Almost three years after releasing his debut album, local country musician Brady Kenneth is back in the spotlight, dropping his new single at the beginning of February, and getting ready to release an EP in the spring.
Recording his EP at Arcade Studios in Niverville, Kenneth has done a lot of growing up in the past few years—from what inspires his writing to coming into his own as an artist. As a country artist, Kenneth wanted his new record, Under This Hat, to reflect his growth and be reflective of his own sound, not what someone thinks a country artist should sound like.
“I think I’ve just learned to let myself sound how I’m supposed to sound naturally… as opposed to trying to sound like other artists,” Kenneth says. “We all have our influences, but so far I’ve felt the biggest and most positive response when I’ve let the songs come out naturally.”
His first single off the album, “What I Gotta Do,” is a fun, upbeat track that gives listeners a glimpse into what is to come on the new record. Kenneth says that one of the keys to writing great music for him is to keep his mind open to new sounds and ideas, giving him plenty of inspiration to choose from when it comes time to dive into the writing process.
“I’ve worked really hard on the writing aspect of my songs,” he says. “I made a couple trips to Nashville and was fortunate enough to sit down and learn from a hit songwriter. Finding a catchy melody and rhythm is very important, but for me it was the storytelling that I really wanted to stand out.”
Recording his latest tracks with local producer Evan St Cyr, Kenneth uses the studio sessions to get into the meat of the songs, allowing them to create a unique sound that is reflective of his vision and musical style.
“It really starts with recording all of the instruments the way the song naturally flows,” he says of the recording process. “We try to take way too much from every instrument so that there’s always new ideas to use or fall back on. Even though the bare bones of the songs are written prior to coming into the studio, the actual magic is formed, created, and produced after most of the initial recording is done.”
The musician is coming off of a Manitoba and Alberta radio tour, where he was able to promote his new single and get the word out about his music. In addition to promoting his current single, Kenneth has booked a few tour dates for the summer, including performances at the Teulon Centennial at the end of June, and Howl at the Moon in July. He’s also looking at a couple of shows in Alberta over the summer.
“I did some meet-and-greets at various stations along the way, as well as some on-air interviews and performances to debuts my new single,” Kenneth says. “[It] was really cool to hear my songs in different cities and provinces. It was a lot of fun and really interesting to see how closely connected radio is across Canada.”
