top of page

“Royal Blue” - Kev Kelly |Review

Updated: Apr 19, 2022

Get ready for the weather to start heating up with the newest single from Kev Kelly, “Royal Blue”.


There is something you can’t quite describe about the opening to “Royal Blue”, the slow drawn-out notes draw you in like a moth to a flame. The way the bass starts to kick in and lyrics speed up, the transition from chilled nostalgia to a groovy rock bassline is truly incredible. If you have been looking for a new song to pine to this summer this is it. The bridge perfectly captures the way the world slows down and sparkles around you when you’re falling in love.


About the track: ​​“There was a bar in Nashville called crazy town. It was the worst best bar on Broadway, I hate going downtown but if you had people in town or it was your friends birthday, you went to crazy town. There was a DJ that was there every weekend DJ Donnie d, I think? Shouts out. When Donnie d played a song everyone knew, the whole place would erupt. These girls in cowboy hats and boots they bought from fuckin boot barn would go apeshit. I’m talking drinks thrown into their bridesmaids faces because this dude played replay by Iyaz. No regard for humanity if Donnie D played something you danced to in a grind circle at a Catholic middle school dance. You’re not leaving room for Jesus when He hit shuffle on that playlist. I would like to think if Royal Blue came on at Crazy Town in 2018 the whole place would go fuckin nuts. Miss you DJ Donnie D.”


Kelly, the Nashville-based pop artist and songwriter, accelerated onto the scene in 2020 with the release of his debut EP Saint KDK V. Listeners instantly resonated not just with Kelly’s one-of-a-kind sound, but also with his refreshing vulnerability. Kelly takes his most personal experiences and expertly molds them into songs that are as fresh as they are memorable.


With musical influences that range from Frank Ocean and Hozier to Otis Redding and Sam Cooke, Kelly began discovering his musical aspirations at the age of four, when he first sat down at a piano.


In 2020, Kelly’s single “Everything’s on Fire” was chosen as an American Songwriter Daily Discovery and reached #3 on the Commercial Pop UK Club chart. “A hip-swaying summer classic, building on an already immaculate discography that mixes acoustic ballads and dramatic pop tunes,” raved Wonderland.


With the anticipation surrounding his new EP and the release of his latest set of singles - it’s clear that Kelly isn’t taking his foot off the gas when it comes to making music. And it’s good thing too. Because, as Kelly admits, “I’m not all that great at doing anything else.





Review by Hannah Schneider


29 views0 comments

Comments


bottom of page