Today we’d like to introduce you to Elaina Kay.
Kay’s album Issues, which was produced by Paul Cauthen and featured fellow Lone Star State musicians, the Texas Gentlemen as the backing band, was released in August 2019. That October, Kay hit the road supporting Rhett Miller of the Old 97’s, and then closed out the year opening a handful of shows for Wynonna Judd. She kicked off 2020 with a west coast tour with Jason Boland & The Stragglers until COVID hit. Currently, a resident of Dallas, TX, Kay, was nominated for a Dallas Observer Music Award as well as a Central Track Music Honor for “Best Country Act.” She also released a music video for her radio single “Daddy Issues”, which Rolling Stone debuted. https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-country/elaina-kay-daddy-issues-video-pioneer-restaurant-899874/
Kay comes by her self-reliance naturally. She grew up on her family’s ranch in Wichita Falls, Texas, 15 miles south of the Oklahoma border. Up at 4 a.m. every day, she helped farm and raise cows and cutting horses. “There was always something to do – lazy wasn’t an option,” she says. “Then, it was a pain in my ass, but now, I miss it. Especially when it’s sunny outside.”
In between ranch chores at dawn and dusk, Kay discovered music. Her grandmother, Meemaw, noticed, and took her to perform at county fairs, beauty pageants, nursing homes, and everything in between. Kay remembers vividly when she began composing her own songs. They were living in a single-wide trailer while her dad built the family a new house. “He was stubborn and building it by himself,” she says. “He said, ‘We’ll be in this trailer for six months.’ Well, we ended up being there for about three years. I hated it. But now, I see I had more fun and more great memories living in that trailer. That is where I really started writing.” Country kids are the last to be dropped off, so on long bus rides home from school, she also took pen to paper.
For college, Kay loaded up two horses and her dog and headed to Tarleton State University, where she joined the rodeo team. “Rodeoing trained me to be on the road like I am now,” she says. “I was traveling then, too, just with horses instead of with long-haired dudes in a band.”
Kay loved to rodeo, but she realized she loved music more. So she took her horses home and hit the road, this time with her guitar, singing songs in bars throughout the South. Nashville beckoned, and without a safety net or fully formed plan, Kay packed up and moved to Tennessee. She rented a room in what she became to know as the “rock hostel,” a three-story house full of boys in bands. Kay didn’t know a soul, but she jumped in, wrote more songs, and made more friends.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
There have been bumps along the way. I would even say roadblocks. That is actually why I named the album “Issues”. It is a tough industry, and sometimes even more challenging for a female. Hardship fuels me, remembering I can probably outwork anyone if I don’t let the small stuff get me down. It’s not easy for anyone though, especially right now. However, the ups are worth the downs.
On Issues, Kay uses pieces of her unconventional upbringing to fuel her songwriting. The album opens with the strutting “Daddy Issues,” a true story about Kay’s biological father running afoul of the law. Kay says, “more importantly, the song is about embracing our issues or problems that stem from our upbringing and to make light of the term ‘she’s got daddy issues.’ This shouldn’t be a bad or sad thing; it’s about being proud of what made us who we are.”
Can you give our readers some background on your music?
Asked what she hopes listeners experience when they hear the new songs, Kay is resolute. “When I write a song about something, I’m over it – I can close that book and move on with my life,” she says. “That’s what I want for people who listen to my songs. If one of my songs could get someone to that other side, as it has for me, that’d be the coolest thing.”
2020 has been a rough year in general. Then add a breakup with a boyfriend (and a band), betrayal by friends, a felony charge (long story), losing major tours and shows due to COVID, and my step dad passing away way too young due to alcoholism ALL in the last six months. I want to pour all of this tragedy and heartbreak into songs for the next record and hopefully help other people going through any of these things.
What is “success” or “successful” for you?
Success to me is doing what you love, at any level, and being happy doing it. I always want more, but it’s important to be happy where you are at, on the way to where you are going. The moment I really embraced the level I was at is when bigger things started happening.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.elainakay.com
- Email: elainakaymusic@gmail.com
- Instagram: @elainakaymusic
- Facebook: facebook.com/elainakaymusic
- Twitter: @elainakaymusic
Image Credit:
Aly Fae
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