Kelley will release second solo album, Songs for a New Moon, this summer
Whether shining bright or darkened by shadow, there’s a rhythm in the night sky – waxing and waning, seasons phase in and out in a timeless tale of motion. And then, when the moment is right, it all starts over anew. Multi-platinum singer-songwriter and Grammy-winning artist Charles Kelley, finds himself stepping boldly into such a moment. With his second solo album, Songs for a New Moon, he begins an age of fearless “fresh perspective” – both musically and in life – embracing the lush, hyper-saturated luxury of his beloved ‘80s pop. With the soft-focus soundscapes and cinematic certainty of an optimistic era, one of “music’s most reliable and versatile singers” (American Songwriter) celebrates renewed possibility, today releasing two songs – “Can’t Lose You” and “Here With Me” – off the upcoming album slated for release this summer.
“A New Moon is the beginning of a new chapter, a new cycle, and that’s what this is to me,” Kelley explains. “I feel like we need a little feel-good music in the world – I need some feel-good music. And I don’t think I’ve ever been this excited, because everything feels so different. This is me having fun with no fear.”
Songs for a New Moon will be released independently and there’s no holding back and no genre boundaries. To Kelley, that fearless optimism is part of a new, wide-reaching philosophy. Teaming with Lindsay Rimes and “Need You Now” co-writer Josh Kear and Michael Whitworth on “Can’t Lose You,” the throbbing synth-and-smoke banger felt like a sonic epiphany, speaking to Kelley’s treatment journey – and what was at stake. Desperately serious, but wrapped in unbridled enthusiasm, it cemented the scope of what was to come. For “Here With Me,” Kelley covers The Killers by reimagining the deep cut as an orchestral power ballad.
One third of the Grammy winning country trio Lady A and a chart-topping songwriter on his own, Kelley has often stepped outside of his default creative setting…just not this completely. Along with culture-defining hits for his own band, he’s co-penned favorites for Luke Bryan, Miranda Lambert, Brett Young, and more – and with 2016’s The Driver, used his solo debut to explore a vision of the modern singer-songwriter, leading to another Grammy nomination for the title track, “The Driver” (featuring Dierks Bentley and Eric Paslay).
