Getting to Know Our Stars! - Kellylee Evans
1. How old were you when you first started singing?
I have a feeling I have been singing as long as I have been able to sing. I’m sure we have all heard babies singing along with choirs and to themselves. I know I was one of those babies. But my first real memory of singing in front of a crowd was a solo that I had in kindergarten. I was hooked. I may be making this up, but I feel like I can remember seeing the faces of the people out there, the smiles and I remember the applause when we finished performing. I knew I wanted to keep doing that.
2. Who was/is your biggest musical inspiration?
I think my mom was. She brought me to concerts. She and I went to record shops and bought new music every pay day. She loved having music playing in the house and she had such a wide, varied tastes. We watched variety shows on television. She was always singing in the house while she was doing anything. She loved music. We loved music.
3. Where do you make your home?
I live in Ottawa. I was born and raised in Scarborough, Ontario, which is a suburb just north east of Toronto. I moved here in Ottawa to go to Carleton University in 1992 and I never left. I love this city. It’s so green and filled with ways to interact with nature. And I love being near the canal and being able to walk along it on my walks. The lightning strike in 2013 and subsequent head injuries over the years really affected my mobility. I’ve since regained my mobility through years of recovery. Part of the blessing I feel every day is tied to my ability to walk, skate, ride and be active. I’m so thankful to live in such an accessible city.
4. Do you have any pets?
Cyrus! He’s our part Bengal cat. I feel like we are just getting to know him really. Since his arrival during the pandemic in 2020, he has been a domineering and adventurous seeking task master. You needed to wake up when he was ready (usually somewhere between 3 to 5 am every morning). Recently, I purchased an automatic feeder that feeds him at those times instead and I feel like he has become a new being. It’s amazing!! His energy has shifted and mellowed. No more 3 am singing/yowling. Thank goodness.
5. What is the best concert/gig you have ever done?
After the lightning strike in 2013, my band and I (Michael Shand, Larnell Lewis, Wesley Allen and Rich Grossman) were performing at the Montreal Jazz Festival on the outdoor stage. It was just a few weeks after the accident. I couldn’t walk, stand for an extended period and was wondering how I was going to do my regular show which involved me really working the crowd, dancing and being super mobile. My band and the audience just stepped up and their energy totally did the work for me. It was such a beautiful experience. Showed me the power of collective connection. It’s still online.
6. What is the best concert you have ever attended?
COLDPLAY! In Ottawa. The X&Y Tour. I loved that show so much. Interactive. So many great songs. So much fun.
7. Do you have an all-time favourite song or album?
I still love performing Feeling Good which I learn from Nina Simone and ended up recording on my album, Nina, which won the Juno.
8. What musician would you still most like to work with?
I don’t really know. I love the folks I work with now. Always open to meeting awesome people, musicians or non-musicians.
9. If you weren't a musician what would you be?
I always wanted to be an obstetrician or a midwife and deliver babies.
10. What is your favourite thing about Vancouver? Oh my goodness, I love the water. Being beside the water, on the water.
I love being able to take a ferry as well and see the mountains. It’s such a beautiful city.
~Vickie van Dyke