Singer/Songwriter Delivers Original Song “Holiday Honky Tonk” Today +
Offers New Rendition of “Mary, Did You Know?” Next Friday, Nov. 13
NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Following the release of her debut EP Learn To Live, rising MCA artist and singer/songwriter Kinsley is bringing the Christmas spirit to listeners with back-to-back releases: her original song “Holiday Honky Tonk,” available now, and a new rendition of “Mary, Did You Know?” coming next Friday, Nov. 13. Listen to “Holiday Honky Tonk” HERE and pre-save/pre-add “Mary, Did You Know?” HERE.
“This was easily one of the most fun writes I’ve ever been a part of,” shares Kinsley. “We started thinking about ‘I’ll Be Home for Christmas’ and wondered, ‘What if we had that backwards? What if he’s the one coming home for Christmas, and I’m the one hiding out in a honky tonk trying not to run into him?’ I loved the idea of taking a familiar Christmas classic and flipping it on its head.
“We were writing a Christmas song in the middle of April, which made the whole thing even funnier,” she adds. “We had to just embrace the corniness and see how far we could take it. Most of my music tends to lean on the serious side, so it’s fun to let loose and laugh every once in a while. I think that’s what makes the song so special. It never took itself too seriously, and I love how it all came together.”
Written by Kinsley with Seth Mosely, RuthAnne Cunningham and Allison Veltz-Cruz, “Holiday Honky Tonk” mixes an upbeat playfulness with a reluctance to celebrate, as our heartbroken narrator paints a picture of avoiding their hometown sweetheart in a honky tonk hideaway:
Bet you got coal in your stocking for that cold coal heart
I’ll be dancing in them string a lights and you’ll be in the dark
Square toe all on that mistletoe, two stepping till the dawn
If you’re looking for me don’t
I’ll be spending this holiday hiding in a honky tonk
Drinking in a winter wonderland
Singing all I want for Christmas is some
Egg noggin, boot knocking, tree rocking, non- stopping
Moving on here in the neon
Spending this holiday getting you gone
Hiding in a honky tonk
Next Friday, Nov. 13, Kinsley will release her rendition of “Mary, Did You Know?,” a song she performed in her Midnight Sessions on YouTube last year, which garnered such a positive response, she decided to cut a studio version for listeners to enjoy this holiday season.
Learn To Live, released via MCA on September 25, marked a major milestone for the 22-year-old, as Entertainment Focus praises the project “heralds the arrival of a major talent,” while Billboard observes Kinsley “brings a gritty, dramatic vocal state to her first EP…there’s a crack in her delivery that houses earthy experiences, ready to appear during her performances.” The Country Note concurs, sharing her “grounded personality runs throughout.”
An “old soul” with a lifelong passion for poetry and songwriting, Kinsley approaches music as both personal expression and emotional refuge, writing the kinds of songs that say the things people are often too afraid to say themselves. Through her music, she hopes not only to share her own story, but to give voice to the experiences and emotions others may struggle to put into words.
Follow along on Instagram and TikTok @Kinsley.Music, Facebook.com/OfficialKinsleyMusic and OfficialKinsleyMusic.com.
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