April Kry is gearing up for the release of her new single “Watered Down” and Celeb Secrets has your first listen!
The Nashville-based songstress is really showing her heart in the new ballad as it marks her new journey as an independent artist after being signed for nearly four years. The one thing that didn’t change? Her big, powerful voice that shatters the expectations of a soft and artistic tiny girl.
“[‘Watered Down’] was written in a time of transition for me,” Kry explains to Celeb Secrets. “I felt like I needed to be really raw, vulnerable and show my heart. When I first came to Nashville, I was SO naive and definitely didn’t have all the answers, and it talks about all the things that held me back and how I broke free from those chains.”
Written with two of her close friends Leigh Houison and Kiernan McMullan in Music City and recorded during the Coronavirus pandemic, Kry describes the creative process as “different” to say the least, adding that in the end it was an overall fun time.
“We were very careful and made sure to adhere to the guidelines, but it definitely looked different in the studio this time,” April says. “We had a lot of the choir vocals done remotely — I was SO honored that Emoni Wilkins (Lauren Diagle, CeCe Winans) was able to sing on the track. It was such a fun process to record this one because my good friends, and one of the co writers of the song, Leigh, along with Chris Condon of LFT Studios, got to produce it!”
Finding herself going back to her Gospel roots with “Watered Down,” Kry hopes that the empowering song inspires people to stay true to who they really are.
“I hope [fans] feel empowered after listening to this song — to do some self reflection, and stay true to who they are,” she says.
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Singing since the young age of five, Kry grew up around music – her father is a worship leader in church, and encouraged his young daughter to pick up the guitar at thirteen (her faith is still a vitally important part of who she is as a person, and an artist). That simple action spurred her to discover not only the power of the instrument, but her love for country music and its lyrics, as well as strong modern pop storytellers like John Mayer. It was her mother’s gift of a Martina McBride LP that made her realize that, even though she was born and bred on the east coast, her heart was obviously a lot further south.
“Her songs, her voice – she’s one of my biggest inspirations,” says Kry about McBride. “I realized that country music was all about storytelling, and that’s exactly where I wanted to be. ”
But before she headed permanently to Nashville at twenty, Kry had a lot of impressive stops along the way – she performed “God Bless America” at a gala event where the keynote speaker was the legendary Jermaine Jackson, who personally encouraged her to pursue a career as a vocalist, at Apollo Theater’s Amateur Night and even as background vocalist for Enya. Not many singers could meld so well to such drastically different approaches and environments, but it’s a testament to how dynamic her skills are – and her influences, which range from gospel to pop and, of course, country, covering everyone from the classics like Strait to its newest voices like Maren Morris.
“Watered Down” is the first taste of April’s new music, which she confirms will be more mature than her previous releases and follows her most recent single “Feel the Fear,” as well as her 2018 EP Sink or Swim among others. Working on a full-length album in both Nashville and Los Angeles, Kry has enlisted in her sister Kaydence to help her work with some of the biggest hitmakers the industry has to offer. For those who don’t know, Kaydence is a badass songwriter that has co-penned some of your favorite songs, including Ariana Grande‘s “7 Rings,” Beyonce‘s “Black Parade,” H.E.R.‘s “Something’s Pulling Me Back” and more.
“[My sister] has really been guiding me through and linking me up with some of her producers out in LA. She recently helped pen Beyonce’s “Black Parade” along with her fiancé, Caso — which is absolutely insane — but totally believable if you know how talented my sister is,” she laughs. “I’m extremely lucky to be able to work with some of the best for my next project.”
Listen to “Watered Down” below and let us know what you think of the song by either leaving a reaction at the bottom of the post or by sending us a tweet at @celebsecrets.
You can connect with April by following her on Instagram at @aprilkrymusic.