Paula Kelley (born September 10, 1971) is an American

indie pop Indie pop (also typeset as indie-pop or indiepop) is a music genre and subculture that combines guitar pop with DIY ethic in opposition to the style and tone of mainstream pop music. It originated from British post-punk in the late 1970s and sub ...

singer-songwriter and orchestral arranger/composer from

Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...

, Massachusetts.

Career

She began her musical career in the 1990s with the band

Drop Nineteens Drop Nineteens is an American, Boston-based shoegaze band active from 1991 to 1995. They were one of the few U.S.-based bands who styled themselves on England's distinctive shoegaze sound, taking their inspiration from bands such as My Bloody V ...

before leaving them in 1994 to start her own career in songwriting. She worked with several other bands before finally going solo with her first album, '' Nothing/Everything'', which was released in 2001 on Stop, Pop, and Roll Records in the US and then later on Caraway in Japan. '' The Trouble with Success or How You Fit into the World'' was released in 2003 on the independent Kimchee Records label in the US and again on Caraway in Japan. She followed this up with a US tour and a tour of France after the album's European release through Polaris Musique/

Sony , commonly stylized as SONY, is a Japanese multinational conglomerate corporation headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan. As a major technology company, it operates as one of the world's largest manufacturers of consumer and professional ...

. Her latest release is the "Airports EP (2008)," a collection of four orchestrated tracks intended to be a teaser for her forthcoming album. Paula is known for her melodic, emotional songs, expansive instrumental arrangements and sweet, distinctive singing voice. Kelley began playing piano at age three and was an orchestral harpsichordist by the time she was in high school. She also plays guitar, bass, drums, and other sundry instruments. She attended

Phillips Exeter Academy (not for oneself) la, Finis Origine Pendet (The End Depends Upon the Beginning) gr, Χάριτι Θεοῦ (By the Grace of God) , location = 20 Main Street , city = Exeter, New Hampshire , zipcode ...

, then

Boston University Boston University (BU) is a private research university in Boston, Massachusetts. The university is nonsectarian, but has a historical affiliation with the United Methodist Church. It was founded in 1839 by Methodists with its original campu ...

(where she received her bachelor's degree with a double major of History/Political Science) and

Berklee College of Music Berklee College of Music is a private music college in Boston, Massachusetts. It is the largest independent college of contemporary music in the world. Known for the study of jazz and modern American music, it also offers college-level cours ...

. In 2005, Kelley relocated to Los Angeles to pursue a career scoring films and doing orchestral arrangements, in addition to recording and performing her own music. A filmography can be found on her professional website.

Discography

*''The Airports EP'' (2008 Worm Kid Music) *'' Some Sucker's Life, Part 1: Demos and Lost Recordings'' (2006 Stop, Pop, and Roll Records) *'' The Trouble with Success or How You Fit into the World'' (2003 Kimchee Records) *'' Nothing/Everything'' (2001 Stop, Pop, and Roll Records) *'' A Bit Of Everything EP'' (2000 JacquesAss Records) *''Why Christmas?'' with The Misfit Toys (1999 Rhubarb Records) *''Break the Spell, Etc. EP'' with Boy Wonder (1999 Jackass Records) *''5:01'' with Paula Kelley Rock Band(1997 Rhubarb Records) *''Wonder-Wear'' with Boy Wonder (1997 Cherrydisc/Roadrunner Records) *''Mission to Destroy b/w Backyard'' 7-inch with Boy Wonder (self-released) *''Speed – Danger – Death'' with Hot Rod (1993 Caroline/Hut Records)

External links

Paula Kelley's websitePaula Kelley's professional composing/arranging websiteStop, Pop, and Roll websiteKimchee Records
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kelley, Paula 1970 births Living people 20th-century American women guitarists 20th-century American guitarists 20th-century American women pianists 20th-century American pianists 20th-century American women singers 21st-century American women guitarists 21st-century American guitarists 21st-century American women pianists 21st-century American pianists 21st-century American women singers American women pop singers American women singer-songwriters American indie pop musicians American multi-instrumentalists Berklee College of Music alumni Boston University College of Arts and Sciences alumni Guitarists from Massachusetts Musicians from Boston Phillips Exeter Academy alumni 20th-century American singers 21st-century American singers Singer-songwriters from Massachusetts