About Kay Rose

As long as she can remember, music has been Kay's passion.  When she was just a little girl, she began hearing melodies and writing poetry.  After her grandmother moved in and brought her piano with her, Kay was instantly attracted to the instrument and soon began talking lessons.  She first learned classical piano, but was later influenced by songwriters like Karla Bonoff, Carly Simon, Bob Seger, Marc Cohn, and others.   By the time she was 14, she began writing and singing her own songs and creating her own sound, which has a moody edge and the perfect blend of classic rock/pop with a current twist.

Born in Santa Barbara, California, but moving constantly while she was growing up, creating songs and listening to the latest popular music gave Kay an outlet through a whirlwind childhood.  As she began raising a son alone in her late teens, music was a guiding light and a grounding force through a life that was a bit of a roller coaster ride.  She became a software developer to provide stability to their life, but music continued to be her solace and compass.  Daydreaming songs was her inspiration through fast paced days, romantic twists, and the ups and downs of life.

Kay’s first CD, “Words Left Unsaid”, was released the beginning of 2008.  This album reveals her vulnerability through haunting melodies and heartfelt lyrics.  Kay’s beautiful voice and talent on the piano are rounded out by guitarist Jeff Pevar, member of the band CPR with David Crosby and Crosby’s son James Raymond, and drummer Danny Montgomery, who has worked with Percy Sledge [“When a Man Loves a Woman”] and Johnette Napolitano of Concrete Blonde.  Montgomery also plays on Kay’s second album, “Missing You Tonight”, which was released the beginning of 2018.  While taking a slightly more upbeat and lighthearted approach, this album resemblances her first release with clear influences from Carly Simon and Karla Bonoff.  In fact, this album includes a beautiful cover of Bonoff’s “Someone to Lay Down Beside Me”.

Kay's music compels listeners with passionate vocals that are full of heart and beautiful melodies that strike a unique but familiar chord that lingers on in your mind.  Her lyrics are poetic, and forthright.   Despite facing some hardships in life, Rose continues to be a never ending idealist and hopeless romantic, all of which comes through in her songs.  Though sometimes reaching emotional depths, her songs are resolved with a sense of hopefulness and wisdom.   The Eureka Reporter in California called her "a hauntingly beautiful journey through heartfelt territory."

Kay feels her songs often write themselves as she often wakes up with substantial portions of songs in her head.  She also spends a fair amount of time honing them and especially enjoys being asked to write a song for someone or for a special occasion.