“I thought 2019 was bad but had I known 2020 was coming, it would’ve been way darker,” Kev Kelly told American Songwriter.
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For Kelly, 2020 has been a pretty significant year. In addition to all of the lows from the international health crisis and geopolitical situation, Kelly has been riding the highs of signing with LBK Entertainment and dropping his debut EP, Saint KDK V. Since the EP’s release in April, Kelly has been busy working on a series of remixes and reimaginations of his songs. The newest of these is a moving unplugged performance of his song “Everything’s On Fire.”
“‘Everything’s On Fire’ was written after I had this really vivid dream of a city on fire,” Kelly said. “I usually knock myself out with ZzzQuil every night and that usually leads to a pretty dreamless sleep. When things weren’t going great in my personal life I had this dream where I was running through a burning city but I had set the fire. Something about that dream really stuck with me. I woke up that morning and had the song written before I had a cup of coffee.”
The unplugged version of “Everything’s On Fire” really puts the song’s stellar emotional content center-stage. A pianist since he was 4 years old, Kelly’s performance is as effortless as it is emotional. His crisp voice seamlessly follows the ebbs and flows of his infectiously poppy melody lines. While the totality of his discography thus far shows off his eclectic tastes, this performance really demonstrates the influence of soul legends like Sam Cooke, Otis Redding and John Legend on Kelly’s work.
Considering the full ramifications of the struggles caused by 2020’s turbulent first-half, “Everything’s On Fire” offers a sense of solace, a sense of connection. Everywhere you go right now, you’ll see “you are not alone” imagery — as easy as it is to take this concept for granted, performances like Kelly’s remind us how powerful music can be in moments like this.
Watch Kev Kelly’s unplugged performance of “Everything’s On Fire” below:
