Country Next: Kayley Green

Rising country artist Kayley Green is creating quite the buzz online, thanks to her impressive journey from headlining gigs on Broadway, to sharing the stage with Keith Urban, to signing a record deal.

The South Carolina native moved to Music City to attend school and immediately started gigging on Broadway, eventually finding herself with a recurring weekend headlining slot at Dierk Bentely’s Whiskey Row.

While performing one night, Green caught the attention of country icon Keith Urban and he invited her to join him at his next show at Bridgestone Arena just 48 hours later. On stage, Green covered Martina McBride’s ‘Independence Day’ and traded lyrics with Urban on ‘We Were Us.’ Her captivating performance piqued the interest of the Sony Music Nashville team and she eventually signed her first-ever recording concert with the company in May.

Green recently released her debut single, “Live Fast Die Pretty,” an upbeat, sassy crowd-favorite, and her powerful new track, “Shadow of A Cowboy,” is out now.

We recently caught up with the emerging star to chat about her musical beginnings, performing with Keith Urban, her latest releases, and what’s next. Check out our exclusive Q&A below.

How did you begin a career in country music?

I have always said my whole life, I’ve always wanted to be a singer and country was what I grew up listening to, so it was kind of a no-brainer.

What motivated you to move to Nashville and how did you find your footing performing on Broadway?

I started gigging when I was in middle school and I found out at one of my gigs that I could go to school for music. I could go to Belmont and get a degree in music and I literally found out about Nashville that day, and I didn’t even look at other colleges, I knew I wanted to go to Nashville. I started going to Nashville with my family and learning what it was all about. And then when I moved here for college, I got a gig the weekend after I moved here, singing on Broadway. I walked into Tootsies in the backroom of Tootsies, and the bass player looked at me and said, You can sing, can’t you? I was like, um, yeah. And he got me up and I sang a couple of songs, and he gave me a gig that night. So yeah, it was kind of an accident, but it ended up being awesome and a really good way for me to make money, and, you know, keep myself afloat during college.

What music artists have inspired you and influenced your sound?

I grew up listening to everything. My dad was a big Jimmy Buffett fan, and a big Queen fan. My mom was listening to Steve Miller Band and Alan Jackson and Garth Brooks and so it was kind of all over the place. But my queen, my number one favorite person to sing her songs when I was younger was Martina McBride. She really, really inspired me. I think I kind of found my voice through her songs, just kind of cranking my little stereo in my room loud enough that my family couldn’t hear me scream trying to hit the notes, you know. But I think that I definitely was influenced by her and kind of developed my voice around what she was able to do in her songs.

@kayleygreenmusic Replying to @kayleygreenmusic most incredible moment of my life. Thank you so much @keithurban #keithurban #keithurbanconcert #concert #bridgestonearena #nashville #nashvilletn ♬ original sound – kayleygreen

How did it feel to be recognized by Keith Urban and what was it like performing with him at Bridgestone?

It was unbelievable. All of it was incredible. All of it was unreal. I love Keith Urban, I have always been a fan. When I was younger, I always had hand-me-down CDs from my older brother, but I got a Best Buy gift card for Christmas one year, so I got to buy my own CDs, and the first CDs I ever bought with my own money were Rascal Flatts and Keith Urban. So, I’ve been a fan of Keith forever, so to be recognized by him was an unbelievable moment for me, like an incredible compliment, you know. And then to actually get to sing with him was just life-changing for a lot of reasons, but it was, it was incredible. He is the nicest person. Everyone that works for him, his whole team. They’re all incredible, incredible people. It was amazing. 

You recently signed a record deal with Sony Music. What does their support mean to you?

I love Sony. I’m so grateful to be a part of their team. It means the world to me. A record deal was something I was afraid to even dream about because I didn’t know if it was ever going to happen for me. So to be able to say that I have a record deal, and then to be able to say I have a record deal with Sony, is really, really incredible to me. I’m really grateful. 

What inspired your debut release ‘Live Fast Die Pretty,’ and what message do you hope listeners take away from it?

‘Live Fast Die Pretty’ is kind of just a jam for me. I mean, I love this song so much, but it’s fun. And I’ve spent my years, most of my years, in Nashville playing live shows, so I wanted to release a song first that was a good live song and it is. It’s a great live song. It’s so much fun to play live. It’s just a feel-good, kind of girl confidence song, you know, I just, I want listeners to enjoy it. It’s a fun song. 

What thoughts and emotions were running through your mind leading up to the release of your very first single?

All of them. All of the thoughts, all the emotions. I cried a lot, both happy tears, nervous tears, grateful tears. It was really fun. My family was all crying. We’re on FaceTime together streaming it all together and it was really fun. 

What can you share about your second single ‘Shadow of A Cowboy’?

‘Shadow of A Cowboy’ is so special to me. As soon as we wrote this song, I knew that it was different; I knew that it was special. There’s just something about it. I was going through a breakup at the time that we wrote it, and it’s not necessarily, like, directly related to the breakup, like, obviously it’s like “a real one would stay.” Well, I guess it’s not obvious, it’s not out yet, but the lyrics are that “a real one would stay.” I didn’t necessarily want my relationship back, you know what I mean? Or wish that it hadn’t ended, but just the raw emotions of going through a breakup and then being able to work with such incredibly talented songwriters, it just meshed and mixed, and we made this song that I am so proud of. I can’t believe it’s mine. I can’t believe I was a writer on it. It’s unbelievable. I’m so proud of it. I think it’s so, so special.

How have you grown as an artist since you first started performing and what are some key lessons you’ve learned along the way?

I’ve grown so much as an artist from performing. I’ve been performing since middle school. I did gigs all through high school, and then I’ve been on Broadway since I moved here almost 11 years ago. So I’ve spent a lot of time performing. I think it’s crucial. I think I’ve learned how to befriend the audience, which I think is so important, you know, not just watch me sing, but kind of connect with me. Let’s do this together. Let’s be in this space and make music. Let me entertain you and connect with you and talk to you. And, you know, get to know you too, as well as you getting to know me. I think that even the crowds that aren’t jumping around and ready to party, they’re special too. And I think I’ve learned how to connect with those people too, like the quieter crowds. And I, you know, I’ve learned a lot.

What goals do you have for the rest of the year?

I want to go, I want to play, I want to sing, I want to release more music, I want to connect with more people. I am so grateful to be in the position that I’m in and I just want to keep it going.

Fans can keep up with Kayley Green on Instagram and TikTok.