Kelleigh Bannen

A Nashville native who became a late-blooming star after launching a music career in her twenties, Kelleigh Bannen emerged in 2008 with a dynamic, contemporary sound that retains the hallmarks of traditional country. Her first taste of mainstream success came in 2012 with the single "Sorry on the Rocks," and found chart success again two years later with "Famous." Kelleigh Bannen has lived nearly all her life in Nashville, but despite growing up in Music City, she was in her twenties before she first considered pursuing music as a career. Bannen's father was an auto dealer, and she grew up with a love of both cars and country music, but living in a town where so many people reached for the brass ring of success and failed, she was well aware of the tough odds and pitfalls of the music business. However, Bannen enjoyed writing songs and occasionally performed for fun; she met her future husband at a college event where she sang, and after they married, he encouraged her to follow her muse. Bannen launched her own business making and selling jewelry, and it afforded her the time and the flexible hours to work on her songwriting. Eventually, Bannen decided to take a chance at presenting her songs to a larger audience, so she assembled a band, began playing out, and in 2008 released an independent album, Radio Skies. While the album received only modest sales, critics were enthusiastic about Bannen's work, and in 2012, EMI's Nashville division signed her to a record deal. Months later, she released a single for her new label, "Sorry on the Rocks," which became a minor hit, rising to 48 on the country singles charts. In early 2014, Bannen returned with a second single, a witty revenge ditty against a two-timing boyfriend titled "Famous," that soon made an impression on country radio. In 2016 she issued the EP Cheap Sunglasses, with a second EP, The Joneses, arriving in 2018. She teamed up with producer Jaren Johnston from the Cadillac Three for her sophomore long-player, 2019's Favorite Colors, and in 2020 she released her first collection of holiday songs, Christmas Is Coming. ~ Mark Deming