Kelly Hastings on Motherhood, Mental Health, and Making Music After The Voice and Y Llais

TEASER CLIP: KELLY HASTINGS

KELLY HASTINGS: if I go back even five years, I was a totally different person then to what I am now. And had it not have been, taking that step and investing in my future and my children's future as well. By investing in me, I'm investing in them. I'm setting them examples, and if I hadn't have done that, I wouldn't be where I am now and I wouldn't be this kind of person and I wouldn't have the outlook that I've got. And you never know what the universe has planned for you, but if it's whispering that you need to do something, you need to pick up that microphone or you need to write lyrics or you need to go and hunt your guitar down, you do it.

Just do it. Do it, definitely.

INTRODUCTION TO THE EPISODE

BECKY BOYLAND: Welcome back to Second Verse, the podcast that amplifies the voices of indie artists who are returning, or finally stepping into, the music careers they were always meant to have. I'm your host, singer-songwriter and producer Becky Boyland.

What you're about to hear is a conversation that goes far beyond stage lights and vocal runs. Kelly shares what it was like to return to music after raising her children, the emotional strength required to pursue her dreams later in life, and the healing power of songwriting, both for herself and for others. She opens up about vulnerability, rejection, motherhood, and the magic of finally doing something for yourself and setting an example while doing it.

This is a conversation for anyone who's ever felt like maybe their time has passed, but still hears that whisper telling them to pick up the mic.

Let's dive into Kelly's Second Verse.

WELCOMING KELLY HASTINGS

BECKY BOYLAND: So welcome Kel. Thank you for being on Second Verse. I'm excited to have you today.

KELLY HASTINGS: Thank you. I'm excited to be here.

BECKY BOYLAND: I am so glad to dive into your story because I think a lot of people will resonate with many aspects of your story.

EARLY MUSICAL INFLUENCES

BECKY BOYLAND: But I always start with, tell me about how music came into your life and how you got excited about it from the beginning.

KELLY HASTINGS: I think music has always been a part of, my life ever since I was small. I don't remember a time when it came into my life. I just remember it always being there. I think with regards to singing, I first found out I could sing or was told I could sing when I was about eight. I had this lovely school teacher who encouraged me to join the choir and that sort of went from there.

But as far as music's concerned, it's always been such a huge part of who I am.

BECKY BOYLAND: I can really resonate with that, and it's a story that I think is so common because once we have that bug or just the fact that it's been around us the whole time, then it's something that seems to just keep coming back to us artists and we can't help but go back to it. So I think that makes a lot of sense.

Yeah, Ithink music just offers so much and I think if you have it in your life and you appreciate it, then you're very blessed. Yes, absolutely.

BALANCING FAMILY AND MUSIC

BECKY BOYLAND: Now, you didn't pursue it though early on, and you decided to instead, raise your family and put music on hold.

KELLY HASTINGS: I think it was always important for me that if, me and my husband decided to have children, that I be there for them. a hundred percent. I didn't give up on music, as in I was still singing in the house, still singing to the kids, still trying to learn the guitar but I didn't push myself with music because my priorities changed.

So I think music never really went away. It just Got put to the side for the time being, and then obviously once the children were sort of old enough, it was about reclaiming a part of my identity then, and, just embracing music again.

BECKY BOYLAND: Yeah, absolutely.

FAMILY'S MUSICAL JOURNEY

BECKY BOYLAND: And I wonder, are the kids musical, is this something that you were able to share with the family and make it part of the DNA, of your household?

KELLY HASTINGS: Yes, we've got a very loud, noisy musical house. My eldest son is a drum and bass producer.

BECKY BOYLAND: Oh wow.

KELLY HASTINGS: he's doing quite well. My youngest son is trying to follow, in his footsteps as well. they're both music producers, electronic music. My youngest daughter plays the guitar. She likes to write her own music. She plays a little bit of piano. And The others just, they just embrace music. They love concerts, they love listening. They love, they just love music in general.

BECKY BOYLAND: And that sounds like quite a success story, right?

KELLY HASTINGS: I think so, yeah.

BECKY BOYLAND: Absolutely.

REENTERING THE MUSIC SCENE

KELLY HASTINGS: So then as you began to pursue music, talk about what that transition was like and what you first dove into on your way to, talent competitions andwhat was that journey like? It was very scary to begin with. When I was growing up, the music industry was more so sort of aimed at younger people. I had to take a step back and, you know, I wasn't as young as I used to be and I, did wonder whether it was the right avenue to go down, whether I'd missed my opportunity, missed my chance.

So it was very scary stepping back into it. But it was also one of the most liberating and empowering things I've ever done because I met people who were so supportive and encouraging, and it helped me connect with a piece of myself that I didn't even know had gone. It was such a fantastic sort of, once you get out of your own head and you get over that fear, you just realize that the world is so much bigger than your own thoughts. Like I said, it was such an empowering thing to be able to do.

BECKY BOYLAND: There's something so beautiful too about for the first time getting into an artist community and realizing that they're not all your competition. I mean, they may literally be your competition, but for the most part, the way thatartists and musicians interact isso supportive, like you said, because there's that common thread of passion for music.

Did you jump right into auditioning for The Voice, or did you have other things that you did before that adventure?

KELLY HASTINGS: I, took part in a local talent competition first. That was my first step back into music. And then from there Ibecame a judge on that talent competition. So I got to witness it from the other side of things. We got tomentor up and coming talent andthat support network just grew and you were able to experience how wonderful it is when people come together through this mutual love of music, no matter, you know, what preference, whatever background, music taste, whatever, they, they were people truly coming together to build other people up.

And that again, was such, an empowering experience. It was something that I was so grateful to be a part of. From there, I think the singing sort of developed, I started going back out and singing places, letting other people see me and hear me. I started posting online and writing my own, songs, which is something that I've always loved.

I rekindled so much passion within myself. I was fortunate enough then to, to go on The Voice and, what a experience that was.

BECKY BOYLAND: That's amazing. And I think that that's such a beautiful and important step to take that when you are starting to sort of get out there, to have those opportunities, go and perform. And even if it's a small venue, that I think is a, great thing for. For those who are considering doing this and maybe sitting back and thinking, I don't know if I'm up for this.

Just going out and getting reps, as we would say, putting in the repetition, getting that opportunity and getting a little bit more comfortable in those spaces because all of that will tell when larger opportunities arise. I think that's incredible advice and a good example for people to do.

THE VOICE UK EXPERIENCE

BECKY BOYLAND: So then what was that journey like going through the audition process, going through some of the performances? I know you made it to the semi-finals in The Voice UK, so, share about that.

KELLY HASTINGS: It was just the most surreal experience, I think, that I've had to date because, at the time I was working as a manager in a local charity shop. So that was my day to day and weekends were where I got to go and sing and do the judging and meet people. And that was my life. And then all of a sudden I'm thrown into this world of, studios for rehearsals and I'm traveling and I'm meeting all of these other people.

And, it sort of gave me back a little bit of independence as well, because I thinkwhen you're a mum, you're so used to doing things for other people that you kind of put everything that you want, I wouldn't say so much on hold, but your needs are no longer a priority as much as they were before you had children.

I think I relied quite heavily upon my husband to help me out and we did things as a family, so I didn't really do much by myself. So having to travel to London or travel to Manchester and take that step and do something for myself gave me back some independence and it helped me with my confidence as well. I had to speak for myself. I had to do things for myself, think for myself a little bit more. So it gave you that, that little bit extra push as well, which I was really grateful for. 'cause I don't think that you appreciate how much of yourself gets lost in motherhood, you know?

So when something like that happens and it's all about you, it can be quite eye-opening.

BECKY BOYLAND: I can only imagine it's such a different experience being an artist from the day to day of maintaining a family and a household and all of those things that are in some ways very repetitive. In fact, that's probably a safe, a safe thing when it's repetitive as opposed to the surprises. The surprises are, are much more challenging. But the creativity, there's only so many ways that you can do things within the house and feel like, "Where's my creative self?" I can only imagine what that is like to sort of pull that out of the box and suddenly have a whole different way to address that.

How did your kids feel about this adventure?

KELLY HASTINGS: They were just the best throughout the whole thing. And I think, the fact that they got to experience that journey with me made it even more special. I'd like to think it, set an example to them, that it really doesn't matter, you know, how old you are or what your situation or what's happened in the past. You can still chase your own goals. I know that they were incredibly proud. I've re-watched the moment where Olly Murs turns for me and the camera zooms in on my children and they're screaming and they're crying. That is probably my favorite moment from the whole experience and the fact that that was caught on camera for me, and I get to rewatch that, it makes me really emotional to see how much it meant to them as well as how much it meant to me.

BECKY BOYLAND: That is absolutely beautiful, and I'm so glad that they were able to be there for that. And I'm also really glad that they did catch that on camera so you can see that again and again. Oh, that's so awesome.

WELSH VOICE ADVENTURE

BECKY BOYLAND: And so

KELLY HASTINGS: So the Welsh version of The Voice is called Y Llais. And that, that was a whole new experience for me. 'cause even though I'm Welsh, I don't speak Welsh, I'm not a native Welsh speaker. So I had the added challenge of, learning new language at the same time. And, do you know, it's just been, it was so much fun.

The one thing that I really liked about singing in a language that I didn't necessarily understand was that I relied completely and utterly on the emotion to convey that song. I think that's what I loved about it the most. Even though we were singing popular songs that were translated, the translation wasn't word for word.

So I still wasn't aware of what exactly I was singing, so I just had to feel it. And for me, that was probably one of the most amazing things I could have done because, as a singer, I think, or as an artist or musician in any form, you are always looking for ways to grow and to expand.

Feeling an emotion is so much a part of music. If you get a new way to experience that, it's just going to build who you are and how you perform. And so for me, that's what Y Llais did for me.

BECKY BOYLAND: And really asan artist who is, more experienced just through life, being able to convey that emotion, when you're singing natively in English is so very important. But that's a maturity to recognize that was the way to convey your performance.

I think that's really powerful because sometimes I'll see a performer, and I know when I was younger too, you perform the words, you perform the notes, and everything is okay, but there's this authenticity that really comes along when there's lived experience behind it.

That makes all the difference. That's awesome.

KELLY HASTINGS: Yeah I think those are the really special moments in music when you can feel, what the artist is putting into it. If I go to a concert, if I watch a live gig, I don't just focus on the vocalist. You're looking around, you wanna see that emotion on the guitarist's face when he's doing his solo or the amount of energy the drummer is bringing.

There's so much energy and emotion in music. When you can open yourself up and feel it on those levels, in that moment you're just, you are blessed.

BECKY BOYLAND: It's why it's hard for me when I watch singing competitions because I think I need to take out stock in tissues because I sob my way through. And it's not just that they're packaging up the stories but when there's a really great performance and just that opportunity to be in their shoes and feel like I'm in their shoes, it's not a dry eye.

KELLY HASTINGS: I think I'm the same. I get emotional, especially when you're watching something, on America's Got Talent or Britain's Got Talent and the Golden Buzzer comes in and you can get so overwhelmed and so I, I am the same, yeah. But I think that it is a testament to that person. If you are moved to tears, they've done something completely right.

If they can move you in that way.

BECKY BOYLAND: Absolutely. And I can have the tears, but I don't have the confetti that I gotta clean up later. So yeah, I think that works out pretty well. So that's so, so great.

CURRENT MUSICAL PURSUITS

BECKY BOYLAND: I understand you're performing more andtalk about what music is like for you now.

KELLY HASTINGS: For me, I'm singing regularly now. I'm doing big venues since doing The Voice, but I think the biggest change for me is the fact that I've gone back to university and I'm doing a degree in audio production and songwriting. So I really get to explore the songwriting side of myself and what I wanna say and what messages I wanna come across.

For me, that's been a really interesting part of my journey so far.

BECKY BOYLAND: Oh, I love that. And what are you, enjoying the most about the production process whether it's the whole production and mixing and mastering and all of that, or instrumentation, what are the things that have really connected for you?

KELLY HASTINGS: For me, the thing that I've connected with the most is writing the music. It is about, finding the lyrics, trying to put my thoughts to a melody. For me, that's a really important part for my journey. ' Cause it offers me, it offers me healing. And more than that,

I believe that, well, what if my words were to heal somebody else? What if they were to hear them? And it means something to them. and I think that's what drives me the healing power of music. and how important a song can be.

MENTAL HEALTH AND MUSIC

BECKY BOYLAND: And I think that leads very well into what I know is very important to you: mental health and the struggle, that so many of us go through. And I think it's only been fairly recently that it's taken more seriously and recognized that this is something that is so important that needs to be not only understood, but that there's so much we can do to help one another and be in community.

Music has really been an important part of your mental health. I'd love to talk about that. I think that that's really, really great.

KELLY HASTINGS: There's always, a song that I can relate to, if I've had a good day, if I've had a bad day, if I'm going through a really hard time, you put on music and it's like somebody has written how you feel. Somebody is singing back to you how you feel in that moment and you feel connected.

And as if, you are not doing this on your own. Somebody else has been through it. They've come out the other side. Especially I think with music, these are artists who've suffered and struggled and then you look at them and you look where they are and you look at what they've achieved and you look at the messages that they're bringing and you see just how important that is and how important what they're doing is.

For me, mental health should be such a priority because we are all affected by it. Some people are affected in other ways, but everybody has been or will be affected by mental health at some point, and there needs to be more awareness about that. and like you said, we need to be kind.

I think that's one of the biggest things. We need to be kind and support each other Musicians, in particular, musicians, we are known for struggling with our mental health. And, when you've got a support network in other musicians, it just, it provides you with something, with hope. It gives you hope.

BECKY BOYLAND: Yeah. Yeah, absolutely. And just the simple fact that we have so many songs out there and these musicians that we are aware of that have struggled through this, what a testament that is to what they have overcome, because it's very easy to, not to write a song, but it's very easy once you've written a song to think, I don't know, does anybody care? Does this really matter? Is this, does anybody wanna hear this song? And a lot of that is just sort of that internal struggle, but then when it gets out there and you start to hear back from people who have for maybe the first time really felt seen through it, is incredibly powerful. And the sad thing was avoided. It wasn't put on the shelf because that was the temptation. Let me just put this on the shelf. Nobody really cares. It doesn't matter. And it really matters. It really does matter. And there's a great deal of societal health and compassion and empathy through what art can accomplish.

And in order for that to be effective, we have to take that leap and risk the rejection and just put it out there.

Yeah. And I think a lot of musicians, they do struggle. And that's also how they find their, inspiration. You know, that's, that's how they get through it. So that's another coping technique. You know, it's another thing that music can do. Music is a very, very powerful tool especially when it comes to your wellbeing. Definitely. We were talking beforehand about rejection and how that can be a real struggle. And I know for me, I had recently discovered that I've had ADHD all my life and the one thing that really connected for me was this very core tendency with ADHD, which is rejection sensitive dysphoria.

And suddenly I had a mouthful of a phrase to explain all those times when someone would say, Hey, when you get a chance, I wanna talk. And I would be so terrified that there was this catastrophe at the other end of that.

And so I finally had a name for it and it helped me to understand just that that is a tendency, so that when these kinds of things come up, I have a name for it where I can say, Oh, that probably isn't going to be a problem at all, but it does help me to deal with imagined rejection and it also kind of helps me to deal with like real rejection.

So when that does come at me, I can categorize it as is this really all that important to me emotionally? I found that really, really helpful. But it doesn't change the fact that for artists, it's very easy for us to literally put our whole heart and soul and emotion into what we're doing, and so obviously we want people to love what we're doing, but it can be such a scary thing because of that fear of rejection.

KELLY HASTINGS: It can be. Yeah. I think rejection is, a very hard pill to swallow. Because you always take it so personally. Like it's something that you are doing wrong. Particularly with artists that I know, you tend to beat yourself up a lot over that, you know, feel like you're doing something wrong or you tell yourself that you're not good enough.

I think that seems to be a very common thread between creative people, is that they are constantly telling themselves that they are not worthy and then that they're not good enough. And I think when you get that rejection, it sort of solidifies that in your head and you use that to convince yourself further that you are, that you are no good.

But it's all about personal preference. I'm sure there are artists that you appreciate but are not really your cup of tea based on your own preference. It's nothing personal to them, it doesn't take away from their talent. But trying to remind yourself that when you've been rejected, especially if you've been rejected so many times, it's a very difficult thing.

It's easier to look at it once you're on the outside rather than, you know, being able to process that when you're in the inside. But like you said, I think the fact that you are able to ask yourself, how does this rejection affect me emotionally? Is this, is this real rejection? You know, how, how am I feeling? I think that's a very positive, very, you know, it is a very intellectual way to look at things, and separate yourself from that situation.

BECKY BOYLAND: I like the way that you contextualize that because there are so many very famous, very popular artists that don't have everyone loving them.

KELLY HASTINGS: Mm-hmm.

BECKY BOYLAND: Not everyone loves what they are putting out there because that would kind of be impossible. And it doesn't mean that they're not great. And it also doesn't mean that that independent artist with a relatively small following isn't just such a powerful influence , and a great benefit to that audience.

And I was watching the latest season of American Idol and one of my favorites from the season was already eliminated and the way that she posted on Instagram was "I was voted out tonight," and I thought, "No, you weren't really voted out. It's not Survivor. You weren't really voted out. You just didn't get quite as many votes some other folks." And I think, that even for an independent artist that doesn't have the metrics, we don't have, you know, after 19 million votes tonight or whatever it is, we don't have those things to look at, but what we can recognize is that there are plenty of people on the planet for just about every independent artist that is going to really love them and really understand what they're trying to convey. And also this is a person through whom they can feel seen. And so we don't all have to have the massive, massive followings of that handful of elite artists that are well known globally.

And so being able to have perspective on that is so important because we have all grown up, at least those of us after a certain age, we have all grown up with the mega artists of the music industry as it was, and it's very different now.

KELLY HASTINGS: Yeah, I think once you start treating it as a popularity competition, then you start to become very, very affected by that. But I think once you realize that it's not really about how popular you are, and you don't need a huge following to be able to make a difference or reach somebody or touch somebody.

And I think that's a really important way to look at it, that everybody's sort of like on their own path, on their own journey, and you just need to embrace where your journey is taking you. And it might be that you think that it's gonna be one avenue, but it pushes you down somewhere else.

But it's where — you need to be, where you can make the most difference, not gain the most, fans, you know.

BECKY BOYLAND: Yeah, it can be just a relatively small group of fans that truly love what you're doing. And I think that's an important part of being able to build community and connect with people, because there is also with the independent artists so many times there are those passions, those interests, those things that we're particularly concerned about and that flow through our music. And so it's almost a cohesive sort of movement and that is actually really, really powerful. And, I don't want it to sound like I'm saying that the most well-known worldwide popular songs are not deep 'cause that's not necessarily true. And in fact, some of them have really connected globally because of the fact that there's something that we're all kind of feeling, even if it's just for fun and that has its purpose, and that's beneficial too. But when it comes to creating a community and creating a movement, it doesn't have to be giant numbers. It can just be a handful of people who are really finally feeling like, Oh, this is my music. And this is part of an identity. This is who I am, and these things all go together very well.

KELLY HASTINGS: I completely agree with that.

SPONSOR: ATTITUDE CREATIVITY

BECKY BOYLAND: We'll be back with more after this break.

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CREATIVE PROCESS AND INFLUENCES

BECKY BOYLAND: So let's pivot now to your creative process, because since we have talked about mental health, I know that that is something that you think about very much as you're writing your lyrics, but we all have our flow and getting into a song, whether we're coming at it with lyrics or backing tracks or music or whatever that may look like. So talk about your process.

KELLY HASTINGS: So I've recently started learning to play the guitar again and the piano. You only need to be able to strum a couple of chords to get a good melody. So for me, I tend to pick up the guitar a lot when I'm feeling emotional. I tend to just start playing and words will form, and a melody will form, and I'll record it on my phone. And sometimes they're okay and I'll pursue them, and sometimes they're not. But, I know if they're on my phone, I can keep coming back to them. But for me, my creative process is very much about a way of just expressing myself.

There's a need in that moment to say something. And I struggle, um, to communicate my feelings a lot. But it's so much easier when I can do that to music. So I have some things that I really need to say and I need to say it poetically. I need to say it in a way that you might feel it too. So that's where my creative process starts. I've got this, just this emotion that needs to come out.

BECKY BOYLAND: I imagine that melodies are very important to you as well.

KELLY HASTINGS: Melodies are very important to me. I love a good melody. I really do. You want it ideally to be something that people are gonna remember, that people are gonna wanna sing along to, that they're gonna recall something that plants itself in their brain and they find themselves humming along.

So I think if you've got a great melody or a catchy melody, you are onto something there.

BECKY BOYLAND: That's for sure. I used to think, and I do love lyrics, but I used to think that, oh, lyrics are totally, totally where it's at for me, that's my favorite thing. And then I realized that the thing that really hooks me is the melody and that there are some songs I just love out there that I don't even care what the words are.

I care about melody, and then how it's been produced, and what all those feelings are. And I think that's why when there's a string swell or some other thing that sometimes it's, it's a powerful synth or something that pops up in a song, that's another opportunity for me to just crumble in tears because it moves me even more.

And I totally love lyrics, but yeah, melody is really, is so incredibly powerful.

KELLY HASTINGS: I think there are so many different elements to different songs. I think you can love a song purely for the melody, or you can love a song purely for the lyrics. Or you can love a song purely because you love the drums or you love the way the bass sounds or the guitar. I think music depends on what you wanna feel in that moment, and if the lyrics make you feel something in that moment, you're gonna connect with the lyrics. But if it's the instrumentation that you feel in that moment, then that's your pull to that song. So I think music has such a powerful effect on you that it isn't limited to just you like it for one reason. You can just be drawn to so many different things for so many different reasons, and the majority of the time, I believe it's just based on how you feel.

BECKY BOYLAND: Yeah, and I think that's really insightful because we do sometimes try to reduce it down to it's only about the words, and that's not necessarily true. And sometimes it's about not only all the other things but the words, but it's that plus the words. And that is well beyond the sum of its parts.

So with that, who are some of your favorite musical influences, who, you know, whether it is about the lyrics or about the melody and, and the things that we've talked about really have stuck with you for a long time?

KELLY HASTINGS: I think probably one of the biggest influences for me, growing up, was I lived with my grandparents, so I was very exposed to Elvis Presley, and just the way that he performs, I think more than anything. Just to watch him the way that he moves with the music, the way that he expresses himself.

And it's like he's got all of that emotion and that comes out in his performances. So he was always a huge influence for me. And I sort of modeled my voice, as a teenager anyway, on Celine John. She's the person that I aspire to be. And again, I think if you look at her and Elvis Presley, there are a lot of similarities in the way that they perform. You can see how much it means to her when she's singing, and that comes through in her facial expressions and her voice in the way that she, in her actions, and for me, that's what it's about. I want you to make me feel something.

And, and like I said, that can be the way you perform, the way you sing, the way you play an instrument. I just, I wanna feel something. And that's where my influence lies. I wanna feel what you are feeling. I want you to just give me that little bit more.

BECKY BOYLAND: I absolutely love that and totally identify with that too. I love when something just has so much depth and feeling and, no matter what the genre, no matter the style that I think is so important, and you start to see how those influences come across in the way you perform and what styles tend to then creep into your own songwriting and your own production. Have you seen that be the case?

KELLY HASTINGS: Yes, I think so. Because I'm drawn to sort of soulful voices that capture something, and I like to try and incorporate that into my own music, I wanna write songs that have this emotion and this feeling, but I, I don't want you to just feel that in the lyrics.

I want you to feel that in my voice. I want you to feel that in the melody. So I think that I'm very influenced by emotion and conveying it. So, yeah, I've taken those influences and I've thought about it really hard, you know, like, Well, why do I like this? Why do I appreciate that?

And I wanna take those elements and the things that I love and I wanna incorporate that so people might appreciate that about my music.

BECKY BOYLAND: Oh, that's awesome. And you do have some work that you're working on right now. You're working on putting together an EP, I understand.

KELLY HASTINGS: Yes, I am currently working on putting together an EP. A lot of the songs are based around mental health and how it's made me feel. I wanna do this because I would really love to raise more awareness about mental health and, and how it affects people. 'Cause we don't talk enough about it. We know that it's there. And, you know, we've come as far as to say, Well, you know, it's okay that we don't feel okay, but we still don't talk enough about how it affects us, how we feel. There's still so much stigma attached to mental health that we are okay to admit that we suffer, but we don't say how we suffer or, or how we've helped ourselves, and I think if we do that, if we tell people, "Well yeah, you know, this happened to me. This is how I coped," we are gonna start a chain reaction then. And they're gonna go, "Oh, maybe I can help myself the way you've helped..." and they're gonna pass that on. And that's so important. We need to have this spiral where it's okay to talk about the fact that we are struggling and we need to say, "Well, it affects us like this" because, mental health isn't like a one size fits all. The coping strategies are not one size fits all. We experience things in so many different ways and we heal in so many different ways. And I think we need to let people know that that's okay as well.

That we heal in our own way. We heal in our own time. I think if I can write, music that's centered around mental health, and if I can raise awareness about that, then I've done something. That's my biggest goal, is I just want to, I just wanna reach out and push that awareness.

BECKY BOYLAND: Honest conversations are so, so critical to obviously advance this and to get rid of this false shame that has surrounded it. So we have definitely made some strides, but yeah, there's so much further to go. That is incredible what you're working toward and the way that you're writing, and I can't wait to hear it.

I think it's going to be so impactful, because we do need those stories and, those messages. And also just that, sense of, I can come out of this and I can also do it in a way that is authentic and honest to, you know, whatever I'm going through and the way that is going to be healing and healthy for me.

So that's gonna be amazing. I'm excited about that. Do you have an idea when we can look forward to that or is that still, uh, to be determined right now?

KELLY HASTINGS: That's still to be determined. I'm, I'm very critical. I want it to be. I want it to be perfect. So I'm just working on getting the right sound, making sure that everything hits how it should, hopefully, and then, yes, I'm quite excited about it, but at the same time, I'm not in a rush because I wanna make sure that it's absolutely where it needs to be.

BECKY BOYLAND: Wonderful. And so in the meantime though, a lot of folks can find you singing many covers online. Where can they check out what you're up to?

KELLY HASTINGS: So I have a Facebook page. Kelly Hastings Singer Songwriter. So I am on Facebook. I've got videos on YouTube. Nothing new at the moment, but I am hoping that once the EP is done, that it'll be released on all social platforms, but I'm also on Instagram and TikTok. So TikTok seems to be the most favored platform at the moment.

So that's where I probably upload most of my, um, upcoming stuff.

BECKY BOYLAND: And of course I'll have everything in the show notes, but you had a really great insight about how people can actually support you right now, which is to go ahead and interact with those social posts and maybe even to suggest some songs that they'd like to hear from you.

KELLY HASTINGS: Yeah, I think that's so important. Again, when we go back to the whole sort of rejection issue, you know, if you're putting up posts and nobody's interacting with you at all, then you feel you're just not reaching, you're not reaching people, you're not doing something right and you're always questioning, Oh, what can I do? What's wrong? Maybe they just don't like me. And I think you do get caught up in that vicious circle in your own head then. So I think for me, the biggest thing that would support me is just, you know, I wanna hear your opinions, I wanna hear your thoughts. We are just normal people trying to chase after our own dreams. and, you know, we need that interaction. We need to know if what we're doing is worthy, if it's helping you. It drives us. I think it drives you on when you know that something is having an impact on someone in a very positive way. It drives you to do more of that.

That interaction, that human interaction, is vital. And, and along the lines of, you know, let's be constructive rather than nasty. 'cause you, you see online, on social media, there are a lot of people who are just nasty for the sake of being nasty. Let's be constructive and kind rather than nasty 'cause at the end of the day, we are just human beings and we're, we're trying our best. But yeah, so most definitely, the interaction is a huge thing.

BECKY BOYLAND: That's an excellent statement because the fact is it's very easy to hide behind a screen and not think of other people as people. And where that has gotten us to is really a lack of empathy and compassion, and that's just so critical for a healthy society where we really can help each other out and interact and engage.

So, yes, from that standpoint of, those who really just need to take a step back and check their hearts before they're. they're horrible and mean to people for no reason. But the other really cool thing too is just that opportunity that doesn't cost anybody anything to go and support the artists that they love.

Because we are over here going, Hey, I made this thing. Can you check this thing out that I made? And. I realize that we all have so many messages coming at us all the time, and so it, it is a little bit of a cost of time to go and celebrate artists and to encourage them and help them out, but it doesn't really take a whole lot, especially if you want to see them make more.

And that is one of the ways that we can get feedback and know that we're on the right track, providing something that is blessing people. So those relatively tiny things are so much more impactful than than posting a video with somebody else's music and saying, "I don't own the rights to this." We didn't think you did. We, we know you don't. Why don't you just tag the artist and give them some kudos and some traffic. And those are steps that are tangible and don't really cost anybody anything, so I think that's completely, completely valid.

KELLY HASTINGS: I think we just, we need to create a community where it's more normal to support people than it is to bring people down. And unfortunately, we are so surrounded by negativity a lot of the time, and it, it's those negative thoughts and those negative comments that have the most impact because they're very unnecessary.

You know, there is a kind way of saying how you feel without trying to hurt somebody. Words hurt. They, they have an effect. And I think people just need to be more mindful. Um, you know, if you are gonna comment or if you're gonna reply, would you like to hear those words yourself?

Would you appreciate somebody saying that to you? And if not, maybe put it in a way that is okay with you. Check your moral compass before you potentially just, just hurt somebody else's feelings for the sake of it.

BECKY BOYLAND: Yeah. Yeah, absolutely. Because it does take so many more positive comments to override that one. That one negative comment gets stuck and it just continues to sort of loop. Especially if you're a creative type. You can't help but have that thing just be playing on repeat. And the reality is you can have such a powerful impact by changing the way that you approach that.

And the other thing is if you don't like something, just scroll on.

KELLY HASTINGS: Exactly. Yeah, yeah, exactly. You, you wouldn't approach somebody in the streets and be like, you know, I don't like how you're dressed, or, you know, I don't like your hair, you wouldn't do that. But for some reason that's acceptable on social media that we do those things, you know, and that has to stop.

You know, you need to be kind, you don't know their story. You don't know what's going on in their mind or what's going on in their life, so why does it bother you? Just move on. Move on. If you don't like something, move on.

BECKY BOYLAND: Right, and we can just hope that at some point, whatever the pain is that's causing those kinds of actions and hurt that the right artist will come in front of them and they can feel seen...

KELLY HASTINGS: Yes.

BECKY BOYLAND: ...and then they can, you know, choose to do otherwise. So despite the fact that social media can be a challenge in those ways, we also know it can be very, very encouraging and for those who are sitting back and, and now saying, Oh, social media is scary and maybe I don't wanna put myself out there, what would you say now that you actually have been on this journey?

ENCOURAGEMENT FOR ASPIRING ARTISTS

BECKY BOYLAND: Because it isn't just about social media, but really to be a little bit more serious to bring it back to, what would you say to parents that have had these dreams and have waited, and now maybe it's their time or someone else who's just been waiting in the wings and they know that being an artist is really what they're made for. What's your encouragement to them?

KELLY HASTINGS: In my experience, I've had far more positivity than I've had any negative. My life has, completely changed as a result of just going for it. And it might not have changed in the way that people would've expected it to change, but as a person, I feel like I've grown a lot. I've learned a lot about myself.

And I've had the best time. Doors have opened for me that I never thought would, and I've found myself in positions where, you know, I've, I've had to sort of like do a mental check and be like, Wow, is this really happening? So I don't think it's ever too late to do whatever it is that you want to do.

And I think that if you've constantly got that thought or that feeling that it's where you need to be, then you owe it to yourself to explore that and embrace it because you never know. If I go back even five years, I was a totally different person then to what I am now. And had it not have been, you know, taking that step and investing in my future and my children's future as well. By investing in me, I'm investing in them. I'm setting them examples, and if I hadn't have done that, I wouldn't be where I am now and I wouldn't be this kind of person and I wouldn't have the outlook that I've got. And you never know what the universe has planned for you, but if it's whispering that you need to do something, you need to pick up that microphone or you need to write lyrics or you need to go and hunt your guitar down, you do it.

Just do it. Do it, definitely.

BECKY BOYLAND: Fantastic advice! And it's so clear, just the way that you shared that, the joy that you've been able to get from these experiences, and it's really beautiful. I didn't even know you before, but I can just see there's this bit of empowerment even though you still may feel like, I have a ways to go, but I can feel it. So you made me feel the emotions.

KELLY HASTINGS: Oh, good.

BECKY BOYLAND: There you go. So this has been just such a delightful conversation and I'm so glad that you've been on Second Verse with me.

KELLY HASTINGS: Thank you. Thank you for having me. It's been amazing. It's just been great to talk openly, about things that are so important. Music, mental health, just things in general. It's been fantastic. Thank you.

CODA

BECKY BOYLAND: Wow, what a gift Kelly gave us. Her story is a powerful reminder that the courage to reclaim your dreams doesn't just change your life. It ripples outward to everyone around you. Whether she's singing at a local pub, competing on national television or writing songs to support mental health, Kelly shows us what it looks like to embrace your next act with heart, humility, and a whole lot of grace.

One thing that stood out is how much music became not just an outlet, but a healing force for Kelly and for those who listen. That's something every artist should hold. Close your story, your songs, they matter. You don't need millions of fans to make a difference. You just need to reach your people, and you can't do that if you hide.

So, here's a practical takeaway from my fellow artists. If you're struggling to promote your work or find your audience, start by showing up consistently and vulnerably. Let people know what matters to you, like Kelly is doing with her focus on mental health. That's where the connection starts.

Thanks so much for tuning in. If this episode moved you, please subscribe to Second Verse, leave a review and share it with a friend, and be sure to connect with Kelly on TikTok, Facebook or Instagram. She'd love to hear what song you'd like her to cover next.

Until next time, keep chasing your Second Verse.