Inside the Journey of Kyle Kelly: An Interview on Touring New Music and What’s Next
Kyle Kelly has had the kind of year most new artists only dream of. Just twelve months after dropping his debut single “my little heart <3,” he’s gone from playing small hometown shows to performing for thousands on Daniel Seavey’s Second Wind Tour. Along the way, he’s built a dedicated fanbase that connects deeply with his mix of powerful lyrics and high-energy performances. Whether it’s on stage, in the studio, or across social media, Kyle brings a mix of honesty, humor, and vulnerability that makes him stand out.
Now, with his live EP on the way and a string of new singles lined up, Kyle is showing no signs of slowing down. Between late nights on tour, unexpected collaborations, and fans screaming his lyrics back to him around the world, he’s soaking in every moment of this whirlwind chapter. We caught up with Kyle to talk about the past year, what he’s learned on the road, and what’s coming next as he continues to grow into his own as an artist.
Hey Kyle, you’ve had quite the year! We’re coming up on the 1 year anniversary of your debut single, “my little heart <3”. How does it feel to look back on everything now that we’re closing in on the end of 2025?
Oh my god, well, thank you first of all! It truly has been an insane year. Genuinely could not have imagined it going this well this quickly. I always say this, but it has really been 0 to 100 real quick hahaha. I’m just so grateful. Grateful for my team, Daniel’s team for taking a chance on me, the support of my friends and dad, and of course, the immense (and sometimes intense hahaha) support from all my fans. It feels like the fans really came into my life in an instant and have been the most reassuring thing for me as this journey continues. The love really came so much more quickly than I would’ve ever thought, and- yeah. I’m just so grateful.
Let’s actually jump in right from there. You’ve been on the road with Daniel Seavey on his Second Wind Tour since March, and the only artist on every leg of the tour. How has all of that been for you?
Oh- a whirlwind, truly. I had only played my first show back in December, and it felt like we booked the tour right after that show, so we really went from having just the support of my friends at a 60-person show to a 90-minute-long meet-and-greet line after a 1000-person show in Dallas. I just can’t thank Daniel enough for having me along. I’ve certainly had the highest of highs and learned my fair share of lessons on the road, and Daniel and his team have been nothing but the most supportive, welcoming- genuinely the nicest people I’ve ever met. It has been the best possible environment for my first tour, and the fans are even more supportive and loving. It was so cool to come into this as someone no one’s heard of and have the fans just rally behind me so quickly.
You just got back from the Australian leg of the tour. How did that compare to the other legs?
It was even wilder than I was expecting—and I was already expecting wild hahaha. No, it was insane. I loved it so much, and I knew I would. I think the crowds really took to me, particularly with how much 5 Seconds of Summer has shaped me growing up and my musical journey, and of course, we were playing a cover of “She’s Kinda Hot” the entire tour as well. They were such huge shows, and it was really just such a cool moment to acknowledge that we were all the way across the world with the same screams we’ve been receiving all year. And, I couldn’t have picked a better place to record our live EP, which is releasing later this year. Beyond the crowds, it’s been particularly great to grow so close to Daniel’s team and have this tight family that’s been together basically all year, and on top of that, Jack and I just hit it off so well. I truly love that guy.
Yes! I’ve been seeing a ton of clips of you and Jack playing Sally together across the shows. How did that come about?
Like I said, his whole group and mine really just hit it off from the first time meeting. We shared a green room pretty often and would just talk all the time and go out for drinks after shows- it was great. Then—I think it was Melbourne—he was soundchecking Sally, and I—naturally—jumped up and down in the auditorium, “Can I be your Sally?!?!” And he just lit up like a Christmas tree, just, “yeah, man, that’d actually be so cool!” We did that first show with me just coming on stage jumping, and then he had the idea to invite me to have us sing it together, and then we just kept doing it. There’s actually a video out there of me singing the harmonies of the song backstage because I would harmonize with him throughout the song, but didn’t come onstage until the bridge hahaha. Just so grateful for our friendship and him inviting me to share the stage during his own time.
Could we ever look forward to you and Daniel singing a song together?
Hahaha, we’ll see! I would absolutely love to. Been dreaming of singing “Blondes” with him one day, but I would only ever if he invited me. With all that’s gone on with having to postpone dates, I would never want to insert myself or ask or detract from his spotlight and his set in any way, with him having waited so long for some of these shows.
Well, let’s talk about your own set. You’ve described your set as a “twenty minute party.” What exactly made you create a set like that, and how has that shaped the way you hit the stage every night?
Oh, I mean, it was really simple. I’m the first of three at these huge shows, tons of fans have waited for hours, and I just wanted to warm up the crowd with as much power as we could. The acts after us have not so much slower songs. That’s not the right way to express that. My drummer actually put it best, “the music is very pop, but the live show is very very rock.” So I wanted to lean into that as much as I could, especially because it created such a cool experience for the audience to have these three acts that are all so different yet fit together for such a great show. Plus, with only twenty minutes, I thought, why spend 20% of that slowing down for a sec? Let’s just keep punching them with banger after banger after banger. I want people to jump, dance, scream, and all that. We’ll save the ballads for longer shows.
You did actually play a longer set at your first festival this past July, supporting Neon Trees. How was it to play more of your catalogue all the way in Idaho? Was the crowd different from what you’ve been used to?
I won’t lie, it was definitely a bit stressful at first when we were putting together the show. I have a few vocal cord issues that I’m still working through, so doing a set twice as long as the usual was a bit daunting. But, of course, it was so cool to be able to play almost all of my catalogue and so many unreleased songs in one go. I did actually love playing the ballads the most. A bunch of fans we’ve accumulated from the Second Wind Tour actually flew out to see our set in Idaho, which is INSANE. Grateful is such an understatement, and I still can’t wrap my head around it. Anyway, what was I saying? Oh- yes. With them being there, my band and I actually sat at the edge of the stage for my ballad, “what if i never get over you” and it genuinely brought me to tears playing it. I mean, I often cry with that song hahaha, but hearing people SCREAM it back to me was just the coolest feeling in the world. The rest of the crowd was honestly just as amazing. It was a much older crowd on average than we were used to, hahaha, but they were still jumping and dancing and having fun. There was actually this one guy toward the front- I’ll never forget him. His name’s Adam, and he was losing his mind the entire show, just screaming his lungs out. Said he started listening to my stuff a week before and just went berserk for it. Made my entire night.
That’s actually a great segue- We of course need to talk about the music. A lot of your songs like “my little heart <3” and “is there something (i don’t know)” have this dance of pain and playfulness back and forth. Is that intentional? Is that how you experience things in your personal life?
What, like compensating for my immense pain with humor and sarcasm? Oh, 100% hahaha. Only way to get through it. I’m laughing, but it is true, I wanted to sort of play into the fun and the heartache in some of the songs, especially the brighter ones. I think it all depends on the song, really. I never like to be on the nose because it always feels so… lackluster? I want to have layers to a story that make it both specific yet relatable. I want these songs to obviously be a true reflection of my own actions and life- ya know, these are stories I’ve genuinely lived through, but I also want them to be something for other people to have just as much. I think a lot of people can relate to coping with humor as well. But at the end of the day, I think- when I’m not getting political or existential- my music is really about feeling lonely or confused. Which everyone, especially post-COVID, can resonate with.
Was there ever a lyric or idea you left out of your music because it was too personal?
Left out? I don’t think so. Or nothing comes to mind at least. I’ve definitely rewritten something to not be so direct or on the nose about something. And I especially have changed lyrics to not be petty. The last thing I’d ever want is for my music to ever be petty or vindictive. I just feel like music like that obviously has its place- but it certainly isn’t mine. That being said, there are definitely a couple of lyrics in one of the releases later this year, “I’VE GOT FRIENDS,” that have some lyrics I was very hesitant to keep. I think, though, I rewrote it enough that I landed in a place where what could be seen as petty is also just me airing my confusion and frustration with landing myself in situations I don’t want to be in. My songs are always more self-reflection and narration than they are judgment or personal attacks within the story. I try to land all of my lyrics in a place of self-reflection and vulnerability more than anything. Or as vulnerable as I’ll let myself be at the time hahaha.
Some fans call your music “underrated.” Does that label frustrate you? Or is it endearing to you?
Oh, it’s definitely endearing! Obviously, there’s some self-doubt that comes in waves when you don’t have the numbers you were hoping for, or whatever bullshit success markers people talk about nowadays, blah blah blah. But when fans call me and my work “underrated,” it really just tells me that I and my reach haven’t met my top potential yet. I haven’t ~peaked~ yet- ya know. Which is always nice to hear. It’s just reassuring. I have my friends, my biggest supporters, tell me all the time, “I can and always have imagined you playing these huge shows someday. I have no doubt in my mind.” And it’s just as endearing, if not more, to hear the same sort of things from fans and complete strangers. I’m just really, really grateful.
Well, Kyle, we’ve reached the end of the interview, and I just have one final question. What’s next for you?
Well, I’m glad you asked! I don’t know when this will release, but my new single “break up this time” is right around the corner, and literally two weeks after that we’re dropping the live version of “my little heart <3” for the one-year anniversary, along with the “Kiss Me” cover we always do right before it. I am ESPECIALLY stoked to release the rest of the live EP later this year. The sequel to a melancholic romcom is coming soon as well. Just a ton of music, I guess. And hopefully more shows, obviously. As if I’m gonna stop touring? Hell, no.