Kellie

The North Carolina Music Hall of Fame announced that Triple Tigers recording artist,  Scotty McCreery is among the six inductees comprising the 2023 class scheduled to be enshrined during the annual induction ceremony this Autumn. As well as Scotty, other inductees are Betty Davis, Bill “Fatback” Curtis, Fetchin Bones, George Beverly Shea and Loudon Wainwright III. The induction ceremony will take place on Thursday 19th October, 2023 at the Mooresville Performing Arts Center in Mooresville, N.C. and will feature each artist’s induction into the Hall of Fame as well as live performance from Scotty. Tickets are on sale now for the 2023 Induction Ceremony. VIP and General Reserved tickets are available here . “Anyone that knows me knows how proud I am to be from North Carolina,” said Scotty. “It is an honor to be recognized by the North Carolina Music Hall of Fame and included with this great 2023 class of artists.  It’s also a bit surreal knowing I will be joining some of my m...

Today (Friday 26th May) will see Canadian country singer-songwriter,  Robyn Ottolini release her brand new single, Katie's Song. Katie's Song is dedicated to her sister which is a song I heard during last years debut Song Suffragette show in London and adored this song! Photo taken by me during Song Suffragettes in London, October 2022 Katie's Song  starts with a guitar instrumental in a song that Robyn honours in her sister within. The first verses allows Robyn's crisp vocal to come to the forefront as she shows everyone how much she appreciates her sister and how special their bond is with a song that honours her. The chorus is beautiful as it sends a rather important message that highlights that whoever you love is ok and as long as we are happy and accept it why should we care what others think! Being true to ourselves is the most important thing - the perspective throughout Katie's song is fantastical. The second verse of Katie's Song shows Robyn's cris...

This Thursday  (25th May) sees  Swansea based artist singer-songwriter,  Eleri  release her latest single, Good For A Girl alongside a fellow Welsh artist, Eadyth. Good For A Girl was created by an all female team with producer, Kaity Rae, written by Nina Sundstrom and Rachel Walker Mason, along with artwork designer Rebel Jones. Good For A Girl  has a strong instrumental to begin which compliments the song brilliantly throughout. The first verses sees Eleri 's crisp vocal that compliment many heartfelt lyrics that lead into a wonderfully powerful lyrics that many females will be able to relate with whether they are through their personal lives or work lives with the self-doubt and struggles many of us females face daily. The chorus is fantastically thought about and the more you hear it the more, I heard it especially the second time making me emotional thanks to the powerful lyrics. The second verse sees Eadyth 's crisp vocal adding vulnerability to the s...

*Sorry this review is a few days late, but I wasn't 100% I was going to share* It's safe to say that the past week's Hollyoaks episodes have been full of emotions from Ste Hay and James Nightingale's wedding to Juliet Nightingale's hospital news then to her opening up to her family. Earlier in the week, viewers saw Juliet Nightingale being told that her cancer is terminal with her girlfriend, Peri Lomax by her side in some highly emotional scenes as her brother, James and his now husband, Ste got married later in the week. There was something about the scenes this week between Peri and Juliet that saw a side to Peri that I haven't seen in a while and it broke me quite a few times. I have to admit I am guilty of not always thinking about their loved ones enough as they are hurting as well and sometimes twice as much. The way that Ruby O'Donnell and Niamh Blackshaw work together is super special and credit where it's due to them knowing your characters so ...

Today (Friday 19th May) will see singer-songwriter,  Erin Kinsey  release her brand new EP, Bet My Heart. Bet My Heart is made up of 7 songs. You can read my interview with Erin here . Boys In Boots has an upbeat drum, piano instrumental supporting the song fantastically throughout before Erin's crisp vocal comes in with lyrics that just fall off your tongue with country vibes about dressing up. The western theme is brilliant. The chorus features many fun, happy lyrics filled with great honesty due to the catchy tones - the perfect summer road trip song. Boys in Boots continues beautifully with love story feelings with the happiness that the song brings which was great to hear with this upbeat country song. Te softer bridge from Erin is brilliantly timed before the upbeat final chorus comes back in taking the song full circle. Stayed A Summer   starts with a soft instrumental along with Erin's soft crisp vocal are the perfect blend. With lyrics that just roll off your ton...

This Friday (19th May) sees singer-songwriter,  Erin Kinsey  release her brand new EP, Bet My Heart, and ahead of it's release I was able to catch up with her and spoke with her about what we can expect from the new project. You can read my review of Bet My Heart  here . Hello Erin. How are you today? Hi! I'm doing so well, it's a beautiful day here in Nashville! How are you feeling about everyone hearing Bet My Heart? I'm so excited for this EP to be out in the world! It shares so much of my heart that I've never been bold enough to share, and I also was able to work with so many writers, producers, players, and people I've dreamed about working with since before I moved to town. What made you decide on the name Bet My Heart for the album? "Bet My Heart" is the title of one of the tracks on the project. Originally I didn't love the idea of naming the project one of the song titles because quite honestly, it felt like a "cop out", haha. B...

Tigirlily Gold  made up of sisters Kendra and Krista have taken the internet and country radio by storm with the release of rowdy single, Shoot Tequila which to date has garnered over 50 million views across social media and arrived at country radio in March as the second-most-added song upon impact.  Tigirlily Gold who are North Dakota natives released their latest song, Hometown Song  along with the official music video as well as making their ACM Awards pre-show and Opry debuts in the same week. Hometown Song highlights the push and pull of both loving and hating where you come from thanks to the writers Krista and Kendra as well as Alex Kline and Scott Stepakoff. Photo Credit: Jared Olson "Every song about hometowns usually goes one of two ways, you either love it and it’s perfect or you hate it, and we could never relate to either of those exact feelings,"  Kendra explains  "so we wanted to write a song that hints at both. It’s the emotion of when you are ...

Today (Friday 5th May) will see  Tigirlily Gold  made up of sisters, Kendra and Krista release their brand new single, Hometown Song ahead of their EP release next month. Photo taken by me at C2C 2023 Hometown Song  begins with guitar instrumental which brilliantly compliments the song poignant message. The first verse has some lyrics that instantly get you thinking and many times I caught myself relating with them about my hometown - knowing everything about it expect for that feeling that you can't quite put your finger on. The emotion I felt towards the end of the verse as the final few lines kicked in, I caught myself with tears in my eyes. The chorus is about the moment you finally get out, but you can't move on as it's your safe place and change can be rather hard for so many of us! However, the more I hear it during Hometown Song the more emotional, I become especially as I heard it for the second time, I broke down. The second verse continues about the stage ...

Today (Friday 5th May) will see US country pop singer-songwriter,  Halle Kearns  release her brand new single, Like Her. Like Her  starts with a beautifully soft guitar instrumental. The first verse sees Halle's soft crisp vocals at the forefront allowing for some of the most powerful lyrics shine through - there is something so special about these lyrics that going into the chorus hooks you. The chorus features the most gorgeous and emotional lyrics that I caught myself thinking about my own relationship with my mum. The bond between a mother and daughter is so special and one that I will always treasure! The belief a mum has in her daughter is one that is unbelievable and raw. The second verse continues with those moments that you realise that you have many of the same characteristics as your mum that happen to be the ones that you find annoying. I love the connection to those moments during your childhood that poignant times you had growing up. The bridge of Like Her i...

Today (Friday 5th May) will see Canadian singer-songwriter,  MacKenzie Porter  release her latest single, Chasing Tornadoes. Chasing Tornadoes was written by Lainey Wilson, Emily Landis, and Jamie Moore. Photo Credit:  Bree Marie Fish Chasing Tornadoes  starts with sweet guitar instrumental that has this rather emotional feel. The first verse sees MacKenzie's soft crisp vocal opening with lyrics that are rather honest and very Lainey Wilson style of song that I adore that allows us listeners to hear another side of who MacKenzie is as an artist thanks to the fun side as the song continues. The chorus features many upbeat lyrics that allow for the fun side of the song to shine through. The energy that MacKenzie gives off is brilliant, along with the lyrics allows for some amazing moments. The second verse sees MacKenzie's super soft vocal tone at the forefront allowing for the lyrics to have this fantastic moment of reflection and listen to the lyrics closely. Lo...

This Friday (5th May) will see Nashville Recording Artist,  Colleen McKee  release her second single of 2023, Love Limbo. Colleen describes herself as a Country-Pop singer-songwriter. Love Limbo begins with a drum, piano instrumental that supports Colleen's upbeat lyrics with a pop-country fell that is perfect for the Summer road trips. There is something so fantastic about the storytelling throughout. The chorus is extremely catchy and about the love you have that is hard to move on from that is so powerful. As Love Limbo continues the story has a few twists and turns that make it true to real life. Colleen's soft vocals are fabulous. The bridge shared the songs key lyrics beautifully going to the instrumental break up perfectly timed. Colleen's soft crisp vocals in the final verse are fantastic going into the chorus beautifully bringing the song to a fantastic end. You can follow Colleen on her Social Media Twitter Instagram Facebook

It will be no shock to many of you that read my blogs on a recently basis, how important programmes like Emmerdale, Coronation Street, Hollyoaks and EastEnders are at the moment in terms of raising awareness. Last year, I shared an article about why the soaps are our favourites , now here is one about why the soaps are great at raising awareness. Soaps for many people like myself are an escape from our 'normal' lives, and it's through the soaps that I have learnt so much about issues that go on in other people's day-to-day lives. Since January (I am not saying that they weren't before) but Emmerdale, Coronation Street, EastEnders and Hollyoaks have been raising so much awareness of many difficult subjects that see the shows work with many different organisations as well as the story teams who work so hard on the research aspect for every single part of the planned storylines as well as the actors/ actresses playing their parts brilliantly. However, one thing that I ...

Columbia Records NY/ Sony Music Nashville artist-songwriter,  Alana Springsteen  on last Friday (28th April) released the title track from her debut album, Twenty Something. Photo Credit: Lily Nelson Twenty Something has a soft guitar instrumental that compliments the song fantastically.  The first verse sees Alana's soft crisp vocal tone that allows for the songs sentimental lyrics to shine through. The story within the lyrics is beautiful and reminded me of my adult years and the mistakes, I took and still am making as I hit 30 later this year, but thanks to songs like this it makes you realise that life is a journey and mistakes are all apart of that especially within the songs key lyrics. The lyrics are brilliantly selected and how such a growth as we get older, beginning to realise that mistakes are ok to be made. The second verse is about the regrets that you made, but in all honesty they are the biggest lessons learnt making me rather emotional. The rockier ch...

Today (Friday 21st April) will see Canadian singer-songwriter,  Tenille Townes  release her brand new EP, Train Track Worktapes. Train Track Worktapes is made up of 5 songs. Home To Me  starts with an upbeat drum instrumental that sets up this EP from Tenille beautifully. The first verse sees some catchy and honest lyrics from Tenille that I caught myself listening to extremely carefully to due to the lyrics being so pure. The chorus is one of reflection that through Tenille's soft tone that was incredible. As Home To Me continues with the song naturally as this is my new favourite Tenille Townes song. I have nothing but praise for the honesty especially with the softer vocals. Pieces of My Heart  begins with a soft guitar instrumental supporting Tenille's crisp tone brilliantly throughout. The lyrics throughout Pieces of My Heart gets you thinking of my own life and I have a feeling it will with many other listeners as they hear the lyrics. It makes you realise and ...

This Friday (21st April) will see singer-songwriter,  Katy Hurt  release her brand new single, What Have You Got To Lose. Photo Credit: Gab Zsapka What Have You Got To Lose  has an electric guitar instrumental that supports Katy's crisp vocal tone brilliantly allowing for the storytelling to shine through. The chorus is super catchy with many vulnerable things that I have to admit not me thinking a lot. As someone who is currently going through a lot as I try to change career after 10 years hearing a song like this is brilliant and inspiring as it's helping me stay motivated even on those tough days. What Have You Got To Lose continues with even more empowering lyrics that honestly bought a tear to my eye especially when you feel like everything you are doing isn't working out the way you wanted, but you are still determined to chase your dreams! The purity in Katy's vocal tone is gorgeous and the instrumental solo is fantastic as of the softer tone in the bridge. The f...

During this week's visits to the Yorkshire Dales based soap, Emmerdale viewers saw Amelia Spencer struggle with her health scare  this is something I found a little hard to watch reminding me of my own little scare last year - which is slowly getting treated, but it's something that'll affect me for the rest of my life. Earlier this week, Amelia bumped into Noah Dingle pretending that she doesn't want anything to do with him  when deep down she misses him and wants his help! Who isn't loving the Amelia and Mandy Dingle scenes in the salon. Daisy Campbell and Lisa Riley work brilliantly together. As Amelia opened up to Victoria Barton about what would happen to her daughter, Esther if anything was to happen.  Felt emotional listening to these conversations as these are ones that most people need no matter how hard they are. As Amelia went to see Manpreet Sharma at the surgery  bringing back flashbacks of my own experience in similar position last year, however in...

During tonight's (6th April)'s dramatic episode of Emmerdale, viewers to the Yorkshire based soap saw the truth about Nicky and Caleb revealed in a twist that didn't end there. Soon Home Farm nanny, Nicky was revealed to be the one following Leyla Cavanagh into the village hall. Someone I didn't expect.  Later, it was revealed to the viewers of the show that Nicky who arrived in December last year is in fact Caleb's son  something I have to admit I thought could happen but also thinking it was a long shot - this is why I love the soaps! However, the biggest shock came as Caleb who arrived on our screens back over the festive period and Nicky made their way through the graveyard together. It was intense especially as they reached their destination - Frank Tate's grave who was revealed as Caleb's dad  - a twist, I never saw coming but one I am loving and here for! Yes, I did have to do a little research to remember who Frank was.   Talking of the twist and abo...

Today (Friday 31st March) will see British singer-songwriter,  Kezia Gill  release her brand new single, House On The Hill. Photo Credit: Little Ninja House on the Hill  starts with a rocky instrumental opening the song up fantastically. The first verse showcases Kezia's crisp vocal tones with lyrics that instantly got me thinking about how much I can relate with the storytelling developing into the only way I know how. I love the catchy moments throughout the song that makes me want to get up and dance. The chorus is gorgeous and filled with so much honesty and growth that got me thinking and about how much I have achieved in life even if you sometimes doubt your ability and growth especially when our lives get hard due to the older we get with the more challenges we face. The chorus links into every single verse of the song incredibly well. The second verse sees a change direction a little and showcase Kezia's gorgeous honest tone thanks to the many experiences of life ...

Tigirlily Gold made up of sisters Kendra and Krista   have taken the internet and country radio by storm with release of their rowdy single, Shoot Tequila which has gained over 43 million views across social media before arriving to country radio on Monday 13th March as the second-most-added song upon impact. As the sisters continue to gain momentum, Krista and Kendra from North Dakota integrate inspiration from their greatest musical influence, Dolly Parton with their debut EP, Blonde set to be released on Friday 23rd June via Monument Records - pre save here . About the project, Kendra shared: “Blonde is a state of mind. The song/EP is all about channeling that inner confidence, staying true to your story, being able to poke fun at yourself and having fun along the way.”  Krista echoed:  “The Blonde EP is the first chapter of this whole project. We are very excited to start giving people a taste of what the whole record will be like with these four songs!” Coinciding ...

Today (Friday 24th March) will see Tigirlily Gold  made up of sisters, Kendra and Krista release their brand new single, Blonde. Tigirlily Gold recently performed at C2C festival at the O2 Arena in London. Photo Taken By Myself at C2C Blonde  starts with a guitar instrumental from Krista which sets the tone for the song perfectly with Kendra's soft vocal tones coming in on the first verse. The first verse sees Kendra's sassy side come through that I have to say is brilliant with lyrics that are wonderfully written. Ahead of the chorus both sisters Kendra and Krista on lead vocals showcasing their fantastic harmonies and there wonderful bond with the lyrics. The storytelling within the lyrics are brilliant especially as the catchy lyrics of the song comes in thanks to the party vibes that the song comes in with - I can definitely see why people at C2C 2 weeks ago were loving this song was such an atmosphere. The second verse continues Blonde fantastically with the sassy co...