From his engagement to Grey's Anatomy star Katherine Heigl last June, to surviving a near-fatal bus crash in October to promoting his most recent album, the past year was a whirlwind for Josh Kelley.
The singer-songwriter from Atlanta says he has grown musically since the release of his debut album, For the Ride Home, in 2001. His newest album Just Say the Word reached the No.27 position the iTunes Top Albums list last June. The CD reveals Kelley's evolution both as a person and as an artist.
"I've seen more," Kelley says. "Over time you get better. You explore the world and it puts perspective on things. My perspective is a lot stronger than it used to be."
Since the release of his sophomore album Almost Honest in 2005, Kelley worked on perfecting his singing, songwriting and musical skills in order to become more successful.
"I think getting older, a little wiser, you realize that everything is really in your hands," Kelley says. "Your own success depends on how hard you work. I realized I was capable of working much harder."
And Kelley recently found a new muse with the help of a luscious love interest. On the set of his video for "Only You," he met his fiancée Katherine Heigl, who plays Dr. Izzie Stevens on the hit ABC show Grey's Anatomy.
"She has been an amazing inspiration," Kelley says. "I write more because of her than I would have. I fell in love."
Since the couple's engagement, they have received intense coverage from the media - between her hit TV show and his pop hits, the duo seems to be too juicy to pass up.
"There's a song that all those magazines wanted me to write called 'Katie's Song,'" Kelley says in response to the publicity surrounding his love life, and the cliche, write-a-song-about-your-girlfriend idea. But he gave it his all. "It's one of the best songs I have ever written," he says.
Kelley has been out and about, sans fiancee, on his latest tour since March and will perform at the House of Blues in Chicago April 18.
"It's off the chain," Kelley says. "This (tour) has become more of an event. It's a real rock show now. It's more theatrical, and the set is stronger since I have three albums now."
Kelley says to expect a fourth album sometime in fall or early 2008. With his strongest fan base in the Midwest, he plans to release the album in Chicago, he says.
"I'm going (be there) a whole week," Kelley says. "I'm going to do an art show with my new paintings. And then a CD release with a live show."
Since beginning his musical career at age 11 by starting a band with his younger brother, music has enabled him to see the world, he says. After walking away from that bus crash last October, Kelley admits he still gets "a little freaked out" sometimes when traveling in the giant vehicle. But he realizes that buses are an unavoidable part of his future. Travel has given him a new sense of maturity, Kelley says.
"That's pretty much what happened, traveling around, meeting people," he says. "Things you used to believe in you don't believe in anymore. It's one of the things that happen when you become a traveler."
Medill freshman Moira Lawler is a PLAY writer. She can be reached at m-lawler@northwestern.edu.
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