We had a blast sitting down with Kelli Faith as she gets ready to debut her first solo album, “21” next month!
Let’s start with the basics; how did you get started?
What a lovely story! I wasn’t always Kelli Faith; originally I was in a pop-punk band called “Before It’s Too Late”. I was the lead singer and I also wrote all the lyrics; that lasted two years. After that ended, I took a year off and I wasn’t sure if I wanted to do music again. I took a year off probably until I really decided I was gonna be a solo artist. I wrote a song called “Someone New” before I went on a date with my current boyfriend. I knew the date was gonna happen but I didn’t think anything of it, it was more of an anticipation song.
We finally got together and one night I was coming back from his house and I thought of a melody for the first time in a really long time and I was like “oh my gosh, I’ve gotta finish this song”. I went to my bed and finished the song and it became my first single ever which was “Him”. Little did I know I’d be writing an album so that’s how I went from “Before It’s Too Late” to Kelli Faith which is a complete 180 in genre too. I’m no longer a pop-punk queen I’m more of a singer/songwriter that’s pop and country.
What made you want to switch it up?
Before I joined a band I was always playing guitar and writing songs on my guitar. I was just this little acoustic artist so I thought ‘oh one day maybe I’ll write an EP’. That didn’t happen because then I joined the band and then when we broke up I picked up the guitar again and after writing “Him” I thought ‘ya know what, this is who I am this is who, I’m meant to be’ and I feel so much more confident. I’m exactly where I’m supposed to be.
Who would you say is your musical inspiration?
Cassadee Pope is my absolute idol, she’s the first person that comes to mind when anyone asks me that because I’ve been loving her since I was in 6th grade. When I heard ‘6 Months’ by Hey Monday I thought to myself ‘I have to learn how to play guitar’, it’s the first song I learned to play on guitar. I’ve been following Cassadee Pope since Hey Monday, then when she was on The Voice and now I’ve seen her succeed in the country world so you could almost say my journey is kind of like hers but it’s totally not intentional. She’s my number 1! I also really love Kacey Musgraves right now, she’s killing it, she’s a huge inspiration. A lot of country ladies! But then there’s also the pop world like Julia Michaels; I’m really inspired by her, I love her. There’s also a newer singer-songwriter called Emily Weisband, she’s another one that’s just coming up, I adore what she’s doing it.
As I was saying before I love pop punk music as well so The Maine is always a huge inspiration as well as State Champs and Mayday Parade. They’re the OG’s!
Do you watch Songland? I feel like you would really like it!
Girl that’s my favorite show. I’m a huge fan of Abel Heart, he’s gonna be huge. “Green Light” was on repeat for me for weeks, it still is. I aspire to be on that show one day.
As we talked about before, your debut single was “Him”. What made you want to release it? What was the reaction you got after releasing it?
It makes me smile whenever I think of that moment. I wrote the song in an hour. My best friend actually lived with me at a time and I called her to my room and I played her “Him” and she was like “oh my god you just wrote that?” and soon after that all my housemates were in my room.
My other friend Cassidy, she’s in a band called The Carousers was in the room; she records music all the time and said I should record the song. For her to say that really meant the world to me because she’s someone that I look up to; she’s such a good artist herself so I really took it into consideration. On the way to record that song I wrote 12 other songs.
My albums gonna be called “21” and I’m gonna release it when I’m 22 and the reaction I got to that was crazy. People were so excited I was releasing music again. It was a huge uproar that I wasn’t expecting. Once I released “Him”, everyone loved it, even guys loved it and it’s a really girly song and that was surprising. I was getting a lot of positive male reaction from the song that was honestly the coolest thing.
Were the people reaching out to you fans of your previous project or did they just discover you?
Honestly, a little bit of both. Some people who were fans of Before It’s Too Late and then new people who didn’t even know I was a musician. It was really cool to see that come together.
Your second single “More” was just released; can you tell us a little more about it?
I was practicing for a show in my mirror to make sure I didn’t look stupid; I was kinda bored of playing my songs and I wanted to play something new. I moved my capo to these random chords and started strumming. It started playing something really cool and I used my phone to record it and I sang the first verse of that song. It’s one of the last songs I wrote for the album. It’s very country because I love that sound but it’s also very Kelli Faith, which I love.
It’s one of my favorite songs I’ve ever written. It’s exactly how I want to present myself on the project; it’s the last song on the whole album and it’s a foreshadow of what is next, which is more. It’s a love song, I have a music video for it. It’s definitely one of the easiest songs I’ve ever written.
Would you say that the album has a cohesive vibe?
The cohesiveness is real with this one; it’s a whole entire story. “21” is the entire story from start to finish of my twenty first year of life from heartbreak, to weird things happening with a friendship, to falling in love again. It’s about coming to the conclusion that I don’t regret the things I did when I was 21; I don’t regret the things I learned. I think this is a story that people are really going to relate to. It’s definitely cohesive; I do a lot of play on words, so whoever’s listening, listen carefully because you may hear some things pop up throughout the album again.
Did you find it hard to balance music and school?
I wrote the album as I was going through school. I don’t know if I would ever be able to do it if I was home. For the first three years of school I commuted so I was running around all the time. There was no room for me to breathe until my senior year when I moved into a house right near campus with a few of my best friends. There’s a song on my album about it called “This House”. I found it to be really easy to write when I wasn’t home. In this new house, I found it easier to balance school and the music I wanted to put out. I would finish homework and then go back to writing a new song. Everyone I worked with on the album was a student so we’d all bring our laptops to the studio and do work while recording songs. Now I don’t even have to worry about school and I can just be Kelli Faith!
What would you say is your favorite song to play live?
It’s probably “Time Will Tell”, which is another favorite off the album. I wrote it about my mom and the advice she would give me during my past relationship, specifically through that breakup. Something she’s said throughout my whole life has always been “well, time will tell” and “if you’re not having fun then just leave, why are you staying in something that’s not fun anymore?”. I took all of her advice and put it in a song. When I played that song live for the first time, so many people came up to me and said “oh my gosh, you reminded me of my mom, I have to go call her now”. I was really touched that I did that to somebody so now I always give a mom speech before I play that. It’s also a bop!
What are some short-term and long-term goals you’d like to accomplish within your career?
I actually write a goal list almost every new year. In terms of short-term goals, I want to do a small tour on the east coast. First things first is releasing “21”, I want people to hear it and like it. If one song could make someone feel something then I did my job. Ultimately, a short term goal is really just playing even more shows after that point and getting a fan base. Maybe releasing some more music this year.
Long term, I want to win a Grammy one day. I always kid around with people and say that my 5 year goal is to at least be nominated. I know it’s a big thing to say right now but I’m gonna speak it out there because I really believe if you say it you can make it happen. If you put it out into the universe it’ll come back to you!
Who would be your dream artist to tour with?
Cassadee Pope! I could quit music if I could tour with Cassadee Pope, it’s a huge dream of mine to open for her. Or Kacey Musgraves! I’m only aiming for really low opening spots right now. I mentioned Hannah Ellis before and I’d love to tour with her; she went on tour and opened for Cassadee Pope. Any woman in country would be really cool!
What advice would you give to younger singers/songwriters?
Be the best version of yourself and don’t be afraid to put yourself into your music. If you do that, someone will connect to you more than they normally would and that relationship goes beyond them just being a fan; they almost become a part of you because they know your story. Be vulnerable because if you’re vulnerable you’re gonna write the best music you’ve ever written.
Since it’s summer, let’s do some fun questions! What’s your favorite summer activity?
Eating ice cream for sure!
I love that! What’s your go-to flavor?
Mint chocolate chip is my favorite, but I don’t always get it. Recently I’ve been in the mood for vanilla ice cream specifically with rainbow sprinkles. Other than food, a real activity is adventuring! I love driving, so just driving around in the summer. My boyfriend and I tend to go on adventure trips so that’s by far my favorite summer activity.
Favorite summer song?
My favorite summertime bop right now would probably be “How I Feel Right Now” by Cassadee Pope. It’s really great, it’s off her new album. Also “Slow Burn” by Kacey Musgraves; it’s not really a bop but it’s a really nice song to listen to while you drive, specifically at golden hour.
What’s your go-to fast food place? Specifically on your long drives?
Does Starbucks count?
Yeah!
I always need coffee and they have drive throughs!
Lastly, are you more of a pool or a beach person?
Beach! I love laying in the sand and getting my tan on. Everyone in my life doesn’t like the beach except my best friend who lives in PA so I don’t go a lot. She’s visiting soon so we’ll get to go then!
Thanks so much for sitting down with me! Is there anything else you’d like readers to know?
My new single “More” is out now and my album “21” will be coming out September 20th!
You can follow Kelli on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram to stay in the loop on upcoming shows and new music! Like what you’ve read? You can stream “More” on Spotify now!