“In a door frame of this lived-in home there is a pen hanging from a string, there lies the tale of a husband and a wife steady growing up their family,“ singer-songwriter Josh Kelley sings on “Busy Making Memories,” a deeply personal excerpt from his new album, I Sing. It’s no secret — and, in fact, quite apparent — that he’s a family man through and through.
“I wrote ‘Busy Making Memories’ on January 1, sitting in my morning coffee chair watching my kids bounce, spin and play around me, and the music just happened. It was if someone else was writing it through me,” he says. “I have voice notes on my phone as proof of the creative process, but still it felt like I wasnʼt in control. It was truly a wild experience that, to this day, I have a hard time wrapping my head around. I went to the studio and started producing, and it was an effortless process. I wish all of them could be that way.”
Since the release of his last album of original material, 2016’s New Lane Road, Josh and his wife welcomed their third child; within the 10 songs on I Sing, Kelley paints a picture of a man who has found his place in life nestled deep into the small mountain town they call home.
“My family brings me so much joy,” he says. “For the most part, family is what connects every song on this album -– my every day with my wife. Watching my kids grow up is just amazing and inspiring.”
Josh creates most of his music in a barn on his property that he’s converted into a studio. He produced and engineered the entirety of his new project himself; he’s been self-producing music since he was 15-years-old, and really dug into engineering and mixing when he moved to Los Angeles in 2002. He also plays 15 different instruments.
“My recording process has changed over the years,” he says. “I used to start a song and then begin the production process before the song was even finished. Now that I’m older I’ve changed my ways, and I make sure all of the structure, tempo, and lyrics are perfect. Then I drive over to my studio and try to wrap my head around how the song should live in people’s ears. It’s better for me to finish the song musically and lyrically before ever turning anything else on.”
On I Sing, Kelley solidifies himself as a talented vocalist and lyricist while tapping into the details of an everyday family. He’s watching his kids develop their own personalities and continuing to find new reasons to love his wife after close to 15 years together. He’s missing it all when he’s away from them. He says, outside of his family, the one other constant in his daily life is singing.
“I will never stop creating music – it is in my blood and it is what I was put on this earth to do,” he says.
Josh Kelley launched his artist career in 2001 out of his college dorm room that propelled him into the industry with his hit song “Amazing”. It was the most played song of the year on pop radio and topped the charts at number 5. Since then Josh has toured with some of music’s biggest names including Taylor Swift, Dave Matthews Band, and Lady Antebellum. Josh has been in his studio for the past two years developing new music and his new record set to release in June of 2020. All of the songs to be released on the project were written by Josh and he also 2020 plans also include a US Spring tour to be followed by a 3 week European tour in the fall. The next chapter of Josh Kelley will be a further testament of the artist and songwriter he truly is.