or even fourth ear on it sometimes.”
HNMAG “I know that you had taken a couple years off from your music career to compete in professional barrel-racing, which won you a Champion Buckle. Have you competed across Canada?”
KENDRA “Not as much. Growing up, my family raced Chuckwagons, so I would travel around a lot with that as well as riding horses at home. It wasn’t until I moved out on my own that I started barrel-racing. I followed the jack-pot circuits locally over the past two summers because I wasn’t able to go touring as much. That’s when I was able to travel out further than before and get more competitive, because I had the time.”
HNMAG “At many rodeos, they will have a band performing. Have you ever had the opportunity to combine a competition with a music performance at a rodeo?”
KENDRA “Actually, there have been a couple times and it has been nice. Some of them are smaller. It’s hard to follow a rodeo circuit if you’re not doing it full time but if they’re having a jack-pot where I’m playing at the rodeo dance, I have hauled my horse out and did both. It does make for a long day and I definitely need to coordinate with the band. There’s been times where I’ve played shows and got off the stage at 2 am in the morning and was up at 4 or 5 to hit the road to make it home or somewhere else to go barrel racing. You try and do it all, but I enjoy it, so I don’t mind.”
HNMAG “With the pandemic sweeping in and cancelling live music performances, you must miss it terribly.”
KENDRA “It has been hard to transition, but living on a farm – there wasn’t a shortage of things for me to do and help with. I haven’t had many opportunities to be around the home so much. It was a nice break but I definitely missed touring. My music career is centered around me playing live, it’s what drives me. I just love it and not being able to play live these past 2 summers has been hard. Luckily, I was able to keep busy through August and into September once things started opening up again. It’s become such a part of me, so to not have it was weird, it really was.”
HNMAG “At what age did you start picking up the guitar?”
KENDRA “The first time I sang in public, I was 8 and it was our school Christmas concert. I had a solo in the Christmas concert and it was the first time I sang in front of a crowd. Shortly after, I joined choir but it really wasn’t for me because it was all classical music. It did teach me the basics though, and I started taking singing lessons after that. At 11 or 12, I started competing in local singing competitions and it wasn’t until 2014, that I put out my debut album. I was making a music video for the lead off single in my hometown of Elkhorn, MB during their Western Weekend. I needed a band because the video director wanted a shot of me playing live on stage. I reached out to someone that I knew locally and he couldn’t come because his wife was expecting a baby that day, which she had. He put me in touch with a friend of his, that set up a band for me. We went in for a rehearsal and later played as a band together. I’m still using the same band, and that was back in 2014. They were looking for a singer and we all lucked out. They’re all younger guys, 30 and under – I’m 25 and it’s been great and wonderful. They’re all very talented and we’ve really grown close.”
HNMAG “Were they a Country music band when you started playing together?”
KENDRA “Most of them grew up with Country music but some of them didn’t. Winnipeg isn’t a huge city, so Country music is quite predominant out that way and they were playing a lot of cover songs that were Country. Some of the boys are Metis, so they grew up with more traditional Metis music and all played the fiddle, cause that’s what you did in school. They’re all very diverse and listen to all different genres but they’re very good at Country music and I’m very lucky to have them in my corner.”
HNMAG “In the new single Homegrown Heart, you’re singing about a town. Is that the town of Elkhorn?”
KENDRA “Yes and this past week I actually made a music video for it on my parents farm, where I got my feet on the ground in Country music. I thought it was important to make a song that illustrated where all the other songs came from and why I am who I am and how I stay true to myself. When I went into the writing of the song with Tyler, I told him why I wanted to tell this story. I often get asked by people or when I’m on the road or having an interview, ‘when am I moving to Toronto or Nashville?’ That answer is probably never. I am so much a country girl and my life on the farm keeps me who I am. At the end of a tour, I love to come home and unwind by going for a ride in the woods and re-grounding myself. I wanted to tell that story of why I am still here and how my upbringing in a small town has made me the way I am.”
Talk about a small world. Kendra Kay told me she made a music video in 2019, in the small town of Lockport, MB where I had grown up in the ‘70’s. Seems like such a long time ago, huh.
HNMAG “How many songs would you say that you’ve accumulated since you started creating music?”
KENDRA “That’s a good question. I started recording when I was 16 and made that video with Ray while in grade 12. I’m 25 now, so let’s see – 2 LP’s and…. I would say around 20 songs. It sounds crazy because it really hasn’t seemed that long. I recently participated in an online event for Covid. It was a Stay Safe at Home festival and on the Natural Arts Network. It had to be all original music and a 1-hour set. I wasn’t sure if I had enough music until I started thinking about all the songs I’ve accumulated, along with the ones that didn’t go to radio. I’ve been recording since I was 16, so I guess it does add up.”
HNMAG “Did you have any outside influence in your music from your family growing up?”
KENDRA “I just started picking up the guitar in the last couple of years and that was because of my grandpa. He played guitar and then passed away. I’d written a song called Old Grandpa Gibson, about his 1957 Gibson Les Paul Junior that he bought new in ‘57. It’s still in the family and it inspired me to play guitar and the recording of the song has his guitar on it. My aunt was a singer and the one that would bring me up onstage when I was 10 or 11 yrs. old to build my confidence, back when I was so shy. I really have her to thank because it didn’t take me long to get over my stage fright. She gave me so much good advice and told me how to carry myself/present myself as a music artist when onstage. It really helped me so much to get to where I’m going.”
Kendra has over 1 million song hits for her music on Spotify. She says it’s funny and still baffles her, when she is able to see large numbers listening from Norway. Music is capable of reaching around the globe and Kendra is building her fan base from all 4 corners of the planet. She is extremely grateful for her listeners.
HNMAG “Since they are loosening up restrictions, do you have any tour dates scheduled that you can mention?”
KENDRA “I was supposed to be playing in the next coming weeks and through October but I was busy and went again to Alberta. I was excited about the prospect of hitting some dates in October and November, but there’s been another spike in cases here in the prairies. My booking agent says that 2022 is looking very hopeful for everything; festivals, tours. Fingers crossed, that I’m able to get in a spring and full summer tour in – to promote my new music. I will be out at the end of November for the CCMA’s and I’ll be performing through their showcases in Sacamoto. We’ll be busy while we’re out there.”
Kendra Kay is grounded in her music, her values, her family and life on the farm. Her music can speak to everyone though, with a little country in their heart. Support this amazing Canadian artist and let her know that you want her and her band performing in your town.