With powerhouse pipes that take you on a whiskey-soaked jaunt to your favorite honky-tonk in the absolute best way possible, KC’s music is as infectious and dynamic as she is.
Think Miranda Lambert meets Sheryl Crow with a touch of Brandi Carlisle, and you’ve got an artist with a voice all her own, tied tight around songs that make you feel like you’ve known her forever.
With deep roots in the Blues capital of the world, KC grew up in Memphis, where she was baptized in soul and fell hard for the stage, the spotlight, and songs that make the world go ’round.
“Music has always been that one thing in my life that digs up a smile when I feel like I’m buried under the rest of ‘life,’” says KC. “I want other people to feel the same way.”
Having discovered her stage legs young, KC jumped feet first into this business called music, performing everywhere from Dollywood, where she was featured in Dolly Parton’s “Christmas Coat of Many Colors,” to cruise ships around the world. After performing in ports throughout the Atlantic, the Caribbean, and everywhere in between, she made her way up the mainstream music ladder, opening for artists like Luke Bryan, Chris Young, Randy Houser, and Trailer Choir.
2021 is the continuation of her page-turner of a story, with the release of three new singles, co-written and produced by GRAMMY-nominated producer and songwriter Billy Smiley (WhiteHeart, Johnny Cash, and Petra).
With the music sensibility of Otis Redding, the raw stylings of Chris Stapleton, and the rock vibe of Led Zeppelin, each song is an audible shot of your libation of choice—they take your breath away, feel good going down, and leave you wanting more.
Recorded at the legendary Sound Kitchen in Franklin, Tennessee, the creative process was as revelatory it was fun. The end result is an artist who knows who she is, what she wants to say, and the best way to say it.
“Getting her into the studio to write and record has been time well spent in developing the artist she is becoming,” says Smiley.
For KC, already a seasoned songwriter, the creative energy poured into these songs was as much an exercise in self-discovery as it was a process of an artist coming into her own.
“For the first time in my life, I have met someone who seems to really understand the rawness and the restlessness in my soul,” says KC of Smiley. “We have so much fun writing and have really connected through the songs we have come up with, which just seem to keep getting better and better. They are me, they are my heart, and they have my energy and my soul. I hope they make other people feel as good as I did creating them.”
“No More Chances,” “Whiskey Break,” and “Thunder” are currently available on Spotify, while her touring schedule can be found at KCJohns.rocks.
Listen to the entire interview with Karli below