Kellie

Breakthrough Country artist and recent Big Loud Records/ Back Blocks Music signee,  Ashley Cooke makes her debut at Country radio with “Never Til Now” alongside BMLG Records Country megastar,  Brett Young today (31st May). Photo Credit: Robby Klein The track with “love in every note” (MusicRow) penned by Ashley and Matt Roy is now spinning on Country radio playlists nationwide, coming in with 35 first week stations as this week's most added. Originally released on her debut project, Already Drank That Beer released in August 2021. The reimagined love song with superstar power has garnered over 27 million+ on-demand streams while critical acclaim continues to pour in. Billboard taps the track that topped SiriusXM The Highway’s Hot 30 Weekend Countdown as a “superb vocal blend”. CMT declares Ashley is destined for a “bright future ahead in the Country music genre.” You can follow Ashley on her Social Media Twitter Instagram Facebook Website

This Friday (27th May) will see British singer-songwriter and musical theatre star, Vicki Manser  release her brand new single, Fly. Vicki is currently starring in Rock of Ages UK Tour. Fly  starts with a summery feel thanks to the guitar instrumental which is very raw and honest right from the start. The first verse sees Vicki's soft crisp vocal at the forefront allowing for some beautiful poignant lyrics allowing for many emotional moments. Vicki definitely wears her heart on her sleeve with the lyrics. The honesty alongside the vulnerability from Vicki are perfectly timed. The chorus feature a fun loving, sassy side from Vicki and one I have a feeling many listeners will be able to relate with. The fun loving side of Vicki is something I adore! The second verse has many fun, upbeat lyrics that see Vicki letting us listeners into her life through this song, and how our lives are our own as we have to do what is right for us in those moments - we are the only ones that m...

Today (Friday 20th May) will see US singer-songwriter,  Lainey Wilson  release her brand new single, Heart Like A Truck. Photo taken by me in 2018 during Country Music Week Heart Like A Truck  has a soft crisp instrumental setting the song up wonderfully from the very first moment Lainey starts singing. The first verse sees Lainey's crisp tone at the forefront allowing for the songs message to come across is a beautiful way. The personal and meaning lyrics are something that draw me in as a listener right from the very first moment, I heard such relatable lyrics. The way Lainey wears her heart on her sleeve is a brilliant quality. The chorus is off a much softer tone giving Laine another moment in the song to shine through. There is something so special about Lainey, and what she delivers within every song. The lyrics are heartfelt, whilst having an upbeat feel. The second verse of Heart Like A Truck sees Lainey take the song up a notch seeing the song develop i...

Today (Friday 6th May) will see Canadian country singer-songwriter,  Sykamore  release her brand new single, Dancing in the Dark. Dancing in the Dark is the first of a new era from Sykamore. Sykamore is country singer-songwriter from Carseland, Alberta, Canada. Dancing in the Dark  starts with a crisp instrumental which for me I personally really enjoyed as it takes you on a journey right from the very start. The first verse sees Sykamore's soft vocal at the forefront allowing for the songs lyrics and storytelling to shine through in the most beautiful way. I love the nostalgic feel that I caught myself getting a little emotional over especially as the chorus kicked in. The chorus features some of the most stunning lyrics with this rather laid back feel to them which had me wanting to get up and dance thanks to the upbeat instrumental that kicks in. The second verse of Dancing in the Dark continues the beautiful storytelling in a gorgeous way and the way th...

Today (Friday 6th May) will see British singer-songwriter, Sasha McVeigh  who currently lives in America release her brand new single, Mama. Mama  starts with a a soulful instrumental from the guitar which of I'm being honest adding this beautiful layer to the song. The first verse sees Sasha's soft vocal at the forefront with many heartfelt lyrics that I caught myself getting rather emotional over as there is no one most important than my mum in my life. The songwriting is stunning all the way through with our parents always wanting the very best for us despite everything, and they are our number one cheerleaders. The chorus features even more heartfelt lyrics that I cried to as I was listening due to the honesty and respect you can hear throughout. The amount of love! The second verse of Mama continues with another side of their journey, and I have so much respect for artists like Sasha who where their heart on their sleeves through their songwriting, and journey. The final ...

Nashville singer-songwriter,  Erin Kinsey made her Grand Ole Opry debut last Saturday (23rd April) to a packed house of family, friends, and fans. The “rising star” (People) performed Hate This Hometown and current radio single, Just Drive from her recently released debut EP, 40 East. Photo Credit © Grand Ole Opry, photos by Chris Hollo “I don’t really have the words for this, and don’t know if I ever will. But thank you so much to the Grand Ole Opry for giving me a chance to share my music and my story on the biggest stage in country music,” Erin shared on socials. “The weight of that circle and the legends that have performed in it, is so real and I feel so honored to have been able to feel it. Can’t wait to show y’all all of the behind the scenes, but for now I’m still taking it alllll in.  Thank you to everyone who spent their Saturday night freaking out with me… it meant the world.” Written by Erin along with Michael August and Josh Ronen and produced by Ronen, Just Dri...

This Friday (22nd April) will see Canadian singer-songwriter,  Tenille Townes  release her brand new EP, Masquerades. Masquerades is made up of 7 tracks. Photo Credit: Lauren Dunn/ Sony Nashville When You Need It featuring Wrabel  has a sweet instrumental to start which accompanies Tenille's soft vocal in the first verse. The first verse features Tenille's crisp tone at the forefront with lyrics that have a lot of heart within them. Some of the lyrics are catchy allowing for a clear message within the song to come across especially in the chorus. The chorus is beautifully timed and toned by Tenille to allow some moments of poignancy. The second verse of When You Need It sees Wrabel taking the lead giving us listeners the opportunity to hear his take of the songs meaning and the way in which the songs lyrics are delivered. The moment Tenille and Wrabel's voices meet for the chorus is stunning as it takes the song to the next level. A duet I never knew, I needed to hear. Th...

Today (Friday 11th April) will see British singer-songwriter,  Jeorgia Rose  releasing her brand new single, That Day. Photo Credit: Jennifer Hilton Photography That Day  starts with a guitar instrumental which has this mellow feel. The first verse sees Jeorgia's soft crisp vocal with such honesty looking back on the good times in the relationship as the lyrics get you thinking. The vocal delivery is wonderful thanks to the honesty that Jeorgia dives into. The chorus is upbeat thanks to the stunning lyrics, but I do love the way that Jeorgia continues to show such honesty, heartfelt and grace within this verse is just beautiful as it takes the song on a different journey. The lyrics are rather catchy. The second verse of That Day is beautiful especially as the way it links to the chorus fantastically. The instrumental break up ahead of the bridge compliments Jeorgia's softer vocal tone wonderfully. The final verse and chorus are beautiful because of the vocal delivery fro...

Today (Friday 8th April) will see 18 year-old, singer-songwriter,  Callista Clark  release her brand new single, Gave It Back Broken. Gave it Back Broken  has a slower soulful piano instrumental which sets the tone for the song beautifully. The first verse sees Callista's soft vocal at the forefront which instantly allows for the lyrics to resonate with listeners whilst Callista takes us all on a journey. I love the way that Callista digs into her own experiences in turn allowing for many special moments to be shared. The vocal delivery from Callista throughout is simply stunning. The chorus features the most beautiful lyrics that you can hear so much emotion from Callista within, giving us even more special moments. I have so much praise for the wonderfully picked lyrics as they bring the song together is an amazing way. There is so much emotion shown that makes this stand out. The second verse of Gave It Back Broken continues with the self-blame part of the relationship...

Following Summer Spellman's diabetes diagnosis in August 2021, the character has been on a rollercoaster of a journey adjusting to her new life. Harriet Bibby in my opinion has been fantastic with raising a lot of awareness. During next week's episodes viewers will see Billy Mayhew's concern for Summer grow as well as her friends. During a recent interview with many media outlets, Harriet was asked about her reaction when she was told about her storyline regarding Summer’s diabulimia? "I think it's a really great opportunity, because so many young people - not just young girls - go through body image issues. It's very prevalent in young people now, the way that you think you should look. So, I think it really does affect a lot of young people, even if you don't have diabetes. But then if you add that on top of what's already going on in a young person's head… it just sort of explodes. So, Summer’s really going through it all." Next, Harriet was...

I wasn't going to blog this week's Emmerdale episodes, however having watched the episodes and been moved, I am always so grateful to the soaps for doing storylines like this, and helping to raise awareness. This week's episodes have been so powerful as a whole I have nothing but praise for Emmerdale whilst reminding me exactly why I love this show. The episodes shared what a wonderful family unit that The Dingles have. I enjoyed the way that April Windsor gave Rhona Goskirk the go ahead. I loved the way that Marlon Dingle confided in Laurel Thomas ahead of his proposal to Laurel in the playground.  One thing, I really liked was the way that Paddy has Marlon's back through everything their friendship is a wonderful one, even though later in the week Paddy struggled to visit his friend but struggle is honest. The in-sync proposal from both Marlon and Rhona was beautifully timed,  the smile from the pair says a lot.  As an excited Marlon headed home to look for the ring t...

Today (Friday 25th March) will see 21 year old singer-songwriter,  Erin Kinsey  release her debut EP called 40 East which is a collection of 6 songs which are all co-written by Erin. Erin is an artist I remember seeing at C2C back in 2016. Photo Credit: Robby Stevens Just Drive  starts with a wonderful instrumental that compliments Erin's softer vocal tone within the first verse. The first verse sees Erin's crisp tone at the forefront which work well with the lyrics that will let the listeners into her world - the vulnerability and honesty is something that I really appreciate as a listener. The chorus features many upbeat and funky feeling lyrics that allow for people to get to really know who Erin is as an artist. Erin is an artist that isn't afraid to write from the heart, whilst wearing her heart on her sleeve. The second verse of Just Drive continues with many beautiful moments with song lyrics that take you on a journey that is beautiful as you can feel many differe...

Over the past weekend saw the return of Country 2 Country at The O2 Arena after 2 years, and I thought I would share with you some moments I enjoyed from the pop up stages because my god there were many incredible ones. All the artists that I had the opportunity to discover were wonderful and put on a great show. It was fantastic to be back in the building with so many country fans, it was definitely worth the wait!  Photo taken by me Jess Thristan performing The Old Me was the highlight of the whole weekend on this stages, as like I've said to Jess many times the lyrics speak volumes, and this weekend I definitely felt like I am slowly getting the old me back there is a long way to go but it's coming. However, when Jess performed a brand new song about the loss of a love one had me rather emotional (and I can't wait for Jess to release it!) Jess thank you for also being the nicest person. I really appreciate everything you did for me this weekend. Photo taken by me Kaitlyn...

What a way for Emmerdale to come in with their new 7.30pm schedule time with a week full of drama. With the new Mr & Mrs Dingle, Liv and Vinny having got married during Thursday 24th February’s episodes after eloping with their families in the dark that is until this week leaving Mandy devastated. This week's episodes were written by Karin Young, Sarah Hooper, Sue Mooney, Paul Roundell,  Adam Sales,  and Bill Lyons and being directed by Brett Fallis on Monday, Mickey Jones Tuesday to Thursday's, and Friday's by Reece Dinsdale. The week started with cousins Charity and Chas Dingle at loggerheads ahead of The Woolpack opening. As Mandy continued to plan the best day for Vinny as Samson Dingle spoke about Liv's asexuality with Vinny overhearing but  like how Vinny stood up for Liv. Adore the honesty from Vinny  as Chas walked in The Hop with Mandy telling them about the party plans. Chas made Eric Pollard an offer for her to be the manager of B&B which he was t...

This Friday (11th March) will see British country duo,  The Shires  made up of singer-songwriters, Ben Earle and Crissie Rhodes release their brand new album, 10 Year Plan. 10 Year Plan is made up of 13 tracks. Cut Me Loose  starts with an upbeat guitar instrumental which I absolutely love as the first verse sees Crissie on lead vocals with her crisp tone. The verse sees lyrics that have an upbeat feel that I also have to say has this wonderful vulnerability to them at the same point which for me is rather special as it shows so much about the artist and their style. The chorus is an upbeat one that showcases Ben and Crissie's vocal beautifully and their harmonies are just incredibly timed with that mix of emotion giving the fans exactly what they love from this pair. The journey within the lyrics is one that is heartfelt that I caught myself connecting with. The second verse continues perfectly from the first verse adding another level of fantastic vocal balance that mak...

During next week's episodes of Hollyoaks, viewers will see the return of Lisa Hunter which I personally have to say I am very excited about as Lisa was one character I loved watching growing up. I really can't wait to see Gemma Atkinson back in Hollyoaks. Gemma was involved in some high-profile storylines during first stint on the show including two which she is remembered for as it helped many young people.  There was something so special about this character that saw her change and develop through these hard hitting storylines. Photo Credit: Lime Pictures/ Hollyoaks Lisa will show up in the Hollyoaks village next week after a 17 year absence as Zara Morgan and Tony Hutchinson prepare for their debate, but could things be set to get worse for Zara as secrets regarding her time in Thailand are things are set to be revealed.  As much as I love Lisa, I don't want her to ruin her friendship. I am really excited to see Gemma and Kelly Condron work together once again. As Lisa h...

Welcome to another blog post where I will be discussing the reasons why different soaps are our favourites, and the things that make us viewers went to tune in. So let's start with the one we are loving and that is Emmerdale  and one of the reason we both love watching the show each episode is because it allows for us viewers to take a break from your own worries in life and the characters are ones that many people will be able to say 'oh, I know a person like that' from the characters in the show. Emmerdale over the years has tackled some of the most important topics which it continues to do today in raising awareness that viewers would necessarily know about this shows helps to educate people in a real entertaining, raw, and emotional way. The cast are some of the most incredible people and are so lovely and interactive as well as the behind the scenes teams because they are the most creative people, and a credit to the show - this is clear within their job roles on/ off ...

With Vinny Dingle and his new wife, Liv having eloped a few weeks ago after the family drama beforehand, it’s no doubt that when their families discovered their wonderful news they were going to kick off over the secrecy. With cousins Chas and Charity Dingle not seeing eye to eye still it looks like the B&B and The Woolpack are set to go up against each other as Mandy Dingle and Chas decide to hold Liv and Vinny’s engagement party at the B&B knowing that it will cause a clash with the launch of The Woolpack. In true soap style nothing without a little drama in this case with a postal mix-up the truth it about to come out as Samson Dingle hands Noah Dingle an envelope addressed to “Mr. & Mrs. V. Dingle”. Noah reveals that it contains Liv and Vinny’s marriage certificate to Mandy. Uh-oh! Mandy is floored by this news.  I have to admit I am sad for her but respect their decision as let’s be honest it’s because of her and Chas they eloped in the first place. Later when Vinn...

Tonight's double bill (24th February) of Emmerdale were beautiful allowing for a beautiful soap wedding to take place for Liv Flaherty and Vinny Dingle who have been on one hell of a journey over the past 18 months. It's no secret how much I love Vinny and Liv as a couple and that they have a lot of fans within the Emmerdale fan community. There was something about tonight's first episode alone that was beautiful and delivered exactly what us viewers wanted. Thank you, Linton Chiswick for a beautiful and brilliantly delivered episode. It was really lovely to see the young couple have a happy wedding day despite them having to elope for them to get the day they wanted and deserved. The dialogue throughout the episode was beautiful. The attention to detail throughout the episode was beautifully thought about with all the romantic moments that happened throughout the episode like the one that started the episode in the dingle van to the prep talk ahead of the wedding, asking a...

I wasn't coming to share this but this Thursday (24th February) is FIVE years since I started this blog, and if you would have told a shy, soap loving fan that she would still be running this site I'd have laughed, but I am grateful to still be here with many of you still enjoying what I write. In the February of 2017 when I started I was a rather shy, non-confident 23 year old who decided to share her first ever blog and one that after an certain episode of Emmerdale got to thinking and after tweeting through the episode, and people saying they agreed I got to writing my thoughts up more clearly - still to date this is one of my most viewed! It was after this certain article that I discovered this wonderful fire within me, and still have today! It's not secret that Emmerdale for me is the show that's helped me become a much confident writer (even led me to realise what my ideal job would me which I am currently working so hard on achieving) and even more so after the p...