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Editor's note:KSL.com does a weekly feature on artists in the community. If you have a painter, sculptor, musician or creative genius in mind, feel free to email your submission to atreasure@ksl.com. Please include a contact email for the artist, if available.SALT LAKE CITY — The local music scene here in Utah is booming. With bands like Neon Trees and Imagine Dragons getting national recognition, many other up-and-coming musicians are looking for their chance to let the world hear their music.
Brogan Kelby is such a musician. Kelby is a Utah native who has been making original music for years. Kelby grew up listening to some of the great pop and rock artists.
“I was raised listening to Prince, AC/DC, Def Leppard, Bon Jovi and some country,” he said.
Yes, most of us listened to great music growing up, but not many of us were truly inspired to write our own music at a young age. Kelby got his first guitar when he was 8 years old. Soon after that, he started writing and performing his own songs.
“When I was about 11, I started writing music and started performing with a few bands,” Kelby said. “I would play coffee shops and street corners and would open up for anyone I could.”
Kelby describes his early music as punk rock, but has since changed his style.
“As I got older, I started falling in love with pop melodies and catchy, big-production songs,” Kelby said. “So I started dabbling in pop songs. I wasn’t really trying to take my career to be super pop, I just wanted to know what I could do as a songwriter.”
It seemed that Kelby was doing something right. At just 19 years old, Kelby was offered a record deal with a company is Los Angeles. For many musicians, this would be a dream come true. However, what was thought to be a great opportunity ended up to be a dead end. Without naming the publishing company he was working with, Kelby spoke about his experience working in Los Angeles.
“We couldn't really come to an agreement on a good contract,” Kelby said. “This company seriously wanted 100 percent publishing off my first album. Fortunately, I never signed a deal with them, but I did learn a lot.”
Kelby spent three years trying to negotiate with the company, trying to retain rights as a musician. According to Kelby, the record company wanted him to focus more on writing and producing music. But that’s not how Kelby likes to do things.
While Kelby has a band backing him up when he plays live, the recorded songs are all him. He plays all the instruments, does all the vocals and produces his music on his own.
“When people hear my music, I want them to experience who I am. That's why I like to do every part of the song,” Kelby said.
After cutting ties with the record company, Kelby started working on a new EP. Kelby’s new EP is really catchy and feels like '80s pop with a modern twist. “Dysfunctional,” the first track on Kelby's self-titled EP, immediately catches your attention and has one of those melodies that gets stuck in your head. The following songs carry the same energy. This EP is a great summer companion.
“I blended everything I really loved— the alternative sound I grew up on, my punk rock upbringing and '80s new wave. I meshed it all into this EP you’re hearing now,” Kelby said describing his new EP. “I want this EP to feel like I started from scratch. This is who I am now, this is who I want to be.”
Kelby will be playing alongside Broods and DJ Jarvicious at the Salt City Sounds Concert Series on Wednesday, June 22 at the Gallivan Center. The concert is free to the public. It will be a great show and an awesome way to spend a summer night. For more information on the concert, click this link.
If you can’t make it to this show, Kelby will also be playing Splash Fest 2016 at Seven Peaks Waterpark on Saturday, June 25. More information on that show can be found here. You can also catch him on July 8 at The Complex. He will be opening for Cage The Elephant. Tickets for that show can be purchased here.
Brogan Kelby’s self-titled EP is available to stream on Apple Music, Spotify and his Facebook page.
