Interview With Kendra Kay At The El Mocambo
Jesse Read had the opportunity to sit with Kendra Kay at the legendary El Mocambo in Toronto before her set. The two discuss what Kendra’s been up to over the pandemic and how excited she is to be back doing live shows, her new music, her inspirations, what she’s got planned for the rest of 2022 and more!
Filmed by: Ben Gibson & Nik Varlamov, Edited by Ben Mulligan
About Kendra Kay: Few artists capture the spirit of country music like award winning recording artist Kendra Kay. Raised on the Canadian prairies and hailed as ‘Canada’s Country Girl’ (Harlton Empire), Kendra has had a stellar year including signing on worldwide with Sakamoto Agency, winning the 2019 MCMA Female Artist of the Year, along with earning the MCMA Fan’s Choice Award for the second year in a row. Along the way, she has amassed half a million streams, 17 weeks in the Top 100 Canada Country Airplay and earned a Top Ten spot in the 2020 CBC Searchlight competition. Known for her powerhouse vocals, down to earth personality and high energy shows, she has firmly established herself as an artist to watch and a ‘rising country star’ (Brandon Sun) in the Canadian country music scene. Her latest single ‘Steady’ is a modern take on the traditional country sound, written by a stellar group of female songwriters including Madeline Merlo (NBC Songland), Victoria Banks (Jessica Simpson, Sara Evans) and Karen Kosowski (Brett Kissel, Tim Hicks), with Kosowski also taking the reigns on production duties. Recent music also includes her sophomore EP ‘More to Me’ co-produced by country star Terri Clark, with additional production credits going to CCMA Producer of the Year winner Murray Pulver and Juno Award winner Jeff Jones. Armed with her 5-piece band and passion for country music, she has played shows across Canada including the CFL Banjo Bowl Halftime Show at Investor’s Group Stadium, joined Tim Hicks on his ‘Get Loud’ tour, and performed with country icon Patricia Conroy. Along with this she has played major festivals like Dauphin’s CountryFest Mainstage, Canadian Finals Rodeo, Canadian Music Week, Sunfest Country Music Festival, Canadian Country Music Week and provided direct support to artists such as Corb Lund, James Barker Band, Jess Moskaluke and Aaron Prichett. With more new music on the way, a growing fan base and endless determination, her future in country music is looking brighter than ever. To find more of Kendra’s music visit www.kendrakaymusic.com
