Kelly Sloan calls her debut LP, Always Changes, an accident.
Released in March, the alt-country indie-pop collection was inspired by
her roommates, Dale and Brian Murray, who encouraged the Ottawa Valley
transplant to write a song for them to produce.
“They kept coming and they sounded good and then I had nine or 10,”
says Sloan of the songs. “We put all this work into it…I’d be a big
dick if I didn’t do something with it.”
Sloan was used to being a side player—the transition to solo
artist has been slow and intimidating.
“I grew up competing in opera and classical, and that stuff was
absolutely horrifying—they absolutely rip you apart,” she says.
“Going to back-up singing was a good transition. Being a solo artist,
and back front stage and centre…it’s getting a lot easier. All that
preparation with competing really helped. I can get into that zone
onstage. But it’s scary—I’d rather people look at someone else.”
Kelly Sloan appears June 13 at The Carleton and June 27 at The
Chatterbox in Pugwash.
This article appears in Jun 11-17, 2009.
