With a softly captivating voice and a knack for gripping lyrical storytelling, singer-songwriter Kennedy Shaw is fast becoming a name to watch out for. A native of Vineland, New Jersey, Shaw first made her mark on the local indie scene in her late teens when she began releasing emo-tinged anthems under the name Makeoutgrrl in 2018. Over the years, her sound grew and evolved, becoming more layered and complex, and lyrically refined. In 2023, she reflected this growth with a pivot to performing under her own name, and over the ensuing year, she released an array of lush new singles.
Thing is, the themes that have always inspired her creatively still drive her music. It’s emotional stuff at its core — Shaw’s songs are about love and heartache, yearning and connection, self-identity, and soft rage. It’s full of lyrical wit, like the moment in “Lightswitch” where she sings that she wants to run her car keys along an ex’s mom’s minivan. But those topics and melodies now dressed up in a shimmering sound that calls to mind Kacey Musgraves and Lizzy McAlphine.
In this week’s Key Studio Session, Shaw and her bandmates — Harlee Torres on bass, Satchel Schwartz on drums, and James Sleeman on guitar — showcase two songs that were released this year, the gorgeously yee-haw number “Cowboy Killer” and the aforementioned “Lightswitch,” as well as a pensive new opener called “From New Jersey.” The Garden State serves as an inspiration, a setting, and a North Star for Shaw in many ways, and you very much hear it in this performance.
Watch Kennedy Shaw’s Key Studio Session below, and see her live this Friday, September 6th, supporting Lena Fine’s album release party at Nostalgia in Fishtown with Wescansin. Tickets and more information can be found here; keep on the lookout for more gigs and songs from Shaw this fall by following her IG at @kennedyxshaw.