Side A – Kira Isabella Interview and Review
Kira Isabella is a Canadian country music veteran with 10 singles that have landed in the Top 20, and a brand new EP (Side A) ready for her fans.
With that history of hits including, A Little More Work, Gone Enough, and Quarterback it’s hard to remember sometimes that she’s only 25 years old and still taking steps to learn who she is and what she wants to accomplish in her career.
We caught up with Kira on the phone to talk about her EP, her upcoming 2019 tour with Aaron Pritchett and David James, and more. She told us that working on this album (part 2 will come in 2019) has felt like a new chapter in her career. It’s been an opportunity to push herself vocally, to explore new ideas and subjects, and she has truly enjoyed it.
Side A features five songs, including three that country fans have already had a chance to hear, and two brand new songs for them. We asked Kira about each of the songs and for her to share some thoughts on them.
Kira told us that to her, Little Girl is an empowering and uplifting song that has no room for negativity. I told her that I loved the fact that it includes a Michelle Obama-esque, “if they go low, you go high” lyric and message, that really hammers home the message. She added that Tebey (who co-wrote the song with Sam Ellis and Elizabeth Elkins) told her that he didn’t want a single lyric included in the song that he didn’t feel he could look his young daughters in the eyes and tell them. That in itself is a powerful message that shouldn’t be missed.
Danger Danger is the second track on the EP and was written by Maren Morris, Shy Carter, and Sam Ellis. Kira said that she remembers Ellis (also her producer) playing her the demo and it taking a few seconds for her to realize that Maren Morris herself was singing the song. She said that the subject matter resonated with her, hitting on her personal and professional life. She also told us that the song was an opportunity for her to take her voice to a new place and go for it.
The third track, Handcuffs, is a fun listen, and Kira laughed when we got to it from the more serious nature of the previous two songs. She calls the song the sassiest of her career so far, and we agree. Kira says that Handcuffs is fun to sing, fun to play with, and she can already picture the music video in her head – and it’s a good time waiting to be made into a reality.
The fourth song on the tracklist, Stupid Heart, is the second new song on this EP. Kira describes it as autobiographical, painting a picture of her life in a song. She also says that it’s a song that allowed her to showcase a vocal maturity and sound that her earlier career work may not have highlighted.
I Don’t Wanna Know is the fifth and final song on the Side A EP, and Kira took a deep breath before we talked about it. Kira co-wrote the song with two super talented Canadian women, Emma Lee and Karen Kosowski in a session that she had hoped would be upbeat. But when she walked into the room that day, the weight of more emotionally heavy things she was feeling took over. And with the support and encouragement of her co-writers, Kira dove into what she was feeling. She also told us that I Don’t Wanna Know is important to her because it marked the first time in her career that she felt like a songwriter. She’s been writing for a long time, but this was a milestone moment.
This EP marks the first time since 2014’s Caffeine & Big Dreams that Kira Isabella has released a collection of songs. It’s an exciting event for a young star that already has a Female Artist of the Year award from the Canadian Country Music Association. A new chapter in a career that is already nearing a decade in length. And most importantly, it’s good.
These five songs all fit with Kira Isabella. As she told us, some of them take her to new places, some of them push her vocally, but none of them sound like they shouldn’t be hers. And if that’s the case on Side B in the new year, we’re all in for a treat.
While we were on the phone, we also talked about Aaron Pritchett’s Out On The Town tour that will take Kira from BC to PEI in January and February. When we asked about the tour, she told us that she’s excited because she loves Canada, and while she’s had the chance to play a lot of great shows across the country, she’s never done a true bus tour from one coast to the other. With 30+ shows on the tour (with the chance that more could be added), this will be her opportunity to do just that, playing her hits, fan favourites, and new music on stages from Nanaimo to Sussex and all stops in between.
Before we were done, we had to ask Kira about the 2018 CCMA Award show and her participation in the Shania Twain tribute that opened the broadcast. As a lifelong admirer of Shania, the chance to be involved with Jess Moskaluke and Madeline Merlo in the medley was a great experience for her as a fan and artist. She said that the mega-star stopped in during rehearsals to give notes and help with the planning and performance. And she noted that from now on, in all of their careers, she feels like herself, Moskaluke, and Merlo will always have the connection of that night and tribute to their hero.
In 2016 during Canadian Country Music Week in London, ON we talked to Kira Isabella and played a round of 5 Quick Questions. While we were on our call, we took the chance to go again with a second round. Check it out now!
5 Quick Questions with Kira Isabella
Q1. If you’re on a long drive and have to choose an album to put on and play all the way through, which album do you choose?
K. Kira had three albums that came to mind: Thrice, The Artist In The Ambulance // Ariana Grande, Sweetener // Shania Twain, UP!
Q2. Do you have a dream collaboration?
K. Kira had a few names come to mind including, Maren Morris, Luke Combs, Levi Hummon, and Jordan Davis.
Note: At the 2016 CCMAs Kira named Maren Morris and Luke Combs as her artists to watch, bringing this full circle.
Q3. Do you have a favourite venue from your career?
K. Calgary’s Saddledome and her hometown Ottawa’s Canadian Tire Centre top her list of favourites.
Q4. Do you have a dream vacation?
K. Kira told us that she’s not very good at taking vacations, but she’s totally into the idea of a working vacay in Nashville.
Q5. Is there an artist that you think people should be paying more attention to?
K. Kira mentioned emerging Canadian country star Jade Eagleson as well as Billie Eilish and Khalid.
Thanks to Kira for playing 5 Quick Questions with us for the second time. We can’t wait for the next one. Now, hit play and listen to Side A, and be ready for Side B in the new year!
Kira Isabella, Side A Tracklist
1. Little Girl
2. Danger Danger
3. Handcuffs
4. Stupid Heart
5. I Don’t Wanna Know
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