# Kelsie Watts: Healing Through Music, Loss, and the Power of Connection in Our Lives-Encore Episode

An episode of [Music Saved Me Podcast](https://invisiblenetwork.ai/podcast/1703080557), 14 Oct 2026, 47 min.

Audio: https://podtrac.com/pts/redirect.mp3/traffic.omny.fm/d/clips/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/ee29bc0a-f712-47d6-a49c-b25700f0582e/6bfe67ab-479f-4ae2-b866-b4e000c6bf13/audio.mp3?utm_source=Podcast&in_playlist=dfceda02-3624-42c7-b522-b25700f0584c

Have you ever wondered how music can transform pain into healing? Join host Lynn Hoffman on this heartfelt journey in the latest episode of the Music Saved Me Podcast as she sits down with the incredibly talented Kelsie Watts, a singer-songwriter and Broadway performer whose powerful vocals resonate with authenticity and emotion. Kelsie opens up about her personal story, revealing how music has been a constant source of healing and connection in her life, particularly after the tragic loss of her brother to depression. Throughout this encore episode, Kelsie reflects on her early influences, sharing how iconic artists like Whitney Houston and Celine Dion shaped her musical aspirations. With a rich family background in music, Kelsie discusses the pivotal moments that fueled her passion and creativity. As she delves into her experiences on NBC's The Voice, listeners will gain insight into the challenges and triumphs that come with pursuing a career in music. Kelsie's journey is not just about her rise as a performer; it's also about the deeper connections forged through her art. Music has the remarkable ability to serve as a healing tool, and Kelsie passionately advocates for mental health awareness, emphasizing the importance of discussing emotional well-being. Through her original songs, she tackles themes of loss, resilience, and hope, offering a comforting message to those who may be struggling. This episode is a testament to the belief that music saved me and can save others, encouraging listeners to explore their own stories and find their voices. As Kelsie shares her inspiring music stories, she invites you to reflect on the songs that saved your life and the moments that defined your journey. This episode of the Music Saved Me Podcast is not just an interview; it's a powerful reminder of how music connects us all, providing solace during our darkest times. Join us for an uplifting conversation filled with personal stories of musicians, and discover how music and emotional healing can pave the way for resilience and joy. Whether you’re a fan of indie music stories or simply looking for inspiration, Kelsie's heartfelt insights and her belief in the transformative power of music will resonate deeply. Tune in to hear how Kelsie Watts embodies the essence of music saved me and how her journey can inspire you to embrace your own healing through music. Support the show: https://musicsavedme.net/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

## Transcript

[0:00] Speaker 1: Music saved me.
[0:01] Speaker 2: This writing is personal. It's all about the song. You know,
[0:04] Speaker 2: I can sing my face off, but if I'm singing
[0:06] Speaker 2: for no reason and like there's no meaning behind what
[0:09] Speaker 2: I'm singing, nobody's going to feel anything. So it doesn't
[0:11] Speaker 2: matter how boring. Like I would get tired of me
[0:13] Speaker 2: singing like that.
[0:14] Speaker 1: Welcome to another episode of the Music Saved Me podcast,
[0:17] Speaker 1: where we explore the profound ways that music connects art
[0:20] Speaker 1: and music. to emotional healing and shines a light on
[0:23] Speaker 1: the stories of artists who have been personally impacted by
[0:26] Speaker 1: its power. I'm your host, Lynn Hoffman, and welcome to
[0:29] Speaker 1: the show. Today, we are so thrilled to welcome singer, songwriter,
[0:33] Speaker 1: and Broadway performer, Kelsey Watts. Now, you may know Kelsey
[0:38] Speaker 1: from her viral performances on a little show called NBC's
[0:42] Speaker 1: The Voice where her powerhouse vocals and heartfelt artistry earned
[0:46] Speaker 1: her a spot on Team Kelly and millions of fans worldwide.
[0:51] Speaker 1: But Kelsey's journey with music goes far beyond the stage
[0:54] Speaker 1: and the spotlight. She was born into a musical family
[0:57] Speaker 1: and has been using her voice not only to entertain
[1:00] Speaker 1: but also to heal, which is such a beautiful thing,
[1:03] Speaker 1: both herself and others, through original songs that tackle themes
[1:07] Speaker 1: of loss, resilience, and hope. Kelsey's advocacy for mental health
[1:12] Speaker 1: is deeply personal. After losing her brother to depression, she
[1:16] Speaker 1: channeled her grief into songwriting and creating moving tracks like
[1:20] Speaker 1: I Can't Say Goodbye that offer comfort and solidarity to
[1:24] Speaker 1: anyone struggling with loss or emotional pain. Her story is
[1:28] Speaker 1: a testament to how music can be a lifeline in
[1:30] Speaker 1: our darkest moments, a message that truly resonates at the
[1:34] Speaker 1: core of this podcast. In this episode, Kelsey opens up
[1:38] Speaker 1: about her creative process, her experiences on Broadway and The Voice.
[1:42] Speaker 1: and how music's been a source of healing and connection
[1:45] Speaker 1: throughout her life. Now, whether you're an artist or a fan,
[1:49] Speaker 1: we sure do hope Kelsey's journey inspires you and reminds
[1:52] Speaker 1: you that you are never alone, no matter what you're facing.
[1:56] Speaker 1: Let's dive into this honest and uplifting conversation with the
[1:59] Speaker 1: beautiful and incredibly talented Kelsey Watts on Music Saved Me. Kelsey,
[2:04] Speaker 1: welcome to the show. It is wonderful to have you here. Hi.
[2:08] Speaker 2: Oh my gosh, thank you. What an intro. My word.
[2:10] Speaker 2: That was so kind.
[2:12] Speaker 1: Very deservant of it, but certainly. I'd love to start
[2:17] Speaker 1: with the beginning and your early influences. Can you tell
[2:21] Speaker 1: us about your earliest memories of music and how it
[2:25] Speaker 1: became such an important part of your life?
[2:27] Speaker 2: Of course. I really feel so cliche every single time
[2:31] Speaker 2: I say this because it's just the truth. I don't
[2:35] Speaker 2: remember learning to sing, but the first video we have
[2:39] Speaker 2: of me singing, I was two years old. in Looney
[2:42] Speaker 2: Tunes pajamas, sitting on the fireplace, singing an old song
[2:46] Speaker 2: called The Basics of Life by a gospel group called
[2:48] Speaker 2: For Him. And I've just grown up with music. Both
[2:54] Speaker 2: of my parents sing and play piano and grew up
[2:56] Speaker 2: singing in church. So I really don't remember life without it,
[3:00] Speaker 2: crazy enough.
[3:02] Speaker 1: That's pretty cool that you have that memory so far back, too.
[3:05] Speaker 2: Well, I've seen the video many times.
[3:08] Speaker 1: So I'm like, I can't think beyond like.
[3:11] Speaker 2: 10 years old. Yeah, no, I couldn't. I do not
[3:15] Speaker 2: remember that moment, but I've seen the video enough to
[3:17] Speaker 2: where I'm like, well, that was real. So I guess
[3:20] Speaker 2: it was me.
[3:21] Speaker 1: It was meant to be.
[3:22] Speaker 2: It was meant to be.
[3:23] Speaker 1: Was there a moment or a song when you realized
[3:25] Speaker 1: that music was a source of healing and had that
[3:29] Speaker 1: kind of power?
[3:32] Speaker 2: I don't know if healing necessarily is, The word I
[3:38] Speaker 2: would use for it, like at the first time, I
[3:40] Speaker 2: really felt like emotionally moved by music. But we were
[3:45] Speaker 2: on a vacation and we would always drive because we
[3:48] Speaker 2: had five people in our family. And so as we're driving,
[3:51] Speaker 2: I remember my parents playing Les Miserables, the musical. And
[3:56] Speaker 2: it was the 10th anniversary edition. And I remember finally
[4:01] Speaker 2: understanding that Fantine was dying. And I was distraught, like
[4:06] Speaker 2: absolutely distraught, like crying in the backseat, like, oh my gosh,
[4:09] Speaker 2: she's not okay. And I finally like moved, like I
[4:14] Speaker 2: was really, really moved by it. So that's the first
[4:16] Speaker 2: time I actually remember having like an emotional impact by music,
[4:22] Speaker 2: for sure.
[4:24] Speaker 1: Who were some of your favorites? early influences. This is,
[4:27] Speaker 1: I love to ask this question because it always blows
[4:30] Speaker 1: me away. The younger the people I talk to, the
[4:34] Speaker 1: more they listen to music I listened to growing up,
[4:36] Speaker 1: which blows me away.
[4:39] Speaker 2: Oh, I really think it's because that music is iconic,
[4:41] Speaker 2: like legendary. It is, it is truly timeless. So, I mean,
[4:45] Speaker 2: Whitney Houston, Celine Dion, Tina Turner. Um, but I was
[4:48] Speaker 2: also brought up on, you know, Def Leppard, the Rolling
[4:50] Speaker 2: Stones and Kiss and, you know, then Kirk Franklin. And
[4:55] Speaker 2: I mean, all of these like combinations, but for me
[5:00] Speaker 2: as a vocalist, Whitney Houston and Celine were really, really
[5:05] Speaker 2: big influences.
[5:06] Speaker 1: Yeah.
[5:07] Speaker 2: I feel like that's all I listened to growing up.
[5:10] Speaker 1: Well, that explains why you sound the way you do.
[5:13] Speaker 1: You give them a run for their money. Now, on
[5:17] Speaker 1: your personal journey and challenges, you've been very open about that,
[5:22] Speaker 1: especially with grief and mental health, which, you know, not
[5:26] Speaker 1: normal to talk about publicly.
[5:29] Speaker 2: Right.
[5:29] Speaker 1: I'm sure you know. How did music help you process
[5:33] Speaker 1: those emotions?
[5:35] Speaker 2: Yeah, so... I lost my brother in 2013. And most
[5:42] Speaker 2: of the time, whenever people say they've lost somebody to
[5:44] Speaker 2: depression or they've taken their own life, like it's not
[5:49] Speaker 2: a very popular topic of conversation. But a reason that
[5:52] Speaker 2: I love to talk about it is because it gives
[5:55] Speaker 2: a little bit of insight into depression. what happens? Like,
[5:59] Speaker 2: and everybody's story is different, obviously, but for us, you know, Jordan, um,
[6:04] Speaker 2: there weren't telling signs. It's not like there was a
[6:08] Speaker 2: big plan out. He didn't leave anything. There was, um,
[6:12] Speaker 2: long story short, once we got the autopsy back, we
[6:14] Speaker 2: found out he had run out of his medication, went
[6:17] Speaker 2: from such a high to such a low. It really
[6:19] Speaker 2: was a chemical, like just his brain literally just broke. So, um,
[6:25] Speaker 2: I love to talk about it because it gives people
[6:29] Speaker 2: a little bit more insight into what depression is, that
[6:32] Speaker 2: it's not just being sad. It's actually a chemical imbalance
[6:36] Speaker 2: in your brain, which is every other mental struggle as well. So,
[6:41] Speaker 2: you know, I love to just give a little bit
[6:45] Speaker 2: of education as best I can. I'm not an expert,
[6:47] Speaker 2: but I lived it. So I've just, I like to
[6:49] Speaker 2: share at least what I've learned, but then, um, Using
[6:53] Speaker 2: music in order to heal from that is something that
[6:57] Speaker 2: I'm able to pass on. Not only am I able
[6:59] Speaker 2: to tell people, hey, you're not alone because I have
[7:01] Speaker 2: lived it. So even if I don't know exactly how
[7:04] Speaker 2: you feel, I can relate enough. And then to be
[7:08] Speaker 2: able to put it into music, to be like, this
[7:11] Speaker 2: song is for anybody that's lost somebody too soon. I
[7:16] Speaker 2: think it's important because then people don't feel alone. Because
[7:20] Speaker 2: the biggest way that people feel isolated is because they think, oh, well,
[7:24] Speaker 2: I'm weird. Oh, nobody else has ever dealt with this. Oh,
[7:29] Speaker 2: it's just me. Everyone's going to think I'm a burden
[7:31] Speaker 2: or that this is a weird thing to deal with
[7:34] Speaker 2: or struggle with. And the reality is it's not weird.
[7:38] Speaker 2: It's very normal, very, very normal. And so I think
[7:42] Speaker 2: the more that we talk about it, the less taboo
[7:46] Speaker 2: it becomes and the more comfortable other people are. begin
[7:49] Speaker 2: to talk about it, you know?
[7:52] Speaker 1: Now, it's very giving to want, it's so selfless what
[7:57] Speaker 1: you're doing. You know, a lot of people would turn
[8:00] Speaker 1: inward and maybe just the, you know, the family or
[8:02] Speaker 1: your close friends you would talk to or a therapist,
[8:04] Speaker 1: but what made you want to share this with people
[8:08] Speaker 1: just out of wanting others to be okay? I mean,
[8:13] Speaker 1: that's a beautiful thing that you do.
[8:16] Speaker 2: Thank you. It's not easy. It's not. And I really
[8:23] Speaker 2: believe it brings purpose to the pain. One thing that
[8:29] Speaker 2: my dad has always said is, you know, we are
[8:32] Speaker 2: making it. You know, people so often say, oh, we're
[8:35] Speaker 2: going to make it. You're going to make it. You're
[8:36] Speaker 2: going to make it. And with a loss of this
[8:40] Speaker 2: nature and with any sudden loss, honestly... You are making
[8:44] Speaker 2: it every day. You have to learn to live with
[8:47] Speaker 2: the grief instead of in the grief. And for me,
[8:51] Speaker 2: being able to share this story allows Jordan's story to
[8:56] Speaker 2: continue to minister to other people. And that feels like
[9:00] Speaker 2: it at least brings purpose to the pain.
[9:02] Speaker 1: Because it keeps them alive. Yeah.
[9:05] Speaker 2: Yeah. Oh, my gosh. For real. The amount of people
[9:08] Speaker 2: that don't have never met my brother, but feel like
[9:10] Speaker 2: they know him are countless. It's insane.
[9:13] Speaker 1: That's incredible. What was it like to channel your personal
[9:17] Speaker 1: experiences into your songwriting? I mean, again, very inward and
[9:24] Speaker 1: sharing personal things, which a lot of artists don't do.
[9:28] Speaker 1: You're left to kind of figure out how does this
[9:31] Speaker 1: relate to my life? But you're like, this is really
[9:35] Speaker 1: your life.
[9:36] Speaker 2: It's really my life.
[9:37] Speaker 1: Yes.
[9:39] Speaker 2: You know, there's parts of it where it's like, oh,
[9:44] Speaker 2: how fun, because I can really relate to this. And
[9:46] Speaker 2: then there's other parts where it really is painful. And
[9:48] Speaker 2: you have to learn how to separate in the moment. Like, sure,
[9:54] Speaker 2: you can let yourself feel it, but it's also very
[9:57] Speaker 2: important to... processes. it, deal with it. So that way
[10:01] Speaker 2: you can write about it and not have like an
[10:03] Speaker 2: emotional breakdown every time you talk about it or write
[10:07] Speaker 2: about it, which I'm so grateful for my therapist because
[10:10] Speaker 2: she helped a ton with that, being able to process
[10:13] Speaker 2: the grief. So when I do put it into my music,
[10:16] Speaker 2: even though it is raw and vulnerable, I'm able to
[10:20] Speaker 2: to say, hey, I'm writing a story about this. Yes,
[10:24] Speaker 2: it's my story, but it's going to do a lot
[10:26] Speaker 2: of good because it's going to reach a lot of people.
[10:27] Speaker 1: Yeah, to separate that out. I mean, I know just
[10:30] Speaker 1: when I get choked up about anything emotional, I can't
[10:33] Speaker 1: even get... of word out. I don't know how you
[10:36] Speaker 1: could sing without having some type of.
[10:38] Speaker 2: The first few times it was really hard, especially if
[10:40] Speaker 2: I can't say goodbye, singing that live, I was like,
[10:43] Speaker 2: oh no. And then especially if like my husband's in
[10:45] Speaker 2: the audience or if my family's at all, then I'm like,
[10:48] Speaker 2: I can't, I can't look at you. I need, I
[10:50] Speaker 2: need you to sit way over there because I will
[10:52] Speaker 2: not be able to sing.
[10:53] Speaker 1: Turn off the house lights.
[10:54] Speaker 2: Turn around.
[10:55] Speaker 1: Yeah.
[10:55] Speaker 2: All right.
[10:56] Speaker 1: Well, Let's move on to something that I'm dying to
[11:03] Speaker 1: know about, The Voice and Broadway, because these are two
[11:05] Speaker 1: humongous things for you. I want to know what your
[11:09] Speaker 1: experience on The Voice was like and how it was
[11:12] Speaker 1: able to shape you as an artist. I don't really
[11:14] Speaker 1: know where you were before you got there in terms
[11:17] Speaker 1: of your skills.
[11:19] Speaker 2: Yeah. You know, I feel like I'm always surprised with
[11:24] Speaker 2: this answer because The public view is, wow, The Voice
[11:28] Speaker 2: has created so many artists and this is what they
[11:31] Speaker 2: did and how awesome. Realistically speaking, I spent maybe a
[11:36] Speaker 2: total of 10 minutes with Kelly, who's a lovely human.
[11:40] Speaker 2: But as far as being shaped as an artist, I
[11:43] Speaker 2: don't think it really was. One thing that it did
[11:47] Speaker 2: really teach me, though, was to have a very thick
[11:50] Speaker 2: skin and to see this as a business. Like I
[11:54] Speaker 2: had already seen it as a business, but going into it,
[11:57] Speaker 2: I had to understand the show is not going to
[11:58] Speaker 2: make me famous. It is not going to be my like,
[12:01] Speaker 2: I've made it. But what it is going to do
[12:03] Speaker 2: is bring so much visibility to me and bring me
[12:07] Speaker 2: a lot of eyes that I couldn't even pay for.
[12:09] Speaker 2: So it taught me how to really dig into that
[12:14] Speaker 2: part of it and then to start showing people who
[12:18] Speaker 2: I really am. Because I was like, that's what people
[12:20] Speaker 2: are going to get or want to like, are going
[12:23] Speaker 2: to want to latch on to. Outside of his show. Yeah.
[12:26] Speaker 1: That's amazingly insightful because, no, I mean, example, I was
[12:33] Speaker 1: featured in a magazine early on. I was working in
[12:35] Speaker 1: a town in Boston. And short story, my mom said, oh,
[12:40] Speaker 1: my God, maybe someone will see the picture and they'll
[12:43] Speaker 1: offer you a job. And I said, no, it doesn't
[12:45] Speaker 1: work that way.
[12:45] Speaker 2: It doesn't work that way. No. It'd be really cool
[12:47] Speaker 2: if it did.
[12:48] Speaker 1: Yeah, wouldn't it? I know.
[12:49] Speaker 2: I'm like, wow. Yeah.
[12:52] Speaker 1: I'm curious your thoughts. How does performing on Broadway compare
[12:56] Speaker 1: to singing on a televised stage? Because a lot of
[12:59] Speaker 1: people don't realize that the televised stage is for the
[13:02] Speaker 1: audience at home. Broadway is for the audience in the house.
[13:05] Speaker 2: Yes. They're so different. It is so different. I mean, even...
[13:13] Speaker 2: even with six, I did a press performance and it
[13:16] Speaker 2: was supposed to perform like to the cameras. And that,
[13:18] Speaker 2: that alone is so, uh, that was confusing. I was like, wait,
[13:21] Speaker 2: this is a stage song. How am I doing? Okay.
[13:24] Speaker 2: Like my brain started like freaking out. Um, but you know,
[13:29] Speaker 2: on television, yes, it's live. So, I mean, they're both live. Right.
[13:33] Speaker 2: But the sound is way different. Uh, audience is like,
[13:38] Speaker 2: we didn't have an audience on my season because I
[13:39] Speaker 2: was during COVID. So the audience was at home.
[13:42] Speaker 1: Uh, Wow, even more strange.
[13:44] Speaker 2: It was weird. Yeah, it was really, really weird. So
[13:46] Speaker 2: I was like, I just feel like I'm in an
[13:47] Speaker 2: audition every day.
[13:48] Speaker 1: Yeah, I bet.
[13:49] Speaker 2: But it was more of a, okay, this is going
[13:53] Speaker 2: to be taped. There's going to be multiple shots. I
[13:57] Speaker 2: know it's going to be edited together. Nine times out
[14:00] Speaker 2: of 10, they'll add like an effect to the final
[14:03] Speaker 2: vocal as they're taping. You know, I mean, there's so
[14:06] Speaker 2: much more that goes into it. So with theater... which
[14:11] Speaker 2: I think is a million times more difficult. Oh my word. Um, it's,
[14:18] Speaker 2: you can't like just do it over and be like, Oh, Hey,
[14:21] Speaker 2: hold on one, one sec. Um, I'm gonna, I'm gonna
[14:23] Speaker 2: redo that. Like if you miss a note, if you
[14:26] Speaker 2: miss a beat, you're, you're, it's obvious. And there are
[14:29] Speaker 2: only six of us on stage. So you really can't,
[14:32] Speaker 2: you don't have a lot of room for error. And
[14:35] Speaker 2: you're also dealing with a live audience's response when you're
[14:38] Speaker 2: playing a character, but you're also interacting with them. But
[14:41] Speaker 2: I'm not Kelsey interacting with them. I'm a character interacting
[14:44] Speaker 2: with them. So it's there are just a lot more layers,
[14:49] Speaker 2: whereas both of them can be really intense and a
[14:52] Speaker 2: lot of work. On the television side, I'm just Kelsey.
[14:57] Speaker 2: Kelsey and I'm doing this one song, this one performance
[15:00] Speaker 2: because it's for a TV show and everybody knows exactly
[15:02] Speaker 2: what it's for. And they already like me just because
[15:04] Speaker 2: I'm on the voice. And then you're in theater and
[15:07] Speaker 2: there have been so many different casts. They've heard so
[15:10] Speaker 2: many people sing this song. Some people don't even like
[15:12] Speaker 2: theater that have come to the show along with them,
[15:15] Speaker 2: you know, and you're just like, Hey, Oh my gosh,
[15:17] Speaker 2: I hope to God you really like this. And you're
[15:19] Speaker 2: trying to, you know, be in this character, but also
[15:23] Speaker 2: be really entertaining at the same time. on top of
[15:26] Speaker 2: doing it eight times a week and you're dancing for
[15:29] Speaker 2: an hour and a half and heels every single show,
[15:31] Speaker 2: not leaving stage, trying to stay healthy. There's just a lot,
[15:36] Speaker 2: there's just a lot more to it. And sometimes people,
[15:40] Speaker 2: you know, even though you're not allowed to film, sometimes
[15:42] Speaker 2: people will get away with filming and sometimes it's not
[15:44] Speaker 2: a great night. Like if you see bootlegs, which I under,
[15:47] Speaker 2: it's a very controversial topic, but whenever people, you know,
[15:50] Speaker 2: like take bootlegs and people that can't, don't have access
[15:53] Speaker 2: to theater, love them because they're like, I get to
[15:55] Speaker 2: see a show. But then sometimes for the actor, it's
[15:58] Speaker 2: not their best day. Sometimes they're really tired and they'll
[16:00] Speaker 2: get judged on one single performance where like something messed up.
[16:04] Speaker 2: And so it's just, I think there's a lot more
[16:07] Speaker 2: at risk in a live. Yeah.
[16:10] Speaker 1: You're right. There is. There definitely is. There's a vulnerability.
[16:14] Speaker 1: And then also that vibe, like you said, you know,
[16:16] Speaker 1: the voice, they're all like team, but you know, Kelsey
[16:19] Speaker 1: and they're screaming.
[16:21] Speaker 2: Just because I'm on it. Yeah. Yeah. Amazing. Yeah.
[16:24] Speaker 1: And Broadway, you're like, You know, people are looking at
[16:27] Speaker 1: you like, let's see what she's got.
[16:28] Speaker 2: For real, sometimes people are like, what is this? Yeah, yeah.
[16:31] Speaker 2: I mean, now, granted, we get really awesome audiences because
[16:33] Speaker 2: our show is really fun. And nine times out of ten,
[16:37] Speaker 2: people are very, like, receptive and super fun. But, man,
[16:41] Speaker 2: it is very difficult when you get the ones that
[16:44] Speaker 2: aren't and they're just on the front row.
[16:45] Speaker 3: Yeah.
[16:46] Speaker 1: And you've got to keep going and smiling.
[16:48] Speaker 2: You're still smiling because you're still in character and you're
[16:50] Speaker 2: going to give them the same show you'd give anybody else. Exactly.
[16:53] Speaker 1: Did you learn, it's incredible, and what a character builder
[16:57] Speaker 1: or a strength builder for you personally.
[16:59] Speaker 2: For sure.
[17:00] Speaker 1: Is there anything that you can think of that you
[17:02] Speaker 1: learned personally or as a performer during those sort of
[17:06] Speaker 1: really high profile moments in your life?
[17:10] Speaker 2: Yes. For me, in any performance that I give, whether
[17:17] Speaker 2: it's in an arena of 15,000 people or on national
[17:22] Speaker 2: television or on Broadway or at home. Like I, every
[17:27] Speaker 2: day I'm like, all right, Jesus, I'm just singing for you.
[17:31] Speaker 2: That's it. And it takes away any pressure I feel
[17:34] Speaker 2: to be perfect or to be great or to impress.
[17:38] Speaker 2: So I always love for me personally, faith is a
[17:42] Speaker 2: big part of my life and it allows me to
[17:45] Speaker 2: refocus and recenter myself and say, all right, I sing
[17:48] Speaker 2: for an audience of one and that's all that matters.
[17:51] Speaker 2: So if these people love me, amazing. If they hate me,
[17:54] Speaker 2: that's okay. They don't have to love me. So that's huge. Yes.
[18:00] Speaker 2: And it did not happen overnight. Let me talk. Like
[18:03] Speaker 2: it took a while because as performers, We, like, we
[18:07] Speaker 2: love performing. We love performing for people. You know, like,
[18:11] Speaker 2: we don't perform for the applause, but if you don't
[18:13] Speaker 2: get an applause, you're like, what did I do wrong?
[18:15] Speaker 2: Why don't you like me? What happened? You know, and
[18:18] Speaker 2: we're so easily influenced by audiences' reactions or comments online
[18:23] Speaker 2: or because we're putting our craft out there and performing. Yes,
[18:27] Speaker 2: we put ourselves out there. That's our job. But also,
[18:31] Speaker 2: it's just being human. Like, you just want that validation.
[18:34] Speaker 2: And so it took me a while. to really be
[18:37] Speaker 2: able to focus in on that and be like, well,
[18:40] Speaker 2: this is why I can be calm on national television,
[18:45] Speaker 2: on a Broadway stage, in an arena, like, because I'm like,
[18:49] Speaker 2: I just, I'm singing for an audience of one and
[18:52] Speaker 2: that's the way that I stay calm. That's all I
[18:55] Speaker 2: can do.
[18:55] Speaker 1: It's amazing. That is, no, but I really, um, for
[19:01] Speaker 1: you to be able to, to figure that out, even, um,
[19:04] Speaker 1: You know, also, I would say that most performers want
[19:06] Speaker 1: to perform because they want to make people feel good, happy.
[19:11] Speaker 1: You know, there's so much selflessness in it, but then
[19:14] Speaker 1: there's all that personal stuff that gets in the way.
[19:16] Speaker 1: So if you're able to find that faith, as you said,
[19:20] Speaker 1: to know that there's no pressure on you, really, than
[19:23] Speaker 1: what you put on yourself.
[19:25] Speaker 2: It's so true. It is, it is so true. And
[19:28] Speaker 2: I'm like, as long as, if I'm doing my job,
[19:31] Speaker 2: I'm warming up correctly. I know my voice is in
[19:33] Speaker 2: the right place and taking care of my body. You know, I'm,
[19:36] Speaker 2: I know the steps. I know the songs. I know
[19:38] Speaker 2: where I'm supposed to be and what I'm doing. Well,
[19:41] Speaker 2: then I don't already have the job. So as long
[19:44] Speaker 2: as I stay good at what I'm doing, I'm fine.
[19:47] Speaker 2: So it yeah it takes away the pressure for me
[19:49] Speaker 2: to feel like.
[19:50] Speaker 3: I have to be something that i'm not it's so
[19:54] Speaker 3: true to what you just said and it works in
[19:56] Speaker 3: any profession you know wherever whatever you're doing in life
[20:00] Speaker 3: to to carry that type of wisdom is uh it's
[20:03] Speaker 3: pretty incredible.
[20:04] Speaker 1: We'll be right back with more of the Music Saved
[20:07] Speaker 1: Me podcast. And by the way, if you like this podcast,
[20:10] Speaker 1: you are going to love our companion podcast called Taking
[20:13] Speaker 1: a Walk. It's hosted by my dear friend Buzz Knight,
[20:16] Speaker 1: and you can find it wherever you get your podcasts.
[20:23] Speaker 1: Welcome back to the Music Saved Me podcast, the podcast
[20:26] Speaker 1: where we discuss the healing powers of music with some
[20:29] Speaker 1: of the biggest names in music, as well as up-and-comers. Now,
[20:35] Speaker 1: speaking of putting yourself out there, there's a creative process.
[20:38] Speaker 1: I would love for you to just walk us through
[20:40] Speaker 1: a little bit of your songwriting process and where you
[20:43] Speaker 1: find your inspiration to write songs. And what are you
[20:49] Speaker 1: thinking when you're writing? Is this, I know people are
[20:52] Speaker 1: going to relate to this, or is it just your story?
[20:55] Speaker 1: What's your process like?
[20:57] Speaker 2: So I really love to write with people. Um, that's,
[21:00] Speaker 2: that's what I enjoy. And sometimes you're writing for sync,
[21:03] Speaker 2: which is TV, film, movie, like things like that, where you're,
[21:08] Speaker 2: you're writing a song for a prompt for something to
[21:11] Speaker 2: be placed for an advertisement, things like that. Um, and
[21:15] Speaker 2: then sometimes you can do both at the same time
[21:17] Speaker 2: and you're writing for sync, but it's also for yourself.
[21:19] Speaker 2: And it's like, well, I could totally release this as
[21:21] Speaker 2: Kelsey Watts, but then this would also do really great
[21:24] Speaker 2: in a sports ad, you know? I mean, so I
[21:26] Speaker 2: like to think that way as well, but I think
[21:29] Speaker 2: the best example is the song that I'm about to
[21:31] Speaker 2: release in a few weeks is called Fit In. And
[21:35] Speaker 2: I was writing it with a guy named DQ. He's
[21:37] Speaker 2: worked with, gosh, Jimmy Lovato, Sasha Fierce. He's a great
[21:40] Speaker 2: vocal producer. He's incredible. And he's out of Nashville. And
[21:45] Speaker 2: whenever we first met, we just kind of sat down
[21:47] Speaker 2: and hung out for a bit. So anytime I'm writing
[21:51] Speaker 2: with somebody new, The first like two hours, really. You're like, hey,
[21:54] Speaker 2: let's go get a coffee. We want to like just chill,
[21:57] Speaker 2: you know, let's just talk, figure out what life is
[21:59] Speaker 2: about instead of, you know, okay, we're here. Let's write
[22:02] Speaker 2: a song, you know? Yeah, very smart. Yeah, I'm sure
[22:06] Speaker 2: sometimes it's like that, but I don't like that. So
[22:08] Speaker 2: I won't work that way. Because writing is personal. It's
[22:12] Speaker 2: all about the song. You know, I can sing my
[22:14] Speaker 2: face off, but if I'm singing for no reason and
[22:17] Speaker 2: like there's no meaning behind what I'm singing, nobody's going
[22:19] Speaker 2: to feel anything. So it doesn't matter. How boring. Like,
[22:22] Speaker 2: I would get tired of me singing like that. So
[22:26] Speaker 2: with this song, we were like, okay, well, you know,
[22:28] Speaker 2: what are some things that you've been feeling? How... how's
[22:31] Speaker 2: life been? Or, you know, what's something that you've always
[22:33] Speaker 2: wanted to say? And we got into this topic of, well,
[22:36] Speaker 2: I was never the cool kid growing up. Like I wasn't,
[22:39] Speaker 2: you know, I didn't have a boyfriend. I wasn't invited
[22:41] Speaker 2: to prom. I didn't have a date. What? You? Yeah.
[22:45] Speaker 2: I never had a date to prom.
[22:47] Speaker 1: I know.
[22:48] Speaker 2: I know. I never had a boyfriend like until gosh,
[22:52] Speaker 2: into college. Kind of. Yeah.
[22:55] Speaker 1: Something tells me that is not a bad thing though.
[22:58] Speaker 2: No, it saved me from a lot. I'm very grateful.
[23:01] Speaker 2: I'm not upset.
[23:02] Speaker 1: I was going to say.
[23:04] Speaker 2: In the moment, I wasn't grateful. But down the line,
[23:06] Speaker 2: I'm like, wow, that saved me from a lot of issues.
[23:08] Speaker 2: How come? But, you know, I wasn't invited to the parties.
[23:13] Speaker 2: And I kind of found my community in theater and choir.
[23:17] Speaker 2: And it was a very, very, very small community. But
[23:19] Speaker 2: I had a couple of friends. And I always got
[23:21] Speaker 2: along with everybody. But I wasn't in the it crowd,
[23:24] Speaker 2: you know? And so we were like, whoa, whoa, whoa.
[23:27] Speaker 2: Why don't we write about that? And so the entire
[23:30] Speaker 2: premise of the song was like, all right, well, what
[23:32] Speaker 2: have people told you? Well, I've been told I'm a lot. Like,
[23:35] Speaker 2: oh my gosh, you're just a lot. I'm like, well,
[23:37] Speaker 2: you're not my people, Ben. What do you mean a lot?
[23:40] Speaker 1: You mean just because you talk a lot or have
[23:43] Speaker 1: a lot to say or thoughts?
[23:45] Speaker 2: Thankfully, I haven't had people tell me that lately. But
[23:50] Speaker 2: in high school, really it was like middle school and
[23:51] Speaker 2: high school were not fun for me. I did not
[23:54] Speaker 2: enjoy them at all. And, you know, people would be like, oh,
[23:57] Speaker 2: you're just a lot. And whether that meant my personality
[24:00] Speaker 2: was a lot, they never elaborated. They were just kind
[24:03] Speaker 2: of mean, you know?
[24:04] Speaker 1: So what did you think it was?
[24:07] Speaker 2: I thought it meant I was too loud or I
[24:10] Speaker 2: sang too much or, um, I talked too much to
[24:14] Speaker 2: people or like I needed to be more reserved. Like
[24:17] Speaker 2: my personality. Really?
[24:18] Speaker 1: That's what you thought?
[24:20] Speaker 2: Yeah. Like my personality was just like too much to
[24:22] Speaker 2: handle and people didn't like that.
[24:25] Speaker 1: Did it affect you in a negative way?
[24:27] Speaker 2: Oh yeah. Oh my gosh. Absolutely. I felt like I
[24:29] Speaker 2: constantly had to change who I was in order to
[24:31] Speaker 2: be around people and to be accepted.
[24:32] Speaker 1: To fit in.
[24:33] Speaker 2: Oh, literally, which is why I called it fit in.
[24:37] Speaker 2: I was like, this is it. Yeah. So, I mean,
[24:39] Speaker 2: it was the whole story of the song is basically, uh,
[24:46] Speaker 2: the first line is, I know that you think that
[24:48] Speaker 2: you're a lot, you love until it costs you all
[24:51] Speaker 2: you've got. You water until you dry with everything you do.
[24:55] Speaker 2: And then say, you're going to change for real this time.
[24:58] Speaker 2: But then you fall off and fall in line. And
[25:01] Speaker 2: when you look up, you find the dirty truth that
[25:03] Speaker 2: you're standing in your own way. And it's because it's like, well, oh, no,
[25:07] Speaker 2: I'm totally going to be, I'm going to be fine.
[25:10] Speaker 2: I'm just going to be me. And then you find
[25:11] Speaker 2: yourself going back into this cycle of like, oh, well,
[25:14] Speaker 2: what do people want me to be? And honestly, that
[25:16] Speaker 2: was something that I really felt after leaving The Voice
[25:19] Speaker 2: was I'd never released music before. I had always wanted
[25:23] Speaker 2: to be an artist and felt like I was, but
[25:25] Speaker 2: I didn't know how to get into it. my gosh,
[25:28] Speaker 2: finding producers and writing and doing all of the things.
[25:31] Speaker 2: And so I felt like I was being pulled in
[25:33] Speaker 2: multiple directions. Well, you should just sing ballads because you
[25:35] Speaker 2: sing ballads really well. Or, well, you should do this. Or, well,
[25:38] Speaker 2: you should do this. Well, you should just do pop
[25:40] Speaker 2: because rock isn't really in right now. So just be pop.
[25:42] Speaker 2: And I was like, just pop. So even into, you know,
[25:48] Speaker 2: being out of the voice, I felt like I had
[25:50] Speaker 2: to fit into some mold. And honestly, that lasted for
[25:54] Speaker 2: a couple of years. Well, I guess what am I
[25:56] Speaker 2: supposed to be? Like, I mean, I'm not Sabrina Carpenter.
[25:59] Speaker 2: I'm not Ariana Grande. I love them. I think they're
[26:01] Speaker 2: both amazing, but that's, but that's not me, you know?
[26:04] Speaker 2: So I was like, so how do I, how do
[26:06] Speaker 2: I make myself fit? And it just didn't work. It just,
[26:09] Speaker 2: it simply didn't work. And it wasn't until I really
[26:12] Speaker 2: started pouring into social media in 2023 that something finally clicked.
[26:20] Speaker 2: because I was so frustrated with social media. I didn't
[26:23] Speaker 2: want to do it anymore. I was like, this is ridiculous.
[26:26] Speaker 2: Why is everything I do based on numbers? I can't,
[26:28] Speaker 2: you know, I don't have followers. Cause I really didn't.
[26:30] Speaker 2: I mean, I had like, like 20 K from the
[26:33] Speaker 2: boys on Instagram and, um, what, like 75 K on
[26:38] Speaker 2: Tik TOK, just from like some videos that my husband
[26:40] Speaker 2: had posted that went viral. Cause it was a Disney video,
[26:43] Speaker 2: but for me, and I didn't have any like fans,
[26:47] Speaker 2: for lack of a better word. And so I just,
[26:49] Speaker 2: I was like, I just, I'm not gonna do this anymore.
[26:51] Speaker 2: And when I stopped trying and put forth the least
[26:54] Speaker 2: amount of effort and just stuck my phone in the
[26:57] Speaker 2: kitchen and put Brandon's phone here with a karaoke track
[26:59] Speaker 2: and was making coffee, which is actually my life, like
[27:03] Speaker 2: that's really what I do, you know, wasn't dolled up,
[27:05] Speaker 2: didn't have makeup on, like walk around in sweats and,
[27:08] Speaker 2: and everybody loved it. even then it took me a
[27:12] Speaker 2: while to understand, like, no, people just want to know you.
[27:17] Speaker 2: They just want to hear, they just want to hear
[27:19] Speaker 2: you sing. They don't want to see all of the
[27:22] Speaker 2: extra stuff. Like they want to get to know you.
[27:25] Speaker 2: And so sure, as an artist, you know, you'll continue
[27:27] Speaker 2: to develop and elevate, like the more successful that you
[27:29] Speaker 2: get and you can create all of the things you
[27:32] Speaker 2: want to create as an artist. And then you have
[27:34] Speaker 2: the budget to create it one day. I'm like, amazing.
[27:38] Speaker 2: One day, my spectacles will be like Lady Gaga's because
[27:41] Speaker 2: I'll have a label paying for them, hopefully. Or I'll
[27:43] Speaker 2: be successful enough to be able to pay for them myself.
[27:47] Speaker 2: So you eventually get there. But what I've loved is
[27:51] Speaker 2: that people... have related to this. And I swear it's
[27:55] Speaker 2: because in the song, to bring it back around to
[27:57] Speaker 2: the songwriting that I've been doing has been more just
[28:01] Speaker 2: of my story and me just being real. And while
[28:04] Speaker 2: writing in a real way, I've also been putting that
[28:07] Speaker 2: in social media, being like, this is really who I am.
[28:11] Speaker 2: So that way my writing is consistent with what I
[28:14] Speaker 2: present just as a human being.
[28:16] Speaker 1: It makes total sense to me. And just real quick,
[28:19] Speaker 1: back to your high school, were you friends with all
[28:22] Speaker 1: the different groups of people? Like, you know, the kids
[28:26] Speaker 1: in the, in acting and then the kids playing sports and. Yeah.
[28:30] Speaker 1: Oh yeah.
[28:30] Speaker 2: I got along with everybody.
[28:32] Speaker 1: Yeah.
[28:32] Speaker 2: Yeah.
[28:32] Speaker 1: Cause you had to, right?
[28:33] Speaker 2: I had to. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah, for sure. And I
[28:36] Speaker 2: wanted to. I wanted to be everybody's friend because I
[28:39] Speaker 2: really love people. But, you know, I remember specifically because
[28:44] Speaker 2: now I'm athletic. I was not athletic growing up. And,
[28:48] Speaker 2: you know, I remember in eighth grade... being forced to
[28:52] Speaker 2: play volleyball. And every single girl, except for one, and
[28:56] Speaker 2: she's still a friend of mine to this day. Uh,
[28:59] Speaker 2: every girl was like, I want to be, no, you
[29:01] Speaker 2: can't be on my team. You don't like, you don't play.
[29:03] Speaker 2: Like you're not good. Like, and there weren't literally an
[29:07] Speaker 2: eighth grade, just like passing the ball back and forth.
[29:10] Speaker 2: We're not about to go compete in a tournament. And
[29:14] Speaker 2: they just, they were like, no, you suck at this. No,
[29:17] Speaker 2: you can't play with me. And there was one girl
[29:19] Speaker 2: that was nice. And I was like, Well, thank God.
[29:22] Speaker 2: But you were nice. You know? Or I'd been... It's
[29:24] Speaker 2: just awkward. So I was always, like, trying to be
[29:27] Speaker 2: friendly with all of the groups of people. But my
[29:33] Speaker 2: close friends... I mean, I had maybe one or two. Maybe.
[29:37] Speaker 2: I think I still know one or two people from
[29:38] Speaker 2: high school.
[29:40] Speaker 1: They're the ones that keep you grounded no matter how
[29:42] Speaker 1: high you go in life. If you're fortunate enough to
[29:46] Speaker 1: be able to still keep those friendships from early on
[29:50] Speaker 1: that were really tight.
[29:51] Speaker 2: You know, they, Oh, for sure. And what's crazy is
[29:53] Speaker 2: I really just became real friends with them in college.
[29:56] Speaker 2: We happened to go to the same high school, but
[29:59] Speaker 2: it wasn't until out of high school and going into
[30:01] Speaker 2: college that we were like, Oh, Hey.
[30:03] Speaker 1: Hey, I know you.
[30:05] Speaker 2: This is great. You were nice to me. All right.
[30:09] Speaker 1: So I'm curious if there are any rituals or routines
[30:13] Speaker 1: that you do before you go on stage to perform.
[30:16] Speaker 1: I asked this question from some people. I've got some
[30:18] Speaker 1: interesting responses. Like Peter Gabriel told me before he goes
[30:22] Speaker 1: on stage, he has to go to the bathroom. He
[30:26] Speaker 1: said something else a little more crass, but I'm going
[30:28] Speaker 1: to leave it at that.
[30:29] Speaker 2: I know, right? That's fair.
[30:32] Speaker 1: Yeah.
[30:33] Speaker 2: That is true, especially with six, because I'm the one
[30:36] Speaker 2: that gets dressed first and we have half hour. So
[30:40] Speaker 2: we don't leave the stage for the hour and a half.
[30:41] Speaker 2: And so a half hour before that, we're all scheduled.
[30:46] Speaker 2: Except the show starts at 7. At 6.30, every queen
[30:50] Speaker 2: has a specific time you get into dress because we
[30:54] Speaker 2: can't dress ourselves. Like, it's too complicated. So we have
[30:56] Speaker 2: dressers that put us in costume. Yeah. And then wig prep.
[31:00] Speaker 2: And so it's all a whole thing. But yeah, you
[31:02] Speaker 2: actually have to time out when you go to the
[31:03] Speaker 2: restroom because you're drinking water because you're trying to stay hydrated. Yeah.
[31:09] Speaker 2: You can't go to the bathroom in the middle of
[31:10] Speaker 2: the show.
[31:11] Speaker 1: No strategic snaps anywhere in the yard? Nope.
[31:14] Speaker 2: None.
[31:15] Speaker 1: None.
[31:16] Speaker 2: You're just like, well, you are strapped in into three
[31:18] Speaker 2: pairs of tights and a leotard and a posture.
[31:20] Speaker 1: Push on stage.
[31:21] Speaker 2: Good luck. But I mean, outside of that, so he
[31:27] Speaker 2: is right. Outside of that, vocally warm up for probably
[31:30] Speaker 2: like 30, 40 minutes while I'm doing my makeup. I
[31:34] Speaker 2: have to do a physical dynamic warm up because, I mean,
[31:36] Speaker 2: we're doing tuck jumps and heels. So it's a lot.
[31:41] Speaker 2: So I have to make sure my body is physically
[31:43] Speaker 2: warm as well as my voice. So those are the two, like, biggest,
[31:49] Speaker 2: I guess, rituals, you would say. But as a group,
[31:52] Speaker 2: once we get on stage, all six of us, like,
[31:53] Speaker 2: we'll all stand in a circle and hold hands. And
[31:56] Speaker 2: we'll all try to synchronize our breathing. And we'll all
[32:00] Speaker 2: say one. Someone else has to say two, three, four, five, six,
[32:03] Speaker 2: until we get to six. But if we say it
[32:05] Speaker 2: at the same time, we have to start over.
[32:06] Speaker 1: Oh. Oh, that's cool. Except for when the curtain goes
[32:09] Speaker 1: up and you're still back there. Well, thank you for
[32:17] Speaker 1: that insight into it. It's always interesting to hear all
[32:21] Speaker 1: of that stuff because, you know, we live vicariously through you,
[32:24] Speaker 1: especially those of us who would love to do that
[32:27] Speaker 1: type of work.
[32:28] Speaker 2: Yeah.
[32:30] Speaker 1: In terms of advocacy, let's talk about the impact of
[32:34] Speaker 1: what you do. You've used your platform about mental health.
[32:38] Speaker 1: I think I may have touched a bit on this
[32:40] Speaker 1: up front with your brother, but why is this cause
[32:43] Speaker 1: specifically so important to you?
[32:46] Speaker 2: I think it's important to me because it is so taboo.
[32:50] Speaker 2: Because there's such a lack of, now there's a conversation
[32:55] Speaker 2: around it. But for a very long time, there has
[32:59] Speaker 2: not been a conversation around it because it makes people uncomfortable.
[33:03] Speaker 2: And I get it. It's not it's not a fun
[33:05] Speaker 2: topic to discuss. You know, when I I went to
[33:09] Speaker 2: do an event for Didi Hirsch and 988 and performed
[33:14] Speaker 2: and went there and you see all these people and
[33:17] Speaker 2: every person there is either a survivor of suicide or
[33:20] Speaker 2: has lost somebody to suicide. And it's incredibly sad. It's
[33:25] Speaker 2: very sad. And you're there to create awareness and to bring, like,
[33:30] Speaker 2: make a change. But it's a heavy topic, you know,
[33:33] Speaker 2: because there's so much more that goes into it. And
[33:35] Speaker 2: then I feel like until the last, until recently, until
[33:39] Speaker 2: over the last few years, there's been a lack of
[33:41] Speaker 2: education around it. So I think the more you educate people,
[33:48] Speaker 2: it just starts more of a conversation. And then if
[33:50] Speaker 2: somebody is struggling with depression, They feel more comfortable to say,
[33:56] Speaker 2: something's weird. Like, I think I need to talk to somebody.
[33:59] Speaker 2: And the amount of people that reach out to me
[34:02] Speaker 2: and my family is countless. Still, people reach out all
[34:09] Speaker 2: the time. My dad goes and speaks to different youth groups.
[34:12] Speaker 2: I'll get asked to do podcasts about it. It's just a...
[34:18] Speaker 2: it's a conversation that didn't happen as much as I
[34:20] Speaker 2: can get needed to. And the more people talk about it,
[34:22] Speaker 2: the less people feel awkward about it, you know?
[34:25] Speaker 1: Yeah, absolutely. And you said it's a very tough thing
[34:28] Speaker 1: and it's not fun, but I think when those people
[34:32] Speaker 1: listening to you, hearing what you have to say, it
[34:35] Speaker 1: might actually turn into something that's a more positive thing
[34:38] Speaker 1: for them the minute they know, Oh, that happens to you.
[34:43] Speaker 1: Or you... It's amazing. What message do you hope that
[34:48] Speaker 1: listeners take away from your music and your story?
[34:52] Speaker 2: I hope listeners take away the fact that they belong.
[34:56] Speaker 2: That there is hope. That they can make it.
[35:00] Speaker 1: Have you heard from fans who have been impacted by
[35:03] Speaker 1: your music? And can you share a couple of those
[35:06] Speaker 1: stories with us?
[35:08] Speaker 2: Yeah, gosh. It's... it's always the coolest thing to have
[35:12] Speaker 2: people tell me that they've been moved by something I've written,
[35:17] Speaker 2: something I've sung, you know? And it's one thing I
[35:19] Speaker 2: will say online, people are really, really kind to me.
[35:23] Speaker 2: I'm very blessed to have people be mostly kind on
[35:27] Speaker 2: Instagram and Tik TOK. Um, so that's, so it's always
[35:30] Speaker 2: very cool to see people's comments about the songs. Like
[35:33] Speaker 2: my brother's anniversary was in May. And so there, I
[35:35] Speaker 2: reshared the music video that I had done for him. And, um,
[35:39] Speaker 2: People just constantly, like, I lost my mom. I lost
[35:44] Speaker 2: my brother. I lost my dad. I survived. Like, I mean,
[35:46] Speaker 2: just tons. But what's really cool is when I meet
[35:49] Speaker 2: somebody in person.
[35:50] Speaker 1: Yeah.
[35:51] Speaker 2: And they tell me in person. And it happens a lot.
[35:54] Speaker 2: Crazy enough, it happens a lot in New York. And
[35:57] Speaker 2: I get, this still freaks me out in the coolest way,
[36:00] Speaker 2: not in a bad way, but it freaks me out
[36:01] Speaker 2: in the coolest way. Because I don't expect people to
[36:03] Speaker 2: know who I am. I just don't. And what's nuts
[36:08] Speaker 2: is in New York City, of all places, I get
[36:10] Speaker 2: recognized more from TikTok and Instagram than I do, like,
[36:14] Speaker 2: than I ever have. People will come up and they're like, oh,
[36:17] Speaker 2: I follow you and your husband. Oh my gosh. And
[36:19] Speaker 2: I'm like, oh my gosh, hey. You know, and so
[36:21] Speaker 2: it's always like so cool. But at the stage door specifically,
[36:24] Speaker 2: I do my best after every show to, to go
[36:26] Speaker 2: out to the stage or to sign playbills. The only
[36:29] Speaker 2: reason I won't go out is if I'm actually sick
[36:30] Speaker 2: or my voice is kind of off, but, but I
[36:32] Speaker 2: try to go out after every show. Right. And I
[36:34] Speaker 2: had a girl tell me one time, uh, because the,
[36:39] Speaker 2: the interactions are typically brief, but I took a second
[36:42] Speaker 2: and she said, I just need to say thank you
[36:44] Speaker 2: for what you wrote about your brother. Cause I tried
[36:46] Speaker 2: to take my life and thankfully I didn't succeed, but
[36:50] Speaker 2: it helps to know I'm not the only one. And
[36:53] Speaker 2: it just like stopped me in my tracks because I wouldn't,
[36:56] Speaker 2: I never thought that something I would write or say
[36:58] Speaker 2: like that would make such an impact on somebody else.
[37:01] Speaker 2: But that is the goal. You know, that's the goal
[37:04] Speaker 2: of what I want to be able to tell people.
[37:07] Speaker 2: And then I have another one that's about, you know,
[37:10] Speaker 2: female empowerment and like finding your self-worth again and loving yourself.
[37:13] Speaker 2: It's called Look What You Missed. And I had a
[37:15] Speaker 2: girl tell me the other day, she was like, that
[37:16] Speaker 2: is my favorite song. I get to be awesome. And
[37:19] Speaker 2: she's like, oh my gosh, shouldn't I be like 12?
[37:21] Speaker 2: And I'm like, what? This is so cool. I mean, so...
[37:26] Speaker 2: So I've had multiple moments where people are talking to
[37:30] Speaker 2: me at the stage door about my music, and that
[37:33] Speaker 2: is the coolest thing.
[37:35] Speaker 1: Doesn't it feel like they're talking to someone else?
[37:37] Speaker 2: Yes.
[37:37] Speaker 1: Don't you feel sort of like, what, you know?
[37:41] Speaker 2: I mean, I feel like Twilight Zone still. I'm so serious.
[37:45] Speaker 2: I'm like, wait, really? Yeah. Cool.
[37:48] Speaker 1: Oh my gosh, how amazing.
[37:50] Speaker 2: So I know. So that's what I'm hoping that this
[37:52] Speaker 2: next song does is that it reaches just an absurd
[37:56] Speaker 2: amount of people. So that way that message can actually
[37:59] Speaker 2: just go, that's the goal.
[38:01] Speaker 1: I love that so much. Are there any dream collaborations
[38:06] Speaker 1: or projects that you hope to pursue in the future?
[38:10] Speaker 2: Oh, absolutely.
[38:11] Speaker 1: Besides just stage like Lady Gaga's.
[38:14] Speaker 2: I know.
[38:14] Speaker 1: Right.
[38:15] Speaker 2: Yeah. Yeah. Besides that, I would love to do a
[38:17] Speaker 2: collaboration with someone like Jelly Roll. I think that would
[38:21] Speaker 2: be so cool. I think he's awesome. He is. To
[38:25] Speaker 2: work with someone like Pink or Rihanna would also be very,
[38:29] Speaker 2: very cool. I know. I'm dreaming big here.
[38:32] Speaker 1: No, put it out there. Come on.
[38:34] Speaker 2: I know. We're dreaming really big here. So, you know,
[38:39] Speaker 2: I also am like... There's just so many. I mean,
[38:43] Speaker 2: I'm a huge fan of Billie Eilish, Ariana Grande. So
[38:46] Speaker 2: as far as collaborations, and even Lady Gaga would be
[38:49] Speaker 2: just a dream. I'm such a fan of hers. So
[38:52] Speaker 2: there's a lot of artists I would love to collaborate with,
[38:55] Speaker 2: but another dream would be to originate a role on Broadway. Ooh.
[39:00] Speaker 2: So now that I'm in it, I've actually fallen in
[39:03] Speaker 2: love with it.
[39:04] Speaker 1: You got the bug.
[39:05] Speaker 2: I do, and it's so much fun. I'm like, this
[39:08] Speaker 2: is great. So I think it would be really cool
[39:11] Speaker 2: to if the greatest showman ever went to Broadway and
[39:15] Speaker 2: actually came to the States to be able to be
[39:18] Speaker 2: in something like that would be so fun. So cool. So,
[39:21] Speaker 2: I mean, you know, really big dreams. And, oh, you know,
[39:25] Speaker 2: I want to tour. I want to do a world
[39:27] Speaker 2: tour and be able to, you know, sell out. arenas
[39:30] Speaker 2: and stadiums. And, you know, that is, that is the goal.
[39:34] Speaker 2: And not just for me, I mean, like it would
[39:35] Speaker 2: be super cool to perform for that many people, but
[39:37] Speaker 2: also because I'm like, if I'm at that level, that
[39:39] Speaker 2: means that many people are hearing how much they matter. Yeah.
[39:43] Speaker 1: Yeah. Yeah. Not to change the subject. I did have, um,
[39:49] Speaker 1: Another question for you about advice. Well, let me ask that.
[39:52] Speaker 1: If you were going to give some advice to someone
[39:54] Speaker 1: who is struggling right now, and not just struggling, say,
[39:57] Speaker 1: with the problems that sort of inspired you in your
[40:02] Speaker 1: life with your brother, but just any problem, what kind
[40:04] Speaker 1: of advice would you give?
[40:06] Speaker 2: I would say any time I personally am struggling. whether
[40:13] Speaker 2: that be feeling lonely, overwhelmed, sad, distant, like finding yourself
[40:22] Speaker 2: someone to be grounded with, I think is so important.
[40:25] Speaker 2: I think community is so important. And people that are
[40:29] Speaker 2: in your same industry, it's really helpful to have people
[40:32] Speaker 2: in your same industry because they get it.
[40:34] Speaker 1: They understand.
[40:35] Speaker 2: They understand. So even if it's just one person, you
[40:38] Speaker 2: don't have to have an army, you just need just
[40:39] Speaker 2: one that you can really... hunker down with and be like, Hey,
[40:44] Speaker 2: I am not okay. And, and then be able to
[40:48] Speaker 2: just sit there with you, um, you know, and not
[40:51] Speaker 2: just try to fix it. But I think for me, that's,
[40:53] Speaker 2: that's been the most healing is having someone like my
[40:55] Speaker 2: husband who I can just be not okay with. And
[41:00] Speaker 2: that is okay. And I'm blessed enough to have quite
[41:02] Speaker 2: a few friends that are really that awesome as well.
[41:05] Speaker 2: So I would say anyone that's struggling, find a community.
[41:09] Speaker 2: You know, what mom, dad, sister, brother, I mean, just anyone,
[41:13] Speaker 2: at least just one person is all you need.
[41:15] Speaker 1: Oh, that's amazing advice because the more successful you become,
[41:22] Speaker 1: the less you find people. It's hard to find people
[41:26] Speaker 1: who are happy for your success. I know that sounds crazy,
[41:31] Speaker 1: but no, but.
[41:31] Speaker 2: It's, it's real.
[41:33] Speaker 1: So yeah. Any mentors or, or somebody that you can
[41:36] Speaker 1: just talk to, but seriously, if it is part of
[41:39] Speaker 1: your profession, that definitely helps or in whatever you're doing
[41:43] Speaker 1: in life, but yeah. Great advice. Okay. So what song
[41:48] Speaker 1: or artists have you had? Do you have right now?
[41:51] Speaker 1: I have, I got to try by Michael McDonald. I
[41:54] Speaker 1: don't know if you're familiar with the song.
[41:55] Speaker 2: Yeah.
[41:56] Speaker 1: Sort of yacht Rocky.
[41:57] Speaker 2: Yeah. I love it.
[41:59] Speaker 1: It's like my favorite genre, even though people say it's
[42:01] Speaker 1: not a genre and it was made up or whatever.
[42:04] Speaker 1: What song do you have on repeat?
[42:07] Speaker 2: It's going to be a terrible answer. What?
[42:10] Speaker 1: Nothing's terrible.
[42:11] Speaker 2: No, it's going to be a terrible answer because it's
[42:12] Speaker 2: not an answer.
[42:13] Speaker 1: Okay.
[42:14] Speaker 2: So as, as a singer who is constantly surrounded by music,
[42:19] Speaker 2: I rarely listen to music.
[42:22] Speaker 1: I'm not surprised by that at all.
[42:23] Speaker 2: Yeah. I listen to a lot of podcasts. I listen
[42:26] Speaker 2: to audiobooks. Sometimes I just sit in silence. But I
[42:31] Speaker 2: don't have a song that I'm constantly like... constantly listening to?
[42:35] Speaker 2: Like that I'm like, oh yeah, let's go. I mean,
[42:37] Speaker 2: I have a gym playlist.
[42:39] Speaker 1: Well, if you hear something, for example, like for, I
[42:41] Speaker 1: just heard that and I hadn't heard it in a
[42:43] Speaker 1: long time. So I just have it on, I just
[42:45] Speaker 1: listened to it over and over again, agnosium, you know,
[42:48] Speaker 1: for the day or the hour or blasted in the car.
[42:50] Speaker 1: It doesn't have to be, you know, strict answer. Like
[42:54] Speaker 1: if you looked on your phone right now, what was
[42:56] Speaker 1: the last song you played?
[42:58] Speaker 2: Let's see.
[42:59] Speaker 1: Oh, here we go. We're going right to the phone.
[43:02] Speaker 2: I would say, let's see.
[43:05] Speaker 1: What is it?
[43:07] Speaker 2: It is If You Want Perfection from Death Becomes Her.
[43:09] Speaker 1: Wow.
[43:10] Speaker 2: There you go. That was the last thing. Michelle Williams.
[43:13] Speaker 2: That played on my phone. Oh, my God. I had
[43:15] Speaker 2: just gone to see Death Becomes Her, and I looked
[43:17] Speaker 2: up the soundtrack because, oh, my gosh, was it incredible. Incredible.
[43:22] Speaker 2: Absolutely phenomenal. But one of my favorites I think I
[43:27] Speaker 2: could always listen to forever and always is River by
[43:30] Speaker 2: Bishop Riggs.
[43:31] Speaker 1: Oh, awesome. Awesome artist, too.
[43:36] Speaker 2: Like that just, oh, like so good.
[43:39] Speaker 1: Yeah. My husband and I absolutely love her. We crank
[43:42] Speaker 1: that up in the car. You got to have a
[43:43] Speaker 1: good stereo because otherwise don't even bother listening.
[43:46] Speaker 2: Yeah.
[43:47] Speaker 1: Yeah.
[43:48] Speaker 2: I know. Yeah. But I would say that that's when
[43:50] Speaker 2: I could listen to you for forever and always and
[43:52] Speaker 2: never get tired of it. Awesome.
[43:53] Speaker 1: And, you know, don't feel like it's weird because I interviewed,
[43:56] Speaker 1: I don't know if you know, a country artist by
[43:58] Speaker 1: the name of Craig Morgan.
[43:59] Speaker 2: Yes. Yes.
[44:01] Speaker 1: Yeah, so he said the same thing. You know, I
[44:05] Speaker 1: do this for my job, but I don't use it
[44:08] Speaker 1: for myself personally, and I don't really have time to listen.
[44:12] Speaker 1: And it sounds odd, but it's true.
[44:15] Speaker 2: It sounds so odd, because people are like, oh, well,
[44:17] Speaker 2: you're an artist, you must listen to music all the time.
[44:19] Speaker 2: And I'm like, yeah, but not for fun. Yeah. It's
[44:25] Speaker 2: a shame because there's so much amazing music out there.
[44:27] Speaker 2: And if somebody comes out with an album and everybody
[44:31] Speaker 2: talks about it, of course, I'm going to go listen
[44:32] Speaker 2: to it.
[44:33] Speaker 1: Yeah, totally.
[44:34] Speaker 2: It's just different. It's so different.
[44:36] Speaker 1: I don't want to let you go. I have one
[44:38] Speaker 1: more question.
[44:39] Speaker 2: Yeah.
[44:39] Speaker 1: If you could perform anywhere in the world, where would
[44:43] Speaker 1: it be and why?
[44:47] Speaker 2: I would say Rock in Rio in Brazil.
[44:50] Speaker 1: Oh, great answer.
[44:52] Speaker 2: That is where I would want to perform because those
[44:54] Speaker 2: fans are incredible. They are absolutely incredible. Um, I have
[45:03] Speaker 2: such a love for the people in Brazil.
[45:05] Speaker 1: Did you see that video on the beach where millions
[45:08] Speaker 1: of people went to go see Gaga perform?
[45:11] Speaker 2: Yes. Holy cow. Now that is insane. I was like,
[45:15] Speaker 2: is that real? It looked almost like AI, but it wasn't.
[45:17] Speaker 2: But I was like, that's crazy. But I did get to,
[45:21] Speaker 2: I toured with Joss Stone for a little bit. And
[45:26] Speaker 2: we played the town festival in Sao Paulo. And it's
[45:33] Speaker 2: just so cool to see how much those fans love music.
[45:38] Speaker 2: I feel like going internationally, I would also love to
[45:39] Speaker 2: go to Asia. I would love to go perform in Asia.
[45:43] Speaker 2: They just love music. And they love artists. And so
[45:47] Speaker 2: I think it'd be a lot of fun to perform
[45:49] Speaker 2: for them.
[45:50] Speaker 1: Well, I know they would love, they love you. And something,
[45:55] Speaker 1: I don't know, tells me that you will be very soon.
[46:00] Speaker 2: It's going to happen. I'm just going to play out there.
[46:02] Speaker 1: Yeah. And isn't that funny? 1% of people write down
[46:06] Speaker 1: their goals. But interestingly enough, when you write them down,
[46:10] Speaker 1: they have a funny way of happening. Keep writing those songs.
[46:14] Speaker 1: Kelsey Watts, thank you so much for sharing your time
[46:17] Speaker 1: with us on Music Saved Me today. And best of
[46:19] Speaker 1: luck with everything in the future. And please come back
[46:21] Speaker 1: and see us again.
[46:22] Speaker 2: Oh my gosh, of course. Thank you for having me.
[46:24] Speaker 1: I had blast. I don't want to let you go.
[46:26] Speaker 1: It's been a wonderful conversation. My soul sister. Thank you
[46:31] Speaker 1: so much.

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