Award-Winning Artist And Actress Kelly Price On Her Musical Journey
Award-winning singer songwriter Kelly Price discusses her over two decade career in music.
Grace Walker / WABE
As an award-winning singer-songwriter Kelly Price has had plenty of success in the music industry. She recently reflected on her musical journey, which began in the church where at just 3 years old Price began performing solos with the children’s choir.
Her love for songwriting followed soon after and by the age of 7 she wrote her first song.
“I can almost say anything inside of a song and creative license is extremely forgiving because it’s just a way to get it out,” Price told “Closer Look” host Rose Scott Thursday. “For me, as a kid, living through a lot of things — poverty, homelessness, abuse– it was the way that I could get things out without betraying a family secret or telling what I didn’t know I could tell or was afraid to tell.”
Throughout her teenage years Price performed around the country as a background vocalist, which eventually led to her performing behind George Michael at Madison Square Garden in New York City.
Despite this early success, Price faced obstacles in the music industry from executives who wanted to craft her into a certain image.
“I could write songs for Mary [J. Blidge], I could write songs for Faith [Evans], Aaliyah, Monica and Brandy, but record company executives didn’t see me singing the songs that I wrote for other people because this package that I was in wasn’t considered beautiful or sexy,” said Price. “I was advised if you want a music career consider singing house music or do a gospel album.”
Price would go on to have success with her double-platinum debut album “Soul of A Woman”, which featured the single “Friend of Mine.” In 2005, after releasing several more successful projects, Price debuted her first gospel album “This Is Who I Am”, which was certified gold.
In addition to music, Price is also an actress. Currently she plays the character of Brianne Clarke on BET’s “American Soul”, which is a fictional look at the life of Don Cornelius of “Soul Train.”
She has also been named as a judge on the BET gospel singing competition “Sunday Best,” which returns to television this Sunday after a four-year hiatus. The program is hosted by Grammy-award winning artist Kirk Franklin.
You can hear the entire conversation above.
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