Kendra Kay

The 2015 Manitoba Country Music Association (MCMA) Female Artist Of The Year and winner of 730 CKDM's Battle of the Bands at the 2015 Dauphin's Countryfest, Kendra Kay is much more than a simple up and comer. Armed with a smoking young energetic band, Kendra's musical journey has taken her on a thrilling ride so far, with the release of her debut EP in 2014, national radio tour, countless industry showcases, and an ever-growing list of venues, festivals, and events to perform. Inspired by her Aunt who loved singing, Kendra first performed in public at the age of eight in her hometown of Elkhorn, Manitoba (population 500). With the constant encouragement of her family and her music teacher, Kendra then went on to perform at rodeos, festivals, hockey games, and radio stations, even winning a Star Search radio contest at Yorkton, Saskatchewan’s GX94. Although she didn't quite realize it at the time, Kendra now admits that even at that age she was hooked on music. Country in particular, which held a special resonance with her. With the intention of recording a demo for a radio contest, Kendra decided to make a pilgrimage to the heart of her dreams and the Country capital of the world, Nashville, Tennessee. It was there that a chance encounter on Broadway led to her meeting renowned producer and songwriter Jeff Jones, who was immediately impressed with Kendra’s talent and agreed to work with her on her journey. For the young Kendra, it was a rewarding moment for her to know that her musical talent was obvious not only to the people within her encouraging hometown, but to the people more immersed in the Country music world. With that sense of validation, her path was clear and she realized, without a doubt in her mind, that she would devote her life to a career in music. With Jones opening the doors wide for her, Kendra received the ultimate crash course in the music business, performing at numerous venues within Nashville such as Tootsie’s Orchard Lounge, The National Underground, and Cowboy Kewl, along with more venues within Canada. She began working with and learning from more seasoned musicians to perfect her craft to use every element of her capabilities to their best. Such baptism by fire and realization of the hard work ahead has the chance of breaking many new musicians, but for Kendra it only made her more certain than ever that this is what she wanted to do. She also learned how supportive and encouraging her adoptive world is. It was heartwarming to realize how even the biggest of industries can still be, in its own way, a small community where everyone watches out for one another. With new skills developed and natural talents more formed, Kendra Kay released her first single to radio, “It Was”, co-written by Canadians Carolyn Dawn Johnson, Jason McCoy and Natasha Zimbaro and produced by Jeff Jones. When first presented with the song, Kendra felt an instant connection to it and felt that it would make the perfect debut and representation of what her abilities can produce. An accompanying music video was also released, filmed in Manitoba and directed by local director Jeremy Johnson. In the months leading up to the release, Kendra enlisted the help of her entire hometown to help with promotion on the “It Was” Countdown, which featured pictures of the local teams, schools, and public figures of Elkhorn contributing a picture marking each day until the release. Kendra released her debut EP, writing songs with the talented Patricia Conroy and Emerson Drive’s Danick Dupelle, in the Fall of 2014. To accompany the release of the EP, Kendra released a second single, "Some Things Go Together Like That" and embarked on a national radio tour across Canada. 2015 saw Kendra release two more singles to radio; “Broken” in February and “Our Days in the Sun” written by Derric Ruttan and Darrell Brown, in June. With a summer filled with festivals, events, and venue performances Kendra was invited to perform 3 showcases in September during Canadian Country Music Week (CCMA's) in Halifax, NS, and was chosen by Manitoba Music to showcase and represent Manitoba at a BreakOut West Event in Nashville, TN. All of this was highlighted by 5 MCMA award nominations; Single of the Year, Album of the Year, Video of the Year, Emerging Artist of the Year, and Female Artist of the Year. On November 11, 2015 Kendra was awarded the Female Artist of the Year Award, “I am so honoured and humbled to receive this award.” says Kendra.“I'm so grateful to the radio stations that have played my songs, the festivals and venues that have had me perform, and my friends, family and the fans for all their amazing support!” With exciting new music on the horizon, starting with the release of “I Take My Country” in January, Kendra Kay looks forward to a busy 2016; more trips to Nashville to write, more time spent in the studio recording, and many more entertaining shows.