Like many of her fellow singer-songwriters, Kendal Conrad has always wanted to sing professionally. The twenty-eight-year-old can’t recall a time when she wasn’t singing and even dreamed of being on stage as a child. “When my mom and I would clean out the attic,” she recalled, ”I’d find things from when I was in elementary school, of me drawing myself at the microphone.”
She also picked up the guitar and learned to play after being inspired by Taylor Swift. She explained, “I just thought If a girl my age can play guitar can write her own songs– that’s really cool. I can do that.”
In addition to her music career, Conrad is also an actor and published author. She was an English and theater major in college where her creative writing pieces were featured in the campus literary magazine. Wanting to branch out with her love of horror stories, she found a horror anthology literary magazine, submitted her work, and was published.
Latest Single and Upcoming EP
Her love of the horror genre influenced her latest single, “Leader of the Pack.” This song is one of her favorite things that she’s done so far and loves singing it. “It’s what I want to say lyrically, right now,” she said.
“Leader of the Pack” is about being betrayed and lied to by people that you care about and trust. “It’s about taking the hurt and pain and not letting yourself get swallowed by it,” Conrad explained.
The song contains a metaphor about being thrown to the wolves and being alone in the dark woods, hearing the howling and potential threats around you. When she sings it, it makes her feel really strong, confident, and powerful. This is the second song Conrad released from her upcoming five-song EP. The other three songs each have their own style, but all exude confidence, which Conrad portrays well.
Performing with the Stars
Conrad’s list of accolades is constantly growing. She’s performed with Keith Urban and opened for many superstars like Blake Shelton, Charlie Daniels Band, Trace Adkins, Alabama, Sara Evans, and Diamond Rio.
She stated that her duet with Keith Urban has been her number one onstage moment thus far. Conrad was a big fan prior to her performance and luckily, she wasn’t starstruck on stage.
“It was cool to sing with a country superstar,” she recalled.
Another highlight of her career was opening for Blake Shelton with a crowd of over 18,000 people.
Conrad said that both Blake and Keith treated her with kindness. Both artists seemed to be really present in the moment, focused on her, and they weren’t rushing off to their next task, even though they are extremely busy people. “I see why they’re such big stars,” she said, “because they treat their fans and the people around them like gold.”
What’s Next for Kendal Conrad
Kendal Conrad is currently touring. Check out the list of dates on her Facebook page. For more information, visit her website at https://kendalconrad.com/
Photo credit: Atomos Photography
