"We don't got what they got, they don't got what we got," sings Kelleigh Bannen on her infectious, rambunctious song "The Joneses." "When it comes to the haves and have-nots, we'd rather not."
In a town like Nashville that's full of haves and have-nots, it's not easy to follow your own beat - to trust your gut instead of what comes out of a boardroom or to trust your heart instead of the radio charts. But for Bannen, that's always been a natural way of living and the core of her artistic integrity. Through highs and lows, hit songs and major tours, the native Tennessean has never been wooed by the promise of anything but making music that she believes in, which is a body of work that's as honest as it is fun, as swaggering as it is tender. It's country, it's pop, and it has a whole lot of soul. It doesn't fit easily in any box and that's just the way Bannen likes it. When it comes to being anyone but herself, she'd rather not.
"I'm always looking for new ways to tell the truth, that feel different and fresh," says Bannen. Whether that's on her highly-acclaimed EP The Joneses, that mulls on loss, love and learning to divorce yourself from comparison, or on her This Nashville Life podcast, where she pulls back the curtain on the music industry, Bannen is able to wrap life's mystique and mysteries into a digestible bow – and sometimes with some dynamite pop hooks along for the ride. One minute, she's singing about "Church Clothes," her stunning ballad that's garnered half a million streams, and the next she's downright mischievous on "Smoke When I Drink," doubling down on temptations. Never one to follow the rulebook of what a woman country singer should or shouldn't do, she's blazing a unique, empowering path.
Bannen’s tell-it-like-it-is approach in her songwriting and her unapologetic style has garnered a groundswell of support from fans and industry insiders and press including NPR who named her as one of “25 music-makers adopting varied approaches at varied stages of their careers...offering a ...revealing portrait of how country adjusted in 2018– and, for that matter, how it might look going forward.” CMT called her an artist that, “...has never compromised the integrity of her sound or her point of view as a storyteller” and Taste Of Country added, “Bannen is an artist who is always equipped with a determined story to tell.”
She’s tenaciously continued to build her career with the release of her critically-acclaimed EP The Joneses, the launch of podcast This Nashville Life and by embracing the artistic freedom that comes along with being an independent artist. Proving successful early on, Bannen debuted the three tracks from her The Joneses EP on Sirius XM’s The Highway, marking the first time an artist has ever debuted three tracks in the program’s history simultaneously. Program Director J.R. Schumann added, “Going through Kelleigh’s new music, it became clear almost immediately that picking a ‘first single’ was going to be really tough...so we decided since all of the music is this great, why not just go with all three...”
Favorite Colors is the follow up to that successfully launched independent release, and includes the acclaimed trio of songs from the project along with the pair of tracks “Deluxe” and “Faith In You,” revealed ahead of the album release. Favorite Colors is loaded with the type of wit, playfulness and fierceness that Bannen is known for. She co-wrote all of the 14 tracks, crafting songs that are truthful and force the listener to read between the lines. CMT premiered the music video for Bannen’s swaggering retro-rock anthem and lead single “Deluxe,” a song that sets the tone and highlights Bannen’s bold aesthetic, and was named in Rolling Stone's the 10 Best Songs To Hear Now and The Boot’s Songs You Have To Have to Hear. Giving fans even more music ahead of album release, The Boot revealed a second track, “Faith In You” , a song that shines a light on Kelleigh’s innate songwriting abilities and impressive resilience.
The collection of songs share a variant palette of emotional shades, specifically when it comes to love - a reflective, mature and well oiled perspective. Offering up a soft sentiment and vulnerability, Favorite Colors describes the nuances of mourning the loss of a relationship. “Time Machine” revels in the nostalgia of memories and “Diamonds” is a powerful statement about the permanent impact of real love, cemented and written in stone.
Produced by Jaren Johnston (The Cadillac Three) with three tracks produced by Will Bowen and one track by Todd Clark, the album combines an analog approach mixed with a twist of modern country production. The dynamic, pop-rock driven soundscapes affect with fearless delivery and one that is elevated by Kelleigh’s soulful-leaning, raw vocals and compelling storytelling.
Raised in Nashville, Bannen quickly made waves in town as both a skillful, emotive vocalist and songwriter, releasing several Top 50 singles on EMI Nashville and touring alongside some of country music’s biggest names like Little Big Town and Luke Bryan. Now independent, she's seized the moment to take control of her career and work with a future-facing point of view, focusing less on albums and more on singles and special releases.
"There is really a gift in not having to serve other people's opinions," Bannen says. "The people that continued to work with me and write with me were people that cared about the music I am making, regardless of the status. I made my circle smaller, but it's so much stronger and filled with people who are willing to trust me to experiment a little bit."
"Church Clothes" was a seminal moment for Bannen. Her former label was reluctant to release it – it's a ballad, and a ballad was just too big of a risk. So as soon as she became independent, putting that sound out into the world was first on her list.
"I believe in it so much," she says. 'It's so powerful. It's a vulnerable, honest song. It was empowering, feeling brave enough to put that song out there. It gave me the courage to find opportunities to tell and sing about the brutal, honest truth. Sometimes we'll do that up-tempo ways, and sometimes in contemplative ways."
Bannen is ready for the next phase: never trying to keep up with the Joneses, but making sure her music touches them and anyone else. "If my music can tell stories and bring people together," she says, "then that's enough."
