Kelsey Montanez: "Let Me Love You" (Exclusive Interview)
When did you first realize your ability to sing?
I started singing at a very young age because my dad is a musician and we would play and write songs together when I was really little. I have recordings of us playing together as early as 4 years old and I’ve been singing and writing ever since.
What is your music and message all about?
I tend to explore a lot of universal themes in my music like love, loss, loneliness, and longing. But I try to do it in a way that is original, playful, and unique. Music is one of the great universal healers in life and I try to remember that if I’m feeling something, chances are others have felt it too. If I feel like I need to heal something or work through something through my music, chances are there are others that want to heal and work through the same things. So I guess you could say my music is about universal humanity, love, and inclusivity.
How would you describe your vocal style?
I think I have a very expressive and dynamic vocal style. I try to pack in as much soul and emotion as I can in every word I sing. I love toying with my emotional delivery from line to line to create texture. For example, in “Let Me Love You” the way I deliver each line is completely dependent on the lyric so I might deliver one line sweet and gentle, and then the next line I will pack with emotion and grit so it feels like it hits you out of nowhere. I think this creates a sense of dynamism and keeps the listener engaged throughout the song.
What was the hardest part of making this song?
I think the most nerve-wracking part of making the song was finding the right musicians and sound engineer and trusting them to understand my creative vision and do it justice. It’s a very emotional and dynamic song that rises and falls and moves through a lot of rich emotional states in a short amount of time, and it’s got a somewhat atypical song structure. As a songwriter, recording a song can be nerve-wracking because recordings are forever, and it’s important to nail it in the recording because that’s what you will hear forever. But I am thrilled to say that my engineer and the musicians working on this album are an absolute dream team. The song has come together and taken shape in a way that is beyond my wildest dreams and I am so grateful to have the team that I do. It’s the most crazy and beautiful feeling ever as a songwriter to hear something you only heard in your imagination reflected back to you in a real, tangible sense by other people.
What was the most enjoyable part of making this song?
The way I wrote “Let Me Love You” really gave me the space to have fun vocally. I write a lot of rock songs where I get to belt out and scream a lot but this song allows me to get soulful and play with a more performative style of singing. The push and pull feel throughout the song gives it a flirtatious energy and it’s honestly just a lot of fun to sing.
What is one feeling you want to leave listeners with?
I hope I leave listeners with a feeling of inspiration or even a sense of escapism from the everyday stresses of life. My favorite musicians ever have this ability to pull you into another world or another emotional state in a very transcendent way. Life is hard and confusing but I have a lot of fun writing and singing these songs and I find a lot of healing and freedom in the process and I just hope others can feel that too.
How do you prepare for your live performances?
When I was younger, I didn’t know about the importance of warming up before gigs! I would just go out and belt out a song without any preparation. But I’ve grown and matured since then and I realize you have to take care of your vocal cords like any instrument. I try to do a series of vocal warm-ups close to every day, but especially on gig days. There’s a guy named Mark Baxter on Youtube from Voicelessons.com and I have found his warm-up tutorials incredibly helpful. I also play guitar so I will usually run a few of my songs on guitar after I’ve warmed up vocally before a gig.
