Country singer Kira Isabella is slated to hit the Bo’s stage as part of Aaron Pritchett’s ‘Out on the Town Tour’ on Jan. 29th.
At 25, she has already had reams of success since her debut release in 2011, having landed three Top 10 singles on the Billboard Canadian Hot 100 and eight consecutive Top 20 radio singles.
“My parents always told me that before I could even talk, I was always humming, picking up melodies and really showing an interest in music,” she explained during a recent interview.
Her folks are pretty gifted, too.
“My mom has a really beautiful voice, but she’d never sing for you – she’s so shy! But her voice is beautiful, and my dad also has a really nice voice, too. He also taught me how to play the guitar,” she added. “He’s amazing, and he practices everyday. He really taught me everything I know on the guitar.”
She also recalls walking around the Ottawa SuperEX with her folks and coming across a showcase of singers under the direction of accomplished teacher Trina Langthorne.
“I remember stopping, staring at them and being like, ‘Dad, I need to do that. I have to get up there!’”
Her parents reached out to Langthorne who accepted her as a student.
That turned into an amazing teaching relationship that lasted about 10 years.
“She was a wonderful teacher because she always let me sing whatever I wanted to,” recalled Isabella. “I saw her once a week from when I was six to about 16, and we would just sing anything and everything. She also encouraged writing, too.
“My parents have also always been so incredibly supportive with my music. They could tell from a young age that not only did I have an interest in it, but that I could potentially do something with it.
“They made sure I was was able to pursue it.”
Through her teens, Isabella sang in lots of competitions, and the only rule was that it had to be within 10 hours of driving from home, she recalled with a chuckle.
“They pretty much dedicated everything to making sure I could sing and do music. I owe a lot to them for sure.”
She was signed to Sony Canada at 16 and it wasn’t long before industry insiders started taking note of this powerhouse up-and-comer.
And even though she was an avid pop music fan during her teens, country superstar Shania Twain’s 2002 CD Up! wielded a remarkable influence, helping to influence Isabella in her flourishing country style.
“I had no idea how it would truly affect me as an artist and as a writer, but it totally did,” she added of Twain’s landmark disc which featured the same tunes in both country and pop formats.
And as Isabella’s gift for song grew, she found that her songwriting seemed to ‘come out country’.
“I’m also just so in love with the ‘storytelling’ aspect of country music.”
Meanwhile, earlier this year she celebrated her return to the airwaves with the release of her single Little Girl which raced up the Canadian country music charts landing in the Top 15.
Earlier this fall, she premiered SIDE A, the first five songs off her new EP KIRA. SIDE B will come out in the New Year.
“The new album was about showing the evolution of my music,” she explains. “I’ve come a long way since (her debut) Love Me Like That, both personally and professionally, and I think this comes through in each new song.”
Just two years after her debut CD, she was selected as the opening act on tours with Carrie Underwood and Terri Clark throughout 2013.
In that same year, she was crowned as the 2013 CCMA Female Artist of the Year.
For Isabella, following any other path is just unimaginable.
“It’s always there,” she said of the joy that music provides. “I’ve spent a lot of time alone, I travel a lot alone, and music is always there for me.
“I’m also incredibly grateful for the connection that I have with people through my music. Never in a million years did I think I’d get to do that.
I thought people would come hear me sing, clap and then leave. But they want to share their stories and tell me how (a song) has affected their lives. I’ll never take that for granted – it’s amazing.”
