EXCLUSIVE: Kelsey Waldon Premieres ' Ghost of Myself' from New Album Every Ghost Ahead of its Release
By Jof Owen
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If the sign of a true artist is someone who always stands firm in their convictions, just doing what they do, regardless of what's going on around them, then they don't come much truer than Kelsey Waldon.
On the eve of the critically acclaimed singer-songwriter's upcoming sixth studio album, it feels like the cultural landscape has finally swung around to catch up with Kelsey Waldon. Her blend of twangy outlaw country and swaggering Southern grit feels immediately at home in a world where Zach Top and Lainey Wilson clean up at awards ceremonies as country traditionalism very much has a moment of its own. It was no surprise to see her included in the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum’s 2024 American Currents exhibit. It's about time.
“True outlaw shit is sticking to your guns, and I feel like I’m doing that,” Waldon says. “I’m not saying I’m unbreakable, but I feel almost unbreakable. I’ve already hurt the worst that I could and lived to tell the story. We can be thankful for our ghosts."
On her new album, Every Ghost, she confronts addiction, grief, generational trauma, and even herself — and comes through it stronger and at peace - with her boldest and most deeply personal record to date.
“There’s a lot of hard-earned healing on this record,” Waldon says of the nine-song project, recorded at Southern Grooves studio in Memphis with her band, The Muleskinners. As she sings in the record’s opener and the song that gives the album its title, 'Ghost of Myself,' she’s put in the work not only to better herself and leave behind bad habits, but also to learn to love her past selves.
"I had to get tough so I could get wise / I’ve been a thousand women in my own time / Been a thousand women and I’ve loved them all / I had to get low so I could walk tall," she sings as she learns to love and accepts not just who she is, but also the person she was.
“It took time and experience,” she says, adding that she can now find compassion for her younger self. “I think you’ve gotta respect her because she was trying as hard as she could for where she was at, and she was doing a damn good job.”
Watch a visualizer for 'Ghost of Myself' exclusively on Holler below.
Waldon will be touring extensively this summer in support of Every Ghost. The full dates are listed below. For tickets and more information, visit www.kelseywaldon.com.
Upcoming Tour Dates:
June 20 - New York, NY, Hill Country
June 21 - Philadelphia, PA, Ortlieb's Lounge
June 23 - Cleveland, OH, Beachland Ballroom & Tavern
June 24 - State College, PA, The Attic
June 26 - Millvale, PA, The Funhouse at Mr. Smalls
June 27 - Thomas, WV, Purple Fiddle
June 28 - Carrboro, NC, Cat's Cradle - Back Room
June 29 - Norfolk, VA, The Annex
(With support from Olivia Ellen Lloyd)
July 5 - Glasgow, KY, The Grove w/ Leah Blevins
July 9 - Denver, CO, Larimer Lounge
July 10 - Colorado Springs, CO, Colorado Springs Oskar Blues
July 11 - Hotchkiss, CO, Big B's Delicious Orchards
July 14 - Mendocino, CA, Mendocino Music Festival
July 15 - Reno, NV, Cypress
July 17 - Victor, ID, Music On Main
July 18 - Boise, ID, Neurolux
July 20 - Whitefish, MT, Under The Big Sky Festival
July 22 - Winnipeg, MB,The Park Theatre
July 23 - Fargo, ND, The Aquarium
July 24 - Madison, WI, The Bur Oak
July 25 - Indianapolis, IN, Duke's Indy
July 27 - Check, VA, FloydFest
August 20 - Omaha, NE, Slowdown - Front Room
August 21 - Kansas City, MO, Knuckleheads
August 22 - Tulsa, OK, Mercury Lounge
August 23 - Columbia, MO, Rose Music Hall
August 24 - Little Rock, AR, The White Water Tavern
August 27 - Houston, TX, White Oak Music Hall - Upstairs
August 29 - Austin, TX, 3TEN ACL Live
August 30 - Fort Worth, TX, Magnolia Motor Lounge
August 31 - New Braunfels, TX, Gruene Hall
(With support from Presley Haile )
Every Ghost is release on 20 June via Oh Boy Records
