Hailing from Newport, South Wales, Joe Kelly is a singer-songwriter with a distinctive sound that blends soul, garage, and surf rock. As the driving force behind Joe Kelly & The Royal Pharmacy, he has built a reputation for raw authenticity, poetic lyricism, and an unwavering dedication to his craft. With the highly anticipated album ‘Cast Me Down’ set for release on April 11th via Dirty Carrot Records, Joe reflects on his musical journey, creative process, and the ever-evolving landscape of the music industry.
In this exclusive interview with Blackbird News, Joe opens up about his influences, the vibrant Newport music scene, and the struggles and triumphs of balancing an artistic career with real-life responsibilities. His candid and often humorous insights offer a glimpse into the mind of a musician who refuses to compromise his vision.
Join us as we delve into the world of Joe Kelly—a storyteller, a dreamer, and a relentless artist navigating the highs and lows of the independent music scene.
Hello Joe Kelly, Welcome to Blackbird News! Please tell us about yourself.
I’m Joe Kelly, a singer-songwriter from Newport, South Wales. I perform with the band Joe Kelly & The Royal Pharmacy and when I’m not doing that, I’m driving around the country in a big white van.
How has pop culture influenced your music and artistic vision?
I’ve got a pretty broad taste in music so there’s always a lot of influences merging in my songwriting.
I try to remain as authentic as I can to do the songs justice, so a big part of that is showing off a bit of that in the process. If you dig deep enough, you’ll find a lot of nods in there.
Can you describe your creative process for songwriting and composing?
I’ve got a very vivid imagination so almost everything I write comes with a visual counterpart. That really helps me to tell a story, if I can picture it in my mind. That’s about as much as I can comprehend to be honest. The rest of it feels like rare moments of clarity amidst the chaos that is my brain.
What are some of your favorite aspects of the music scene in Newport, Wales?
There’s a real sense of community and camaraderie. It’s still a small town at heart so although there are different niches within the scene, everyone is very supportive, even if your music isn’t their thing.
The greatest compliment I’ve ever had from another local musician was “I don’t really get what you do, but I really fucking love that you’re you’re doing it!” I think that sort of mentality sums Newport up and I wish there was more of that in the world.
How do you balance your personal life with your artistic career?
Ha! It’s all a mess right now. I’m so grateful and so lucky to have a steady job but my gosh is it hard!?
It’s such a tough industry right now that a lot of the time you find yourself paying for the privilege of playing shows. As for a personal life, I accepted a long time ago that this IS my personal life and I’m really lucky that I’ve got a lot of people around me who are totally on board with that.
It’s not without it’s struggles though, lots of long days into late nights, into early mornings with nothing but a few lukewarm cans and whatever the service station can provide but it really is worth it when you’re up there in the moment hitting all the right notes with your mates.
What are your thoughts on the current state of the music industry?
It seems like it’s getting harder and harder for artists to run on their own steam. Maybe it’s always been this way but it’s more obvious now because everything is so out in the open.
I think it’s insane that artists earn a fraction of their worth whilst companies worth billions lord over the whole racket.
I’ve learnt to not expect anything and I keep doing what I do because I love it but the sad reality is that’s no way to look at it. Your bus driver doesn’t get out of bed for exposure and your CEOs don’t survive on expenses alone so why do the arts suffer so, when they have such an impact on our lives?
What are your future goals and aspirations for your music career?
We’re getting to a place where our music is appreciated and respected. To continue building on that is all I want to do. As I touched upon, for me all the hardship of being a grassroots musician is justified by knowing that is valued and understood.
I just hope that we continue to move forward, never linger in one place too long and continue to improve.
What message do you hope to convey to your listeners through your music?
I sometimes worry that I give off the wrong impression with these mournful and miserable ballads, something I hope the new record starts to break away from. I haven’t always had the best of luck, some of it unfortunate and some self-fulfilled but I’m from Newport, South Wales and we’ve got a sort of gallows humour these things.
You might think it’s over but life always has a way of surprising you. Stay true to yourself and reap what you sow.
You can connect with Kelly Online through website www.joekellyofficial.com, Instagram @joekellymusic, X @JoeKellyMusic, and Facebook
