The Voice winner Judah Kelly to play Brass Monkey, Cronulla

Judah Kelly will play Cronulla’s Brass Monkey on September 8 as part of a run of live shows to coincide with the release of his debut album.

The album, Count on Me, features four original tracks including his debut single of the same name which won Kelly the title in the series final of The Voice. Count on Me reached number one on the iTunes chart and number three on the Spotify Australian Viral chart.

It may have been over 10 weeks this year that Kelly’s gift as a country-soul singer finally shone under the spotlight but he is anything but an overnight success. For five years he worked as a live bass player, guitarist and studio session player. Last year alone, Kelly drove 90,000 kilometres to play gig after gig.

He made his debut as a four-year-old in a New Zealand church where his grandma proudly popped him up to perform. His professional career began six years later when he started fronting his parents’ karaoke business in Queensland.

Kelly, now 20, wowed many with his blind audition of Tennessee Whiskey. The song features on the album, with the track listing reflecting Kelly’s wealth of experience as a performing and recording musician.

The rest of the album showcases his unique and passionate slant on the country genre as well as Kelly’s resolution to make his own mark with a quartet of originals, a first for a “winner’s” album.

“The main thing for me is to keep it real and to keep making music that makes people feel something. I want to make something with meaning,” Kelly said. 

“That’s what the goal is. If it gets bigger than that, that’s a pretty cool bonus.

“The kind of country music that I fell in love with is all real and authentic and that’s what I try to keep with my music now. Real people playing real instruments and songs with meaning.

“I hate the cliché but it really has been a rollercoaster. It was only months ago that I had minus $90 in my account.”

Details: judahkellymusic.com, brassmonkey.com.au