For country music singers and songwriters, performing at the Grand Ole Opry is the ultimate dream. When Kalie Shorr took the stage, something happened that made all her nerves go away!
Kalie Shorr, 23, has fought (like a girl) to get to the top of the charts in country music. Her hit “ Fight Like A Girl” is a total girl power anthem, and it was a song she got to perform at the Grand Ole Opry on March 31! “It was super emotional for me because in country music that is the pinnacle of anything that you can do, and there’s just so much tradition in that building,” Kalie explained to HollywoodLife.com in an exclusive interview. “Even though I want to be an artist who’s known for bending the genre, I have so much respect and so much love for the history of country music .” While Kalie tried to calm herself before walking onto the famous Opry circle, she heard herself announced as “Katie Shorr,” instead of Kalie. “It’s my sister’s name!” She said laughing. “I thought it was a great story and I’m personally happy it happened, if everything goes great, it’s not a good story. I walked out and made a joke and was like, ‘Well, this is how it’s gonna be.’”
Obviously, Kalie’s performance was amazing, and, she admits she may or may not have cried… three times. “My mom and a bunch of my family friends flew in from Portland to be there, and I sang “Fight Like a Girl,” which is an emotional song for me, period,” she explained. “I usually cry when my mom’s there in the audience because the whole second verse is about her, but playing that and looking off to see her side-stage was super, super emotional. And I got to bring two of my band members who’ve been with me for the past two years, and it was their first time playing the Opry, so it was just so much good energy and good vibes.”
The 23-year-old, who is oftentimes compared to Taylor Swift — for both her songwriting, music and overall vibe of sparkles and golden long hair — just released her newest EP, Awake, and pulled inspiration from Tay and a few other artists. “I feel like with my new project, where it’s a little more in that pop/rock vein and still country but borrows from that. I feel like I really was super inspired by Michelle Branch during the making of it,” Kalie said. “My first concert was in New York City when I was nine years old, and it was the Dixie Chicks with Michelle Branch opening at Madison Square Garden.” She continued, “I remember everything about that night, being there and just seeing those girls up there and being like, ‘Yep, well, that’s what I wanna do, so sorry mom, I’m not going to college.’ I was nine.” Let us be the first to tell you, this girl was born to be a star! Make sure you check out her new EP, Awake!
