Earlier this month, the Josie Music Awards, considered one of the leading independent music awards in the world, nominated Kay for Rising Star and Vocalist of the Year. Her single, “Diehard,” was nominated for Song of the Year. The award show took place at the Grand Ole Opry House.
“Knowing that I was going to be going to the Grand Ole Opry, it really did feel like a full-circle moment,” Kay said. “Where I was, when I first moved, I came here as a tourist, bright eyed and ready to start my journey, and now I’m being recognized for my work.”
Kay created “Diehard,” a song that uses the metaphor of being a die-hard Husker fan to explore the steadfast nature of true love, with writers Brad McKinney and Jake Arthur. During the session, Kay pitched the idea, which was inspired by her college years in Lincoln.
“There’s always this saying that people in Lincoln will say, which is that you should marry a Nebraska fan, because they’re the most loyal,” Kay said. “And so, I brought in that idea of just like you want to have that type of life partner that’s loyal like a loyal football fan.”
Kay’s love for music began long before college, starting with an early instrumental program in kindergarten where she learned to play the violin. It eventually expanded to community theater, musical theater, and her high school dance team. It was at UNL where she rediscovered her love for performance, attending open mic nights at Crescent Moon Coffee and the Night Owl.
It was at one of those mic nights that she met the Gunnison Drive Band, an acoustic cover band, who she later sang with as they played around Nebraska.
“I spent that summer, and that’s kind of when I really got involved with the band, and I fell back in love with singing and performing,” Kay said. “I was thinking about what my next move was going to be after graduation, and it was just this thought of, ‘it’s now or never.’”
Kay said she has no plans of leaving Nashville anytime soon.
“They say that having a music career is like catching lightning in a bottle,” Kay said. “Half the battle is you need to get a bottle and then go where the lightning is, and the lightning is here.”
Looking back at her journey, Kay offered advice to others chasing the same dream.
“You have to just have the audacity to believe that you can do it. You know it’s something you have to go for fully you just have to believe in yourself,” Kay said. “And again, to rope Nebraska back in, day by day, we get better and better. I’ve integrated that into my personal code and motivation.”