Adam Prudhomme
Editor
Jadea Kelly’s upcoming May 8 Starstop Series performance at Ellena’s Cafe in Napanee will be a special one, as it’ll serve as a homecoming of sorts for the folk singer and songwriter.
Currently living in Los Angeles CA, Kelly has long considered this region home as members of her family have been farming in Enterprise for three generations.
Described by CBC as ‘one of the jewels in the crown of Canadian songwriters’, Kelly was named the 2016 Contemporary Singer of the Year at the Canadian Folk Music Awards following her release ‘Love & Lust’.
“The last two albums (Clover, Love & Lust), inspiration really came to me while in (the Stone Mills) area,” said Kelly, who says much of her songwriting is influenced by nature and life experiences. “There’s a lot of natural imagery in my music and the soundscapes too and I find that area really inspiring.”
Though raised in Whitby, her family would escape the bustle of the city to a cottage in Stone Mills, where her parents now live year-round. As such, she’s looking forward to her stop in Napanee as she tours in support of her latest work, the Met While Incarcerated Soundtrack EP. A departure from her normal writing muses, her latest songs were written after seeing footage of a documentary about people who fall in love while serving time in prison. The film’s director reached out to her to ask if she’d write some accompanying songs.
“It was interesting to have a small glimpse into that life and how painful it must be,” said Kelly, who was also provided with love letters written by inmates and their loved ones to help inspire her lyrics. “I found myself very intrigued by the stories of the inmates. One of them is on Death Row. They’ve done some really atrocious crimes and when you watch the documentary you wonder how could someone love someone or go into a relationship when they already know their charges. The documentary eliminates those topics and you’re able to have a dialogue about it and question what is morality, what is love and what is forgiveness.”
Her music is featured throughout the documentary, which debuted on CBC’s Documentary Channel in March.
Set for release on June 7, the EP has already been named the 2019 Best Score and Music winner at the Hollywood International Independent Documentary Awards.
“I didn’t expect the songs to do as well as they did,” said Kelly. “It got placed on three different playlists on Amazon, Apple and Spotify. I’m just really grateful for the film because I don’t know if I would have released the songs.”
She’s currently finalizing the set list for the upcoming tour, which will include visits across Ontario before finishing in LA.
“There’s songs from the past, I’ll be playing the full new EP and I’ll be showcasing a few new songs that will appear on my next album,” Kelly said of the May 8 show. She also noted with her parents in the audience she’ll make sure to play Count On, a favourite of her father’s.
Joining her on stage will be opening act Kennedy Road, who will also play some songs with her as well.
Tickets are $20 and available at www.starstop.ca/jadea-kelly. To hear some of her songs, visit www.DarthJadea.com.