Kaylens Rain has been described as one of the most exciting new acts in Australian country music. Nominated for two 2014 Golden Guitar Awards including ‘New Talent of the Year’ and ‘Best Group or Duo’ siblings Glen & Kaylee Harrison from Sydney bring a fresh unique sound to the genre.
From busking and talent quests in Tamworth to performing at 'CMC Rocks The Hunter', 'Gympie Muster', ‘Golden Guitar Awards’, ‘Commercial Radio Awards 2013’ and iconic venues in Nashville the duo are bringing many new fans along for the ride.
Recipients of the 'New Artist to Nashville Scholarship Award' (NA2N), Kaylens Rain will be representing Australia at the Global Artist Showcase during CMA Fest Nashville 2014.
Collaborating with producer Andrew Cochrane, the pair released their debut single ‘Is That All There Is’ in 2011, and with the taste of success that followed released their debut album FOUND in October 2012. Citing influences from Lady Antebellum and Rascal Flats to Keith Urban and Dire Straits it's not surprising, that combined with a younger take on what ‘country music’ means, Kaylens Rain have produced an exciting country rock sound.
FOUND is an album with broad appeal, not only to country fans but a whole new audience of music lovers. It will take you on a journey, from driving guitar riffs to beautiful sibling harmonies, from heartbreaking love songs to inspirational lyrics.
“This album is something we’ve been wanting to do for some time,” says Kaylee. “We wrote and sourced a few songs and we were talking about whether to make an EP or an album.”
“We got to the point where we finally had enough songs together for an album - and we are now at that point where we feel like we’ve got the songs, we’ve figured out our sound and what message we want to portray.”
And that message is primarily about love, accompanied by a wide mix of country rock tracks that relate to the duo’s personal experiences of growing up, relationships, love and heartbreak.
“There are love songs on there...” says Kaylee. “Usually they come from my experience – I would write about my break ups and Glen would go along with it. He’s had more positive experiences (with love)...” But there are also songs that inspire and deal with social issues."
Being a brother and sister duo singing songs of love and heartbreak may seem a tad awkward, but Glen is quick to clarify. “They’re not duets – I’m not singing to Kaylee, because that would just be wrong (laughs). They’re just songs, stories about experiences that anyone could have.”
And that, right there, is the key to the Kaylens Rain sound: accessibility. Being technically classified as country doesn’t quite fully describe their sound – the scope is much broader than that.
“We love country music – it’s continually evolving. You can’t always classify it,” says Kaylee. “Country music has always included a collaboration of different genres.”
With their hot new single ‘Outta Here’ receiving great airplay on radio and TV, Kaylens Rain are sure to set the path towards the success they hope for on their debut album, ‘Found’. “We’re serious about what we do – and we want to make good music,” says Glen.
With their sights set firmly on the future, Kaylee is keen to see what the coming year holds for the duo. “Getting this album out is so exciting for us – and we're looking forward to touring and playing to new fans. There is nothing like the buzz you get when someone comes up and says we've made their day. It makes it all worthwhile.”
It’s clear that Kaylens Rain aren’t here to dispel any myths about country music, or convince you that they’re a cross over act. They’re simply making great music that they love and however you want to define it, they just hope you enjoy it.