Singer Kellylee Evans releases new EP with six tracks “Show Love”

JUNO Award winner Kellylee Evans conveys reflection and healing on her new EP “Show Love”

In her latest musical work, the JUNO Award-winning singer, songwriter and motivational speaker Kellylee Evans expresses a new level of self-reflection. Through addictive jazz compositions and their powerful expression of soul, Evans’ new six-track EP is Show love embodies her unmistakable sound and at the same time takes her artistic skills to a new level.

Over the course of 18 months, Evans worked with producer and collaborator Michael Shand. According to Evans, Show Love is a lesson in patience and taking life as it comes. Of the process of recording the EP with Shand, Evans says, “We each had different things come up that forced us to put the project aside and focus on what was most important in our lives. But we all kept coming back to the project we were working on with renewed passion and curiosity.”

This commitment and enthusiasm are evident in this project. Show love is a reflection of the journey Evans has taken so far as she looks back on her identity as a mother and her own childhood. Having lost her mother to cancer in 1999, Show Love is heavily influenced by Evans’ deeper understanding of her mother and their relationship.

“It’s a love letter to my mom to tell her that I finally get it,” Evans says.

With her iconic sound – a captivating blend of jazz, soul, funk, R&B and hip-hop – Evans not only expresses her reflections on her youth and family relationships, but she conveys every aspect of her identity in a way that is raw, uncompromising and deeply relatable.

“On this album, I look back at those times, both musically and conceptually. I deal with my feelings growing up and wanting to succeed and make my parents proud, and my search for true love at any cost. This album is me, in all my shame and glory. And if the initial feedback is any indication, listeners will find themselves in those stories too. The message is universal.”

The EP as a whole is a varied and well-rounded work, as it uses both fast tempos and slow beats equally and effectively. The title track contains a sensual and addictive musicality, as Evans finally admits that she is now ready to show love in her life. With Shand arranging and playing instruments on every song on the record, Evans says Show love would not have been complete without his influence.

“He’s the secret ingredient of this album and such a key contributor,” says Evans. “For me, this album also reflects the music of my childhood, growing up in the ’80s and ’90s: house, soul and a Caribbean vibe running through everything. Michael is so incredible, he captured it perfectly.”

Whether romance, motherhood or catharsis, Kellylee Evans offers a range of emotions and reflections in the six songs that make up Show love. Her impeccable and versatile vocals carefully convey the emotions of each song with vivid imagery and sensitive lyricism, and listeners are able to find a deeper understanding and healing of themselves just as Evans expresses herself through her art.

Songlist for Show Love:

Friends
Show love
Protection in the storm
Now
Holy
Higher

Kellylee: Upcoming tour dates:

June 20, 2024 – Toronto Jazz Festival Benefit Gala – Toronto, ON
June 21, 2024 – Action Date – Toronto, ON
June 22, 2024 – Toronto Jazz Festival – Toronto, ON
July 1, 2024 – National Arts Centre Canada Day – Ottawa, ON
July 26, 2024 – Stratford Summer Music – Friday Night Live – Stratford, ON
July 29, 2024 – Carleton University Jazz Camp Ottawa, ON
August 24, 2024 – Port Hope Jazz Festival – Port Hope, ON
September 27, 2024 – Old Mill – Toronto, ON
November 29, 2024 – Women’s Blues Revue – Toronto, ON
December 7, 2024 – National Arts Centre – Ottawa, ON
December 12, 2024 – Salle Bourgie, PQ
December 13, 2024 – Hugh’s Room Live – Toronto, ON
December 14, 2024 – Hugh’s Room Live – Toronto, ON
February 22, 2025 – Aurora Cultural Centre – Aurora, ON
April 24, 2025 – Koerner Hall – Toronto, ON

www.kellyleeevans.com/

Eric Alper