Kelley McRae grew up in Mississippi but called Brooklyn home for years before teaming up with guitarist Matt Castelein in 2011, when the duo traded in their NYC apartment for a VW camper van and hit the road full time. Thousands of miles and hundreds of shows later, they have toured coast to coast in the US, played to packed rooms across Europe, sold-out the Bluebird Cafe in Nashville, and built a dedicated following on the strength of their live performances.

Drawing comparisons Emmylou Harris and Gillian Welch, the duo's music is wide ranging – comprising haunting ballads, tender love songs, and energetic guitar driven songs. Paste Magazine's 4 Star review raves "Kelley moves effortlessly from mournful tones to a celebratory swing, from songs of loss and decay to hymns of love and grace." Acclaimed film director Wim Wenders says Kelley's songs move him to tears, and BBC Radio's Bob Harris calls the songs 'brilliant.' Kelley's music has been featured in Lifetime's Army Wives, MTV, commercials for American Airlines and Unicef, and numerous independent films.

She was recently featured as the vocalist for the song ‘Until the End’ on the official soundtrack of NETFLIX’s Korean drama, The Glory. The song has found millions of fans and is bringing a new wave of listeners who have fallen in love with Kelley’s voice.

Kelley's latest release, GOOD COMPANY, came to life in a community of songwriter friends who decided to Zoom every Tuesday for a year with the hopes that accountability and feedback would inspire new work. It did just that, and within nine months, Kelley and Matt Castelein (her husband and longtime musical partner) had written and recorded ten new songs.

'Ashes', the first single, is a surprisingly boppy song about burial, baptism and a pandemic interrupting all the ways we gather. In March of 2020, Kelley was excited to introduce her newborn daughter to her family and to finally bury her mom's ashes in her new hometown. In March of 2022 she was still waiting, and as tentative plans to meet were made once again, this song emerged as a prayer: 

"Ashes on my forehead / Ashe's in my hands / Maybe at Easter / In the mystery we'll stand / Flesh and blood and water / Bless my youngest daughter / Then we'll stand beneath an open sky / Earth to earth, oh Mama, it is time."

Kelley says the album came about as a sort of meditation on getting older and the empowerment that can come with that:

“My songs are always out in front of me, “ she says, “showing me what I feel and what I need. And getting older has made it easier for me to see the patterns of my life, to see the places where something essential has been abandoned. I think these songs were asking me to speak certain hard truths and reclaim my spirit, my faith, my joy, my power, my body. These songs were showing me how to do that - how to be good company to myself.”