ELLY GRIMM
• Leader & Times
This year’s Five State Fair will be full of good entertainment, and one of those concerts will be from former “The Voice” contestant Hannah Kay.
Kay said music has been a big part of her life for many years, and she is looking forward to bringing that to Liberal.
“I have been in music since I was about 8 years old, and I've been performing since I was 10 years old. I was on the 2019 season of 'The Voice' and was on Team Blake,” Kay said. “I had a song on the Texas radio circuit that hit number 32 on the Texas charts, and I was named Female Artist of the Year by CMA of Texas in 2018. I have opened for artists such as Shenendoah and Mark Chestnutt, among many others, and I travel back and forth from Nashville writing with Grammy-winning artists.”
Kay added her initial interest in music was sparked by her family.
“My grandfather was a war veteran, but he also played guitar and sing and write songs. Before I was born, he got invited to play at the Grand Ole Opry, but he sadly was unable to do so because he was involved in a car accident and paralyzed from the chest down before that could happen,” Kay said. “The hospital thought they could continue surgeries and reverse some of that damage, but all of that ended up shortening his life expectancy, and he passed away before I was born. My dad told me a bunch of stories from growing up, and we spent a bunch of time listening to my grandfather's songs on cassette tapes, and that's what sparked my interest. The final push for me was right after Danielle Bradbery got off 'The Voice,' she had a meet-and-greet event, and I went up to her and started singing one of my songs even though I was nervous as all get-out. Her manager heard me and told me and my mom to get to Nashville because they felt I had what it takes. That was a big push for me, and that's when I really started hitting the ground running.”
Kay will be performing at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 5, and she said she was excited when the Five State Fair Board contacted her about performing.
“It was around the beginning of May when they reached out to me and asked if I would be interested in performing, and I had to say yes because my husband is actually from Liberal,” Kay said. “I was really excited and also nervous when they got in touch with me because I knew if everything worked out as planned, I would be performing in front of a lot of people my husband grew up with. I'm just really excited to meet everyone. I know I'll get to meet a lot of my husband's close friends and family, and I know he'll be excited to have some time back home. I know a lot of them have heard me sing on TV and through my music on YouTube and stuff like that, but they've never heard me live, so I'm excited to be able to sing for everyone there and be able to play at the fair and somewhere that's so important to my husband. Come and hang out, it's going to be a really fun concert and very family-friendly, I'll do my best to make that evening very memorable for everyone.”
And after stopping in Liberal, Kay said she will remain busy for a little while.
“I'm not touring at the moment, but I'm working on some new music and getting in the studio, so that's been fun,” Kay said. “This new album is different than the other music I've released, and I feel like a lot of people will be able to relate to a lot of the songs – some of them are funny and quirky and some of them are more sappy, so I'm excited to see what people think of it all.”
Overall, Kay said, she is excited to be making her way to Liberal for a show, and she hopes to put on a great show for everyone in the audience.
“I'm really excited to get to Liberal! I'm very excited the Fair Board wanted me to come and perform and play, and I can't wait to get out there,” Kay said. “It's going to be a great show for everyone, and everyone who turns out should end up having a great time.”
