Artist Summary
Genres: Pop / Country / Singer/Songwriter
Label: Bar K Records (indie)
Management: Danielle Kays
Contact: info@rachelkays.com
" #nowplaying @RachelKays' album NATURAL -- if you're a fan of Taylor Swift or Lady Antebellum, you will probably love Rachel's new album too!" --Hollywood Teen'Zine via Twitter
“It’s hard not to like her songs – upbeat country and pop melodies delivered by her powerful and charming voice.” --Angus Marriott - Soundcheck
“Don't be fooled by her age ... Rachel Kays' knack for melody and wordplay reveals a musical sensibility far beyond her years.” --Brian Douglas Phillips - (Producer of Natural)
A Note From Rachel:
I’m so excited to be releasing my first album and I appreciate your support! The title ‘Natural’ is not only because of the track by that name, but also because everything about this album is natural. My music comes naturally to me and it’s how I express my emotions best. Being a teenager can be difficult. You get your heart broken and re-broken, and there’s drama everywhere you look. I use all of this as inspiration for my songs. I write about what I know (or what I think I know). I sing from the heart and let it flow naturally, which leads to a variety of sounds. I don’t think of my songs as ‘country’ or ‘pop’ or any other genre – they’re just reflections of my emotions at the time they were written so they are naturally as mixed as a teenage girl’s emotions. I hope you enjoy it!
Staying natural,
Rachel
All songs on the album were written and performed by Rachel Kays, ASCAP Composer. They are self-published, with copyrights managed by Danielle Kays.
Production Team:
Producer: Brian Douglas Phillips
Recorded at: Rattle Trap Audio
Location: Austin, TX
Programming: Brian Douglas Phillips
Mixing Engineer: Brian Douglas Phillips
Mastering Studio: Terra Nova Digital Audio, Inc
Location: Austin, TX
Mastering Engineer: Nick Landis
Album Art Design Team:
Album Art Design: Justin Flores
Graphic Design Firm: realm9
Album Art Photos: Rita Quinn
Photography Studio: Rita Quinn Photography
Makeup Artist: Mandy Hernandez
Musicians:
Brian Douglas Phillips – all guitars including acoustic, electric, and pedal steel, keyboards, bass, and percussion
Fred Mandujano – drums on all tracks except #’s 4 and 9
Christopher Rains – cello on track #5
Background vocals – Brian Douglas Phillips and Rachel Kays (plus Leland Payne on track #5 only)
Artist Bio
Rachel is a 16-year-old singer/songwriter who composes in several genres including country, pop, and R&B. This Texas girl released her debut EP on her 16th birthday, and it is appropriately titled 'Sweet 16'. It contains the first three singles off her upcoming debut album (When You Were Mine, Left Me Hanging, and Butterflies and Nursery Rhymes). She has just wrapped up in the studio with 8 additional songs that will be included on her debut full-length album, which will be released on May 11, 2011.
Rachel has been singing since she could talk and has already entertained tens of thousands of people in her short life. From singing the National Anthem before crowds upwards of 14,000 to impromptu concerts for friends and family, she has never shied away from the spotlight, making the front page of her hometown newspaper twice before she was 12 years old.
It wasn't until she got her first acoustic guitar at the age of 14, however, that she realized she had a knack for composing as well as performing. After teaching herself a few chords using youtube videos, she started churning out songs at an unbelievable pace - that guitar really released the creative energy within! Less than a year later, she had written more than 35 songs and her parents knew that the time had come to start a recording project and started figuring out how to make that happen.
Enter, Producer, Brian Douglas Phillips and Rattle Trap Audio in Austin, TX. Rachel and Brian make an incredible duo when it comes to arranging Rachel's songs into the vision she had for them, but did not have the ability to create alone. Brian also plays most of the instruments on all of the songs Rachel has recorded to date and was the mixing engineer for the entire debut album.
Artist Press Items
" #nowplaying @RachelKays' album NATURAL -- if you're a fan of Taylor Swift or Lady Antebellum, you will probably love Rachel's new album too!" --Hollywood Teen'Zine via Twitter
“Kays is as enchanting as her music, and we can all be certain of a long and interesting career for this Texan gem.” --Angus Marriott - Soundcheck
“Don't be fooled by her age ... Rachel Kays' knack for melody and wordplay reveals a musical sensibility far beyond her years.” --Brian Douglas Phillips - (Producer of Natural)
“Refreshingly upbeat, her debut effort Natural combines contemporary country-pop sounds with a youthful innocence, and as such the album is a great cure for the blues.” --Angus Marriott - Austin Music City
“I can't seem to get Rachel off my mind. I've not heard anyone lately that compares to her.” --Mari Maduro - Affinity Music Inc., Nashville
“It’s hard not to like her songs – upbeat country and pop melodies delivered by her powerful and charming voice.” --Angus Marriott - Soundcheck
“Many adults aren't sure what to do with the rest of their life, but 11-year-old Rachel Kays began talking about becoming a singer when she was about 3. Already having sung the national anthem at the Frank Erwin Center for a crowd of about 14,000 - at the opening of an Austin Wranglers game - Rachel is well on her way to accomplishing those dreams.” --Tiffany Young - Round Rock Leader
“Natural is a lovely and enchanting album. On this evidence Kays seems destined to long outlive the fleeting whimsy of chart music. Watch this space.” --Angus Marriott - Soundcheck
“ Introducing RACHEL KAYS , a talented young singer/songwriter from Austin, Texas. Rachel sings country/pop and R and B. She released her debut EP Sweet 16 on her 16th birthday. Take a listen to an awesome tune from that EP called LEFT ME HANGING ! You can get an MP3 of this song for your ipod for only 89 cents at RACHEL KAYS REVERBNATION . ” --New Track Tuesday - Tween Pop Radio
“Young lady you have that rare "Star Power" quality. You have a killer voice and seem to know how to use it to get the most out of a song! I have a feeling you're only one door away from hitting in the majors. Really enjoyed listening!” --Michael Katfish Karr - ReverbNation
“The first time I heard her sing on her own, I was just blown away. I couldn't believe a voice like that could come out of such a young child. (quote by Darlene Henson, Rachel's elementary school music teacher as quoted in the referenced front-page article, titled "Young singer's debut a swinging success"” --Lisa Taylor-Braden - Round Rock Leader
Read more...