Devoting
Destiny
Kalsey Kulyk
Interview
I got the chance to chat with Canadian-born and raised Kalsey Kulyk at Boots and Hearts on Friday. We talked summer shows, new music, and and getting to be back on the Boot’s stage again.
Hi. So I saw a little bit of your set. It looks fabulous.
Thank you. Thank you.
I liked your cover. I only got to see a little bit, but Save a Horse Ride a Cowboy, a classic.
Oh, I mean, yeah. It always goes over well with the audience for sure.
Which would you say is your favourite song to cover?
I actually love covering a song that I wrote that Lainie Wilson released called Dream Catcher. So I love performing that one. Probably the best because I wrote it. She sings it. So, you know, probably see that one.
There's a little bit of a personal touch to that one
Definitely.
How's your summer been? I know you've had a lot of big shows.
Yes. Oh my goodness. It's been the most busy I've ever been as an artist, which has been so much fun. I don't really know where I am half the time or what day it is, but, it's just been a blast. We had so much fun this summer.
I saw you were Calgary stampede.
Yeah! Oh, my goodness. I didn't get to go and, like, experience it as a fan, but I got to play it, and that was the best thing ever. It was so much fun.
How is Boots and Hearts holding up in comparison so far?
Oh, yeah. It was killer. So much fun. The Boots and Hearts crowd is amazing. So it absolutely was an awesome festival and I've always wanted to play it ever since I was in the emerging artist showcase. So it was a dream come true.
Has singing always been a passion of yours? How does it feel getting to live out of that now?
I started singing when I was 3 years old, and so to be able to play on a lot of really big stages this year has been everything I've ever wanted as an artist, and it's a dream come true. I love it. It's so much fun.
Tell me about the new music that came out.
I had a record come out called Outlaw Poetry, and it's an album that I've been working on since 2017. I've been writing these songs. So to be able to release it this year and have it just out in the world has been so awesome.
Love Me Like an Outlaw, it got a huge reception. How does that feel?
Huge reception. Yeah. It's done very, very well. Love me like an outlaw, I wrote that song back in 2018, and I was working with a team at the time that didn't respond to that song. Then when I got it on my own, I was like, you know what? I've loved this song for such a long time. Let's record it. It ended up going to the top 20 at Canadian Country Radio and then getting over 3,500,000 streams now. It's been really. I'm so grateful for that song and how radio has pushed it and the fans seem to love it too.
What would you say your creative process is sort of like?
For that song, and a lot of songs really, I have the idea first. The title usually comes to my head and then I'll sit on it and think about it. I'll either bring it into a room with songwriters or I'll write it myself. That one happened to be with other writers. I wrote that one, and it just fell out on paper in no time at all. It was one of those songs I think that was meant to be written.
How do you and your husband, who are both performers and parents, how do you guys find a balance between recording and touring and being parents?
It's definitely a lot. We're lucky that we have such a great little boy. He's such a great traveller. So that's been really awesome. Not to mention, being able to bring him on stage sometimes. We’ll bring him on stage sometimes or we just bring him to the audience. It's so much fun because hopefully, he'll get the music bug. If not, we're not gonna push it on him, but maybe one day he'll like music himself and he'll go for it too.
Since the start of your career, do you feel like your taste in music has changed, or do you still stick to the tried and true roots that you enjoy?
I feel like I've definitely stuck to my guns, especially with this record for sure. I've always loved the kind of traditional country that I grew up on. This record, Outlaw Poetry, definitely is everything I've ever wanted to create, so I'm really happy about that.
Is there anybody here that you're really excited to see or if you get a chance to enjoy any of the festival?
Absolutely. I am definitely excited to see the Brothers Osborne. I think they're awesome. I also love Cody Johnson. He's amazing too.
Check out Kalsey’s Album Outlaw Poetry now! Click Here