Featured Artist: Breanna Kennedy

Nashville – Breanna Kennedy’s voice has an effortless strength to it and an enviably sexy rasp. It’s the first thing you’ll notice about her. With a chameleon-like flexibility, it’s bluesy on one song, fragile on another, and occasionally has echoes of ‘90s power-woman rock. It glides over melodies into high upper registers and then sinks down into a low hum.

Breanna is a singer-songwriter based out of L.A. who caught our attention with her soulful videos recorded in her bedroom. She posts these on her website and also on Twitter and Instagram. The intimate, one-take videos show Breanna’s raw talent. Even with just an acoustic guitar, the hooks in her songs are undeniable.

Her songs that have been fleshed out in the studio, like “Passenger” and “4th of July,” shine with poppy hooks and Americana-esque driving beats. The dichotomy between the acoustic undertones and studio gloss overlays makes for dynamic, radio-friendly songs that are very much in the style of Sara Bareilles.

Instead of releasing an album, Breanna has chosen to release singles, a smart move in an age where three-minute videos go viral and whole albums pass unnoticed. “She’s Falling” is perhaps her strongest single. It’s a song about her sister, Destiny, who died by suicide. Kennedy took this event, one that must surely be wrapped in hard feelings, and unfolded it into a moving, relatable song. Most everyone has been touched by the tragedy of suicide, and Breanna speaks for us all about the feelings of helplessness that accompany it.

“She’s Falling” and other stripped down songs (“Hurts So Bad” and “Fuel for the Fire”) show an artist who has worked hard to hone her craft. Breanna is only twenty-one, but she’s been writing songs and singing since the age of sixteen. Her dad got her started even before that in her hometown of Salt Lake City, Utah. But with a voice like Breanna’s, the move to L.A. was surely inevitable. (L.A. bonus: She’s also an actress.) Songwriting and performing, like any art form, take practice. Breanna’s early start means that she’s a seasoned writer and performer, even at a relatively young age.

Keep an eye on Breanna Kennedy as her career develops. Her beauty, voice, and grace on stage mean that a label will snatch her up soon enough. She’s mostly playing shows around L.A. for now, but will hopefully take a swing around the country soon. Aside from her other social media sites, you can keep up with her on Facebook.

We found out about Breanna on Reverbnation. For more of Breanna’s music and tour dates, check out her Reverbnation page

Caroline McDonald

Caroline McDonald

My first memory is of singing Dolly Parton’s “I Will Always Love You” quietly to myself during preschool naptime. Perhaps it’s because I’m from Nashville where an instrument lives in every home, but music has gripped me for as long as I can remember.

After dabbling in many parts of the music industry—recording studios, PR, management, labels, publishing—I’m expanding into music journalism because I’m yet to find anything more rewarding that finding and sharing new music.

A longtime sucker for girls with guitars, my musical taste unabashedly follows the songwriting lineage of Dolly Parton and includes Patty Griffin, Gillian Welch, and Neko Case. But not to pigeonhole myself, my music love is big love that stretches from R.L. Burnside to Animal Collective to Lord Huron.

I’ve recently moved home to Nashville after living in Boston and Big Sur for several years. I’d forgotten how music pours onto the streets ten hours a day, seven days a week. I’m honored to share the creative explosion happening here. If your band is in the area or of the area, please reach out!
Caroline McDonald

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