NASHVILLE, Tennessee- From the first few measures of a twangy guitar, I knew instantly when I heard “Speed of Broken Heart” that Kinsey Rose was going to be an artist I would want to feature. As they say, people who date have a “type”; the same can be said for me regarding country music artists. I have a type and when I hear it, I know it’s going to be gold.
Rose is from Louisville, Kentucky, and from a young age, she knew she was destined to perform. She started writing songs at age 10, and after graduating high school, she headed to Nashville. While her parents were very supportive, they were not part of the music industry and didn’t know how it worked.
“I had no fallback plan,” she said. Being only 3 ½ hours away, Rose would regularly make trips to Nashville as a teen because “if you want to make it in country music, Nashville is where you have to be.”
She regularly played in songwriting rounds and met various “players” in the music industry.
“I really hustled and did everything I could. I’ve been making a living from music and recording my own songs, funding my own albums, and working hard,” she explained.
“I saved up money from gigs and tips. It’s hard to live out of a tip jar and fund your own album while writing songs. I never stopped,” she said.
Rose spent over a decade relentlessly building her career independently, making a name for herself in some of Music City’s most iconic venues on Lower Broad, eventually signing to New Day Records as part of the award-winning and Grammy-nominated Gospel group HighRoad. She also released two full-length Country music albums independently including Honky Tonk Treasures (2021) and Fairweather Love (2015) feat. Vince Gill in addition to multiple EPs and singles, and being featured on Travis Mobley’s (Grammy-winning band Shenandoah) single “Save Me.”
I wanted to know how she got Vince Gill to sing on her record. She said, “I used to sing at the Pred’s games at Bridgestone Arena during the intermissions. One time Vince Gill was there and he came up to me afterward and said, ‘Hey, I’m Vince.’ He wanted to work with me and he gave me his number.”
Rose also does regular background vocals for other artists in the studio, like Jeannie Seely and David Frizzell.
“I’ve been doing that since I was a little girl,” she confessed.
Rose was a finalist on NBC’s The Voice in 2021 where she made history as the only contestant to have all four judges want to keep her after her coach first chose to save another artist.
“The nerves were at their highest. I’ve sung at several stages with thousands of people, but knowing it was going out to millions of people while being judged, it was quite a different experience.”
Even though Girl Named Tom would eventually win Season 21, Rose gained thousands more fans and learned how the television process worked.
Her covers of The Chick’s “Cowboy Take Me Away” and then later Deana Carter’s “Strawberry Wine” stole the judges and my heart.
But when she sang one of my all-time favorite songs, “Seven Bridges Road,” with Girl Named Tom is when I was truly blown away. Her work as a sessions singer really paid off.
Rose’s voice reminds me of a mix between Natalie Maines and Sara Evans. Two of my favorite songs she put out were “Get Yer Redneck On” and “When Trucks Fly.” The Kentucky girl unapologetically lets her country roots shine.
Her newest single, “Speed Of A Broken Heart,” was released on April 14. “Speed Of a Broken Heart” was co-written by Rose, Chris Roberts, and Grammy-winning Songwriter Marcus Hummon, known for multiple hits recorded by The Chicks, Rascal Flatts, Sara Evans, and more.
As her most personal song to date, she shared, “I wrote this song while ending a long-term relationship, it was very difficult. Breakups are never fun, but I learned that they can help you grow and move on. I wanted to put a positive spin on the song, but also keep it real.”
Even before The Voice, she has been a “regular” in Europe.
“It’s been a word-of-mouth thing. People hear me then they ask, ‘Hey, can you come here?”
The Europeans love her country music, and Rose states it has opened her eyes to their food and culture which she loves. It’s a win/win for everyone.
The singer-songwriter with over half a million streams on Spotify and more than 100,000 engagements on TikTok, recently kicked off international tour dates in support of her new single with stops in Switzerland, Denmark, and Norway earlier this week. She will set out abroad again as part of the Nashville Nights Tour this summer and then plans a tour stateside later on this summer.
As you know, I avidly support female singers/songwriters. And for me, the more country they are, the better. NBC’s The Voice aptly described Rose’s sound as a “sweet twang.” I couldn’t agree more.
You can follow Rose on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, TikTok, and all streaming platforms.
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Bethany Bowman is a freelance entertainment writer. You can follow her blog, Instagram, and Twitter.
