Lora Kelley Opens Up About Pandemic’s Emotional Effect in New Single “Waking Dream”

CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA (January 6, 2021) – As humankind begins a new trip around the sun, the remnants and effects of 2020 are still fresh wounds for many. An artist who herself had to pivot and make decisions to keep her family safe in the midst of a pandemic, Lora Kelley has penned a new song that grapples with loss amidst uncertainty and continuing forward into the unknown – something most people experienced in some way or another during 2020. “Waking Dream”, releasing on all major platforms on February 5th, is a testament to the pandemic’s emotional impact on society. “As the pandemic began to gain momentum, and it became clear that there was an indefinite nature to it swirling around us, my husband (a wedding photographer) and I decided the most conservative approach to outlasting the pandemic’s emotional and economic impact was to sell our house and to try and pivot swiftly to a job that had a more essential nature to it,” says Kelley of the moment behind the song. “One morning, after sleeping at my mother’s house, I woke up confused as to where I was. For a minute, I was back in time waking up in our old house, the morning light pouring sideways through the blinds. It felt like an alternate timeline and that many pre-pandemic memories only exist in that in-between space of waking and sleeping.”

Having just celebrated an 11th wedding anniversary and the birth of their third child, Lora and her husband were optimistic for 2020… a feeling common to most at the beginning of last year. “As the pandemic up-ended our livelihood and our home, it became clear that nothing would ever return to the way it was. There was no going back, and the only way to make it through was to offer each other the opportunity to press on,” says Lora. The lyric “take my hand, we can’t go back to where we were” refers to just that – pressing on in the midst of uncertainty, leaning into the unknown, and holding loved ones just a little bit tighter. As listeners collectively enter 2021 knowing life won’t return to what used to be normal, listeners can take comfort in Lora’s song and the reminder that they are not alone… we are all taking each other’s hand and pressing into what is to come in 2021.

“Waking Dream” is a single from Kelley’s upcoming album Domystique, releasing in the Spring. Kelley herself has been acclaimed by top music-tastemakers including No Depression, The Boot, Elmore Magazine, Great American Song, and others. Described as “polished pop Americana with a darker lyrical edge” by Americana UK and praised for her “distinctive voice” by No Depression, Lora Kelley finds a way to step between the time of ingenue and the silvery-haired later years of womanhood, pressing into the gentle magic of middle-life. Like other songs on this record, “Waking Dream” pulls from Kelley’s own experiences and knits together what it felt like for her to feel the threads of connectivity to what used to be but isn’t (and won’t be) anymore.

Looking forward to the release to come this year, Domystique promises to be a whimsical look at domestic life, exploring the middle space between youth and old age and what comes with it. Whether she is singing about the childlike perspective, the complexity of being an aging woman, or exploring the nuance of female-driven hospitality, Lora has brought to life a collection of lyrics and music inviting the listener to attune to their own heart’s experiences. As a devoted wife and mother of three, Lora balances a tender eye on life’s middle age with the ache of both looking back and looking forward. Typical for Lora’s lyrics, the listener finds themselves in habitable spaces, moving around as if in a well-known room in one’s own house. With thoughtful acoustic guitar and gentle ambient textures, Lora’s vocals illuminate the stories with a “come sit with me and let’s trade secrets” sensibility. Three years in the making, this album is full of both broad and decisive strokes perfectly suited for today’s accounting of both beauty and losses. “Waking Dream” is only the first taste of Lora’s ability to offer a kind voice amidst the chaotic clamor.