Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Kelly Storc. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Kelly, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. What’s been the most meaningful project you’ve worked on?

My debut single, “Don’t Send Flowers,” is one of the most meaningful projects that I’ve completed at this point in my career! Releasing original music for the first time in a huge milestone in any independent artists career. You are often responsible for everything from the songwriting, to arranging the song, finding a qualified producer, and learning how to market your music and brand yourself. For me, it took three years from the time I finished writing “Don’t Send Flowers” to have the fully produced master in hand. As of 6/16/23, this song is now available to stream & purchase online!

Besides my original music, I regularly organize and host large cover shows around in Nashville. It is one of the most rewarding things I do. Each show is comprised of 60 – 100 musicians who all get together and play music we love for charity. I never anticipated just how successful these shows would be, and how much fun we would have in the process! It means so much to me that we are able to use music to give back to the community.

Our next Music City Hero Coalition show will take place Saturday, July 22nd at the Basement East! Despite the fact that I make folk music, I am a huge fan of metal music, and so this next show will be a tribute to metalcore! Details about the event are on my Instagram for anyone interested!

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

I got started in music young, playing classical piano at the age of 5, and violin in my school orchestra in 4th grade. My mother also happened to be a karaoke DJ, so I spent a LOT of time singing karaoke in little venues around my hometown in Ohio. I loved performing so much, I started dreaming about a life being a professional music artist one day! Music changed my life, and I dreamed of writing music that could do the same for other people.

I hosted a radio show in college, and continued writing music after I finished my marketing degree. Finally, I made my move from Ohio to Nashville, and have been here for about 5 years now. I knew that I would never be satisfied until I started working on making my dreams a reality. Nashville was the best place I could think of to start building that career!

I also started a health insurance business when I moved here, and made it my prime focus until I was able to spend more and more time performing my songs. I went from never playing my music for anyone, to playing over 100 writers rounds and solo-acoustic shows between 2019 and 2020 when the pandemic hit.

I spent most of the pandemic writing songs and planning to release them. Now, I can finally say I have original music on Spotify, Apple Music, and YouTube! I am really proud that I never stopped, and I have no plans to slow down now.

Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?

Absolutely. I spent a lot of my life feeling different than other people. I’ve struggled with feelings of isolation and loneliness before, and music was always there to pull me out of that darkness. It is my life’s mission to write music that helps people feel heard and understood. I hope that my lyrics resonate with people who have felt the same way I have, in a way that lets them know they are going to be okay, and they can make their life anything they want it to be!

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

I love having the opportunity to make someone’s day. It means the world to me when someone comes to one of my shows and they cheer so loudly that I know I sang something that they really needed to hear. I want to write songs that become a part of people’s memories. I want the opportunity to open up people’s minds and maybe change their perspective on things that are happening in the world today. But most importantly, my goal is to create community around my songs, and make sure that no one in my camp feels completely alone or misunderstood.   

Contact Info:

• Website: https://withkoji.com/@kellystorc
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kel_storc/?hl=en
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kelly.storc/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/KellyStorc
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCTny2GeHmMI1LYjd_eu-_ZQ
• TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@kellystorc?_t=8UXHZKcIhWo&_r=1

Image Credits
Austin Dellamano