Adam Prudhomme
Editor
Jadea Kelly’s September will feature shows in Germany, Italy and Switzerland, but it’s her Sept. 29 show in Napanee that really stands out for the singer-songwriter.
That’s because her performance at Ellena’s Café, part of the Starstop Concert Series, will be a homecoming of sorts for 2016 Canadian Folk Music Contemporary Singer of the Year.
Currently in Germany, she took a break from recording her next album to speak with the Beaver via phone about her upcoming show in Napanee.
“I grew up in Whitby, On. but my parents are from and that area and all of my extended family currently live there, including my parents,” said Kelly. “I know that it’s going to eventually be a place that I live and settle down in. It’s very special to me. As I get older I’m realizing how rare it is to have such a tight knit community that not only know you and care about you, but know your grandmother deeply. There are people in Enterprise that went to high school with my grandmother or played at her wedding. When they see me walking by as a 35-year-old woman, they’re like ‘Bernadette Kelly, alive and well’. That’s really special to me that people see my grandma when they see me and I really cherish that.”
There will be plenty of friends and family in the audience when she takes the stage at Ellena’s on Sept. 29, her second Starstop appearance following her concert in 2019. Her set list will include songs from her latest album, Roses, which was four years in the making before being released last March.
Recording began in December of 2019 and was interrupted due to the pandemic. That meant writing and recording sessions, which would normally take place in-person with a large group of people, had to shift to virtual.
Folk singer Jadea Kelly played to a sold out crowd at Ellena’s Cafe in 2019 part of the Starstop Concert Series. Kelly has ties to the area, having spent several summers in Stone Mills. Photo by Adam Prudhomme.
“I’ve never completed an album virtually before,” said Kelly. “I found it really difficult to be on a Zoom with someone trying to complete a song. Usually with every past album we’ve been with a group of people and you’re making decisions together and you’re connecting with the song with a really organic, natural way. That was a learning curve, I had to teach myself how to record my own vocals and had to make decisions alone when in the past I’ve made decisions about my music with a group of people. In many ways that was liberating and healthy for me to take the reins of all music decisions, but it just took longer because I hated doing it alone. I hated doing it virtually.”
Though she didn’t enjoy the process, the end result was a 13-track album that has been earning high praise. Among those songs is the single Happy, for which she shot a music video.
“Long before the pandemic I had intentionally taken a break from touring and put music a bit on the back burner,” said Kelly. “Happy for example was just me reflecting on what it means to be a woman and the pressure that is put on us by society to be a mother or to be a wife. There are no anthems that celebrate choosing to do neither or entertaining the idea of choosing to do neither and that that’s ok and you’re not less than. You’re still valuable if you choose not to use your reproductive organs. The pandemic allowed a lot of time for reflection and that song just came really naturally, as did the rest of the album.”
Opening the show will be Ryan O’Reilly, who will be joining Kelly from the tour. Though he’s from Berlin, he can trace his roots back to Ireland’s County Wicklow. That just so happens to be the same county Kelly’s family came from before arriving to the Irish community in Stone Mills. That Irish-Folk heritage influence will be on full display when the duo takes the stage in Napanee.
For tickets visit https://www.starstop.ca/jadea-kelly-1.
To hear Kelly’s music, visit https://www.darthjadea.com/.