Interview: JOSH KELLEY, The Borderline, London

The wonderful Josh Kelley took the time to chat with me about his European tour, writing in a barn, fatherhood, and what he does when he's not making music. Read on below! 

Ciara’s Country (CC): It’s Ciara’s Country here – I’m joined by Josh Kelley ahead of his gig at The Borderline in London. First of all Josh, thank you so much for joining me tonight!

Josh Kelley (JK): Thanks for having me!

CC: So I wanted to know, how are things going for you this year?

JK: Things are going great – I’ve just put a new single called It’s Your Move from my latest record New Lane Road, which is the name of the road my studio’s on. But yeah, it’s going great – I’ve been here in Europe for the last week. I started in Italy and worked my way over to Scotland, now I’m in London and it’s been fantastic. I love it over here.

CC: It’s interesting that you mentioned the reason behind the title of your new album as that was going to be one of my question – can you tell me a bit more about that?

JK: Yeah, yeah, so my recording studio is in a big barn on a farm, and so before you even get to the studio doors you have to pass like six horses, two goats, ten chickens and one pig. The road that it’s off of is actually called New Lane Road, and I just thought that was a fitting title as it’s the road that I’m on everyday, and sometimes I see that title and just think about the fact that I’m starting everyday anew and that’s where I figure out kind of what I want to write for the day before I get to the studio.

CC: And is that also the kind of area where you’d do most of your writing?

JK: Yeah, so I do a lot of cycling, so what I’d do is ride my bike to the studio and it kind of opens up my brain a little bit, allows me to think, and for some reason I feel like I’ve been writing better songs ever since I started cycling!

CC: It’s been a few years since your last studio album was released – how do you think the sound on this latest album is different to previously?

JK: So it’s sort of creeping in to more ‘me’. I grew up around James Brown when I was a kid, I grew up in Augusta, Georgia; so I grew up around soul and pop, and I also grew up around country music so I’ve been trying to melt them together for years, and I finally got the confidence to just go ahead and do it fully. New Lane Road is a nice little hybrid of soul, pop and country kind of all mixing together, and that’s what I wanted for this record, and as I move forward I’m going to sort of keep the same recipe cause this is what I love.

CC: Would you say that the content and the kind of things that you’re talking about in your songs is also quite different?

JK: Yeah, I mean I’m older, I’ve got a bigger family now, I feel like I’m just more of an adult – I don’t know how it happened but I grew up, and I learned how to write better. Like my lyrics are better, and the stories are better, I think they’re more relatable. They actually make sense, you know? Sometimes as a writer, and especially at the beginning, I’d write words that sounded cool even if they didn’t make sense, and I don’t do that anymore. Now I make sure that if you were reading the lyrics, that it feels like a little story even if there wasn’t music.

CC: That sounds like a very country way of writing songs.

JK: You know, it is, but I think it’s also not – it’s music but I don’t think it has to fit neatly into one category. I know you have to choose a lane, but I just love music in general so I always just make whatever I want and I feel like I’m good at making music that I grew up with. So I grew up with my dad, and in his car it was all country music; if I was with my mum it was all Doobie Brothers and just anything groove and funk oriented, and with my brother it was Led Zeppelin and Supertramp and Black Sabbath, and with my sister it was Madonna! So I just enjoy making all of those styles of music so I’ve been trying to find a way to sort of melt them all together.

CC: And I suppose your musical path is quite unique in that you’ve moved across genres over the years.

JK: Yeah, it was all by design though – I wanted to. The first big hit that I had was called Amazing and that song used to be a bluegrass song, and when I got a record deal, I got a pop deal, and the producer turned it into a pop song. All it is is just changing the production! So I’ve always been roots, I’ve always been country, I’ve always been soul, and I can’t change any of that.

CC: What’s the next direction you think you’ll be going in then, if there is one?

JK: It’ll be this same direction – it’ll be a bit more uptempo this time. I wanted to make a nice midtempo record with New Lane Road as that’s the mood I was in and now I’m in a different mood. I have a new baby on the way, I’m really excited; I’ve lost like twenty pounds so I’m in good shape again and that gets you kind of jazzed up so I’ve been writing really fun songs lately.

CC: I have to congratulate you on the new arrival who’ll be coming next year! How do you think having a new baby will affect your musical style and your touring?

JK: You never know, every time I have a new baby I write a song about that baby. It’s such a miracle, it’s so crazy – it’s the most amazing thing to be a dad, I mean I love it, and that’s one thing that’s very evident in my songs, I can’t hide that. I write about what I know, and what I know is that I’m a husband, I’m a father, I’m a golfer, a cyclist, an artist, and I love music so I just write about what I know.

CC: And what would you say has been one of the most interesting songs for you to write?

JK: I think writing Naleigh Moon was really interesting because that was about my first daughter when we adopted her from South Korea, and it was interesting to write because my perspective was kind of unique in the fact that we adopted her and we got her when she was nine months old, so you don’t know if this little being is going to accept you as like her new dad or mum, and that song was about that first moment where I could tell she was like ‘you’re my dad’, and it was the most amazing moment. Trying to put that into words was so hard, but so rewarding when it’s done.  I mean, I slaved over that song until it was perfect, so that one I love. And the new single, It’s Your Move, I slaved over that one too because it was such a real moment in me and my wife’s marriage where we had the choice whether we were going to stay together or part ways, and I’m glad we chose to stay together, cause now we’ve been together for 11 years!

CC: Do you think your kids will have the same upbringing surrounded by music as you did?

JK: Oh they already have. My little Naleigh is such a great singer – she wants to be a singer already! And I don’t know what Adalaide wants to be but both of them can sing, and it’s crazy – neither one of them have my DNA so that clearly doesn’t matter in that respect! So this’ll be my first biological child, so we’re excited - it’s a fun time, and being over here in Europe is insanely fun, and I was just telling my manager I want to live here! Everyone’s so nice and people get my stuff, they get my comedy here and I don’t know why, but I love it.

CC: So after the tour will you get any time to wind down at all?

JK: Nope, I go right back into daddy mode, and I’m always writing and producing music so I go straight back to the drawing board and straight back to being a dad and husband.

CC: Good luck with all that! And just talking about the country music genre as a whole, is there one artist that you listen to that you thinks really underrepresented and deserves more recognition?

JK: Hmm… haha, my manager said Josh Kelley! I don’t know, cause some people sort of dip into the country genre but might not be all the way in it… I mean Nashvilles really good at making sure that whoever’s really damn good gets up there. Come back to me on that, I’m still fighting the jetlag and I don’t know why!

CC: How long have you been over here for now?

JK: We landed Friday morning I think?

CC: You’ve been here for ages – no excuse for jetlag!

JK: I know, I think we’ve been partying too much! There’s been no days off. Ah, I’ve got one for the underappreciated artist question – Joe Firstman. That dude is incredible. Look him up. He’ll blow your mind – he’s amazing. And he’s also linked to a band called Cordovas, so look them up too. Right now, he’s not even doing the solo thing anymore, he’s doing Cordovas, so look that up. It’ll blow your mind, you’re gonna love that.

CC: Thanks for the recommendation! So kind of on a final note, I have to ask what’s one question you wish you were asked in an interview but never are?

JK: Ooh, hold on. I have to be appropriate for this question, don’t I? I don’t even know!

CC: First thing that comes into your mind.

JK: I have a million things! This is really hard because I want to choose the best one. I feel like interviewers are very good at asking questions. I suppose you never really get asked what your other passions outside of music are. Nobody really asks that – usually it’s always music related, or if they know about your personal life. So my other passions are painting, cycling, golf, and I also love to bake.

CC: How do you have any time to make music with all that?

JK: I have no idea! I make fresh croissants which take two days – it’s great.

CC: You know, if this whole music thing doesn’t work out, although I doubt that’ll be an issue, you could always open your own bakery…

JK: Yeah, called Kelley Custom House. You’ll see it, someday!

CC: Sounds great! Well thank you so much for taking the time to answer my questions Josh!

JK: Thank you so much!

Big thanks to Josh for taking the time to chat with me - you can check out my review of his gig at The Borderline here, and keep up to date with all future reviews and interviews by following me on Twitter at @CiarasCountry