Songwriter, Producer, Musician. Born on the wrong side of the tracks in a town called Papakura, Kendall Elise rips her heart from her sleeve and stitches it throughout her songs.
With trademark quirky touches and flawless vocal delivery, she has been turning heads since she launched her solo career in 2016 with her debut single ‘Heart Full of Dirt’. It paved the way for the Kiwi singer-songwriter’s self-produced debut EP I Didn’t Stand A Chance, released in March 2017. It earned the Kiwi singer and songwriter critical acclaim, after being selected as a top 3 finalist for the APRA Best Country Music Song 2017 presented at that year’s NZ Country Music Awards.
An appearance on Radio New Zealand’s ‘Introducing’ feature also led to her song ‘Heart Full Of Dirt’ being licenced for the second season of the Kiwi comedy series Friday Night Bites. A self-managed artist, whose ‘no.8 wire Kiwi ingenuity’ is to be admired, Kendall was a finalist for the achievement award at the 2018 Music Managers Awards, as well as the Auckland Live Best Independent Debut award, presented at the annual Taite Awards ceremony.
She’s been chosen to support a handful of well-known local and international acts, including Tami Neilson, Mel Parsons, Canadian country artist Lindi Ortega, American blues rockers Larkin Poe, and toured as support to Kiwi born, LA based Gin Wigmore. Kendall and her band, The Belgraves were also selected to play support for Scottish band Big Country.
In April of 2019 Kendall was signed by Shure Microphones as a Shure Sponsored Artist.
After recording at Neil Finn’s famed Roundhead Studios, Kendall created a Kickstarter campaign to raise funds for the release of her debut album Red Earth. Kendall surpassed her $5,000 goal with 82 backers pledging funds of $5,501 in support of the release in May 2019.
A deeply introspective album of intricate storytelling brought to life with evocative instrumentation; meaningful lyricism and a golden voice. Moving effortlessly and seamlessly through a number of styles and genres, from dark country to true country; folk and chilled pop to bluesy rock, Kendall delivered an album packed with mood and personality which debuted at number 12 on the New Zealand Music Album charts.
Kendall chose the songs that feature on the album - including singles ‘The Clock Tower’ , ‘Valentine Street’ and ‘Kirks Bush (The Long Way Around)’ - because they’re representations of her formative years growing up in Papakura, south Auckland. The song Slippery Creek was a finalist for the 2019 Mataura Licensing Trust Song Writing award, presented at the 2019 NZ Country Music Awards. ‘Valentine Street’ and the title track ‘Red Earth’ have been playlisted on the Australian Broadcasting Corporation’s digital country radio station.
In May 2020 Kendall was announced as a finalist for the Recorded New Zealand Best Country Artist for Red Earth alongside Barry Saunders, Delaney Davidson and Katie Thompson.
In June 2020 Kendall Elise and the Belgraves were set to embark on a 5 week tour of Europe to promote Red Earth. Sadly this had to be rescheduled indefinitely.
Instead, they recorded an album - The lead single Between Hello And Goodbye claiming a spot as a finalist for the APRA Best Country Music Song 2021.
With trademark quirky touches and flawless vocal delivery, she has been turning heads since she launched her solo career in 2016 with her debut single ‘Heart Full of Dirt’. It paved the way for the Kiwi singer-songwriter’s self-produced debut EP I Didn’t Stand A Chance, released in March 2017. It earned the Kiwi singer and songwriter critical acclaim, after being selected as a top 3 finalist for the APRA Best Country Music Song 2017 presented at that year’s NZ Country Music Awards.
An appearance on Radio New Zealand’s ‘Introducing’ feature also led to her song ‘Heart Full Of Dirt’ being licenced for the second season of the Kiwi comedy series Friday Night Bites. A self-managed artist, whose ‘no.8 wire Kiwi ingenuity’ is to be admired, Kendall was a finalist for the achievement award at the 2018 Music Managers Awards, as well as the Auckland Live Best Independent Debut award, presented at the annual Taite Awards ceremony.
She’s been chosen to support a handful of well-known local and international acts, including Tami Neilson, Mel Parsons, Canadian country artist Lindi Ortega, American blues rockers Larkin Poe, and toured as support to Kiwi born, LA based Gin Wigmore. Kendall and her band, The Belgraves were also selected to play support for Scottish band Big Country.
In April of 2019 Kendall was signed by Shure Microphones as a Shure Sponsored Artist.
After recording at Neil Finn’s famed Roundhead Studios, Kendall created a Kickstarter campaign to raise funds for the release of her debut album Red Earth. Kendall surpassed her $5,000 goal with 82 backers pledging funds of $5,501 in support of the release in May 2019.
A deeply introspective album of intricate storytelling brought to life with evocative instrumentation; meaningful lyricism and a golden voice. Moving effortlessly and seamlessly through a number of styles and genres, from dark country to true country; folk and chilled pop to bluesy rock, Kendall delivered an album packed with mood and personality which debuted at number 12 on the New Zealand Music Album charts.
Kendall chose the songs that feature on the album - including singles ‘The Clock Tower’ , ‘Valentine Street’ and ‘Kirks Bush (The Long Way Around)’ - because they’re representations of her formative years growing up in Papakura, south Auckland. The song Slippery Creek was a finalist for the 2019 Mataura Licensing Trust Song Writing award, presented at the 2019 NZ Country Music Awards. ‘Valentine Street’ and the title track ‘Red Earth’ have been playlisted on the Australian Broadcasting Corporation’s digital country radio station.
In May 2020 Kendall was announced as a finalist for the Recorded New Zealand Best Country Artist for Red Earth alongside Barry Saunders, Delaney Davidson and Katie Thompson.
In June 2020 Kendall Elise and the Belgraves were set to embark on a 5 week tour of Europe to promote Red Earth. Sadly this had to be rescheduled indefinitely.
Instead, they recorded an album - The lead single Between Hello And Goodbye claiming a spot as a finalist for the APRA Best Country Music Song 2021.