Grandview Manitoba's Kayla Luky is a prairie girl at heart, and her new album The Time it Takes is a reflection of that. The alt-country artist will be playing at the 5th Avenue Cup and Saucer on May 12.
The new album was recorded at a studio set up in Luky's home in Grandview with Zachary Lucky from Saskatoon producing. While it's her fourth album, the new record is a bit of a departure for Luky. While previous albums featured a more stripped down sound, with Luky on a guitar, this album features a full band, which includes Jonathan Anderson, Zachary Lucky, Lucas Goetz, Carly Maicher and Daniel Peloquin-Hopfner. Luky says the experience was extremely positive, as everyone who worked on the album was a friend.
"It was just a house full of love... It definitely wouldn't have been a fraction as good without their talent on it, so I feel pretty special," she says.
The songs on the album have been written in the past three years, since Luky has moved back to Grandview after living in Winnipeg for a number of years. She says the move has been the inspiration for the new work, and Grandview is an important part of the new album.
"You can hear in the songs the sound of moving back to a small town in the prairies and all the songs on the album are inspired by the lifestyle out here," Luky describes.
The inspiration of the town touched everything on the album, from the lyrics to the overall sound. Luky says it also moved the album in a more country direction, something she didn't originally intend.
"We were listening back to the stuff we recorded and I said 'You know, I think I'm a country artist,'" she recalls.
The town is more than just the inspiration for the songs, she adds. People in Grandview have been supporting her in a number of ways, giving the music radio play and filling the hall in Grandview for the CD release - something Luky had originally intended to host at her home. She says that it's gratifying to see the people around her support her music and her career.
"It really solidifies my decision to move back to a small town. A lot of people said I should be living in the city, and paying my dues and making a name for myself. But, when you have your whole community behind you, why would you? The city isn't going anywhere, I can still go there for shows, but having those quality relationships is more valuable to me," she says.
This will be Luky's first cross-Canada tour since moving back to a small town, and she says it will be a change of pace from working a full time job for the past few years. However, she says she is excited about getting on the road and sharing her music with as many people as possible.
Those interested in learning more about Luky and her music are invited to visit her website at www.kaylaluky.ca.
