With the lack of concerts, coffee houses, and live performances these days, it’s always interesting to see what local artists and bands are doing behind the scenes as they await to return to the stage.
Singer/Songwriter Kathleen Elle hasn’t missed a beat as she has performed over 100 consecutive nights (and then some) of live acoustic performances on Facebook, Instagram, and Youtube since the start of the pandemic. Not only has Kathleen been writing and performing, but she would spend hours in front of a sewing machine making masks for first responders at the height of the pandemic.
That’s why it comes as no surprise to me that Kathleen has upped her game when it comes to her new single, “Nervous” which dropped yesterday.
Kathleen has always been a standout vocally, but this new single is next level as she embraces more of a mainstream pop, dance pop style. As always there is some real heart behind the message of this song.
As described by Kathleen, “Nervous” portrays the emotions felt when you’re attracted to someone, but fearful to put yourself out there without knowing whether they are genuine and worth it. It opens with wistful musings of the difficulty of letting new love in. Then, the dance beat drops as the physical struggle between listening to those fears or giving into attraction ensues. “Nervous” is what everyone goes through when deciding whether to dive into a new relationship, especially those who have been burned in the past.
The single gives me some ’90s Mariah meets a HelloGoodbye Vibe. I particularly love the high harmonies in the last chorus of this track. But what I like most is the amalgamation of Kathleen’s indy soul and new pop genres combined. This shows not only Kathleen’s writing talent, but her evolution as an artist. The production on this track is absolutely stellar.
As the world begins to open back up expect to see Kathleen back on stages all over the area or even performing in front of an ice cream shop with an acoustic guitar in Belmar.
