Katy Kiefer

Critics rave Katy Kiefer is back after a three year Hiatus with her best effort yet, Naked on Vesta Records. Her sophomore CD kicks off with Caught Up In Your Gravity which impacted radio in early January. Like her debut CD Kaleidoscope, the revealing collection is a well written library of songs featuring collaborations from Music Row’s elite tunesmiths; Buck Moore, Jan Buckingham, and Natalie Howard who get“naked” so to speak,with Kiefer under the gifted production of Grammy Nominated Producer Jim Lightman ( India Arie, Lee AnnWomack ). Naked began shipping mid February and is distributed through IODA internationally in an environmentally friendly “Eco-Wallet” that Katy had requested her label use in manufacturing.

The title Naked is more than just a metaphor for the singer. After an extensive two year radio tour promoting Kaleidoscope nationally, she began stock piling an arsenal of songs, testing new material at writer’s nights and enjoying her son, family and friends. Suddenly she became plagued with back problems. Two surgeries later, she was diagnosed with degenerative disc disease. In pain, but obsessed with finishing her next album, Kiefer would lie down on co-writer’s floors with her guitar to write. After months of grueling physical therapy she returned to the studio with “new material, a new approach to life, and a humbling experience that yielded a more organic, raw, heart and soul, product,” explains Kiefer who insisted there be no correcting or auto tuning on her vocals. She felt confident after years of study with famed vocal coach Renee Grant Williams that she didn’t need or want it. “I’m in a place where I no longer worry about making everyone in the planet happy, but rather here I am – love me or leave me. I’m more comfortable in my own skin and that translates into my music.”

On Rainmaker, Kiefer found inspiration with hit singer/songwriter from Australia, Natalie Howard. “I wrote with Natalie who is an amazing person and talented. Like many first writing appointments, I didn’t know what to expect. As fate would have it, we were both in the dumps over personal relationships and almost cancelled on each other. Instead, after much laughter and tears, we opened ourselves up to recognizing the place we were in and writing about what we needed to do to make a positive change in our lives.“ Already spinning on 100+ Americana, Country, & College radio stations it is obvious that the passion and inspiration is not lost on others. Katy’s heartfelt collection has not only crossed over genres but also crossing over continents with airplay throughout Europe and in Australia where she was nominated “Best International Artist” in the MusicOz Awards. In the UK “Rainmaker” impacted the Country Chart at #16.

Kiefer, who’s infectious humor and trademark wavy red locks light up a room, is a paradox of angst and gut wrenching emotion softened by an appreciative zest for life. This go around, her life as a single mom is filled with a zestful joie de vivre, but stripped down of all that is not real and necessary. She’s learned from life hard lessons, but manages to laugh at life and herself to boot. She’s quirky, fun, brave, memorable, refreshing and focused, but not self-absorbed. Growing up in West Virginia in a family bursting in spirit and love, albeit not cash, was a grounding experience. They later moved to Connecticut where the she worked on the family farm and surrounding apple orchards from age seven. “It taught me the value of things and gave me the determination to work hard for what I want. It helped me overcome a lot of obstacles later in life. Looking back, I really consider myself blessed to have had that type of upbringing.”