Kelleigh Bannen is one of Variety Beat’s favorite human beings. She’s more than just an amazing artist, but she’s also a really incredible person. She doesn’t ask how you are just because it’s the polite thing to do, but if you’ve had a crappy day, she’ll really want to listen to it, even if she just met you.

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#Sundays are for slow drives, and old pickups, and dogs, and singing to Jesus. #sundaydrive

A post shared by Kelleigh Bannen (@kelleighbannen) on Aug 7, 2016 at 9:55am PDT

At the core of music and story telling is connecting with people and when you connect to someone’s soul, there’s no going back from that. Those are connections you carry with you for the rest of your life, even if your path’s never cross again, that instance mattered.

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🐎 We're on our way to @fasterhorsesfestival and Part 2 in my #festivalfashion collaboration with @boot_barn_official is up now on the blog.🐎 {link in bio} #bolosforever

A post shared by Kelleigh Bannen (@kelleighbannen) on Jul 15, 2016 at 4:21pm PDT

Bannen recently released her EP after parting ways with her record label so she could be free to release her music. It was a hard decision, but ultimately the best one for herself and the fans. Over the past several years she has released a few singles, but has never been able to put out a collection of music in the form of an album or EP. She’s stated before that it’s hard to keep the connection with fans alive when you’re only releasing one single every 18 months. So she took the risk, she started her own blog, own podcast, released and EP and five music videos to go along with every song on it!

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Thanks for the feature @nkdmag. #Repost @nkdmag ・・・ “This past fall we started feeling like we weren’t sure there was a way through any longer at Universal… I felt like I no longer had the shine to them that I needed to have the attention and resources I needed behind my career. And they were really supportive and let me go." ———- @kelleighbannen gets honest about her struggles on a major label at nkdmag.com (photo by @catherinepowell)

A post shared by Kelleigh Bannen (@kelleighbannen) on Sep 12, 2016 at 3:14pm PDT

In a recent interview with AXS Bannen talks about the important of being real with herself and with fans so that false perceptions aren’t made. Life is many things, it’s beautiful and tragic. Sometimes we only share with people the really great things and try to keep the bad to ourselves. But it’s sharing those moments that are hardest that allow us to be the most vulnerable and most understood.

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"Why A Podcast" up now on the blog. {link in bio} My trainer @marathon_fitness snapped this of me, and to be honest this is how I've felt for the last week. Exhausted but relieved. Relieved because after so much work and pre-planning the first episode of the @thisnashvillelife #podcast is OUT. Exhausted because as in any creative endeavor although you do it for yourself, you also do it with the hopes that people will like it, care about it, share it…and it can keep you up at night. But here's to new adventures, and new stories to tell! Xo, Kelleigh

A post shared by Kelleigh Bannen (@kelleighbannen) on Aug 26, 2016 at 12:47pm PDT

 

“I think it’s really important to show, not just the Instagram version of yourself to fans, and I love Instagram. I also think, that as a woman, the worst thing I can do for younger women or for women who are in a season where they need to be growing, is present an image that my life is perfect or easy or that I always look like I’ve got my act together. I don’t want people to buy in on such a level where they think they have to expect that of themselves too.”

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Dear friends, thank you for the overwhelming support you've shown me on this–my first independent release in many years. I've written about this new chapter (pretty candidly) on my blog @thisnashvillelife if you want to read more about it. Also, so many of you have asked how you can be supportive–well, you're doing just that. By cheering me on (publicly and privately), by buying and reviewing the EP (just being honest –link in bio 😳), and telling your friends about it. That's it. As a new(ish) woman in country music what I need most are champions just like you to come along side me if you're so moved. AND give me the chance to encourage you as well by commenting, or messaging me and letting me know how I can cheer you on and pray for you in your passions. That's all. Much love and grateful.

A post shared by Kelleigh Bannen (@kelleighbannen) on Jun 28, 2016 at 7:20am PDT

She also shared advice and encouragement for everyone:

“Know what your unfair advantage is, know what you’re so good at, but no one else can really do it. And whatever that is, like for me, it’s really about what’s the story I’m telling, how can I use my heart and who I am in a way that’s going to be completely different from anyone else. The sooner you figure that out, the more doors you’ll have open for you.”

You can watch the interview here.

Be sure to check out here latest music video “Welcome To The Party.”