By: Kaylyn Bell
Q) Your new album, Past Lives, will be releasing in October. What are some themes you will be exploring on it?
A) Past Lives is about memory, family, and connection. I wanted to show how the voices and experiences of our ancestors are still alive in us today and how their stories can guide us forward. There are songs about family history, immigration, love, resilience and that search for belonging. For me it is about honoring the past in a way that feels uplifting instead of heavy.
Q) Each track features audio from your actual ancestors mixed into the songs. Was there a specific experience or moment that inspired this idea for your album?
A) Yes. While researching my family history, I found old recordings of relatives telling stories. My mom, my aunts and my great uncles all had their voices captured. Hearing them gave me chills. It felt like they were in the room with me. I knew right then I wanted to bring those voices into the songs so that their stories would live on.
Q) Even though this album is very personal to you, it maintains a universal quality. In your songwriting, how do you approach creating songs that are so individual to you while still resonating with a wider audience?
A) I think when you are completely honest about your own story, people connect. If I share about my family, my struggles or the things that bring me joy, listeners see their own reflections in that. We all go through love, loss, hope and gratitude. The truer I stay to my story and my family’s story, the easier it is for others to find their own connection in it.
Q) In Past Lives you celebrate the past rather than let it feel too heavy. This is highlighted in the song “My Wish Was You,” which looks at a past love with gratitude instead of regret. Where does this positive outlook come from in your life?
A) It comes from my family and meditation practice. I learned that gratitude changes how we carry our stories. Even hard memories can give us strength when we honor them instead of letting them drag us down. “My Wish Was You” is a thank you to a love that helped shape me, even though it was only for a certain period of time.
Q) “Where We Come From,” in particular, stands out as a very feel-good song. How did you shape the instrumentation to capture that tone?
A) I wanted it to sound like a celebration. The rhythm is upbeat, the harmonies lift you up and it has that folk pop energy that makes you want to sing along. My goal was to make it feel like a gathering of family and friends around a table or a campfire, where joy and connection come through in the music.
Q) “Our Friends,” the final track to be released, has been described as the emotional centerpiece of the album. What is the story behind this song and why did you choose to close the album with that track?
A) “Our Friends” was based on a poem from my previous partner’s father. It was a beautiful sentiment about keeping those who have moved through this dimension close and seeing them as allies and guides rather than something to be scared of.
Q) What song or songs on the album hold a special place in your heart and what makes them so significant to you?
A) “My Wish Was You” will always be special because of how it reframes love as gratitude. “Where We Come From” is also important because it connects directly to my ancestors who worked in the cotton mills. Each song holds something personal for me, whether it is a family voice or a story that shaped who I am.
Q) Past Lives is the second in your Three Worlds Project trilogy. What was the intention behind exploring the present in Present Journey before returning to the past with this work?
A) I wanted the trilogy to follow how we experience life. Present Journey was about being grounded in the here and now with the people and experiences shaping me today. Then, I felt ready to look back with Past Lives and explore my roots. It is like standing in the present, turning back to see the past and then later looking ahead with the final project: Future Myths.
Q) What can listeners expect from the final album in the trilogy, Future Myths?
A) Future Myths will look ahead and ask what kind of ancestors we want to become. If Past Lives is about roots and Present Journey is about right now, then Future Myths is about the legacy we are creating. It will explore vision, imagination and the stories we leave for the generations to come.
Q) What message or emotion do you hope people take away from your new music?
A) I hope people feel connected to their families, their histories and themselves. I want them to carry a sense of gratitude for the stories that shaped them and courage to move forward with love and joy.
Q) You will be performing in your hometown, Kensington, Maryland, on October 3. In what ways is where you grew up reflected in the stories you are sharing throughout this album about memory and the past?
A) Kensington shaped me in so many ways. Growing up there, I saw how community works and how small town life creates belonging. Playing these songs back home feels like bringing the stories full circle and sharing them with the people and place that gave me my start.
Q) You will also be doing a Northeast US tour in October. Which song or songs from this album are you most excited to perform live and why?
A) I am really excited to play “Where We Come From” because it has that sing-along energy that makes people feel part of the show. “Our Friends” will be powerful too because it creates a shared emotional space. I think both will connect deeply with the audience.
Q) Who are some artists that you would love to collaborate with on music in the future?
A) I would love to work with artists who are rooted in storytelling, like Brandi Carlile or Jason Isbell. I would also love to collaborate with international artists who bring in their own folk traditions. Making music that connects human stories across cultures would be incredible.
Q) What would you like to say to everyone who are fans and supporters of you and your work?
A) Thank you from the bottom of my heart. None of this would be possible without you. From supporting the Past Lives Kickstarter to coming to shows and sharing the songs, you made this album real. It is not just mine – it belongs to all of us. I cannot wait for you to hear it and carry it with you, knowing that my ancestors’ voices are now part of your story, too.