Kinley Dowling (born January 18, 1983), who performs under the stage name KINLEY, is a Canadian singer-songwriter and musician. She is a member of the band
Hey Rosetta!
Hey Rosetta! is a Canadian seven-piece indie rock band from St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador and led by singer/songwriter Tim Baker. Known for their energized live shows, the band created a large, layered sound by incorporating piano, viol ...
and joined them in 2007. In 2016, she released her solo album ''Letters Never Sent''. In 2018, she was nominated for four
East Coast Music Awards
The East Coast Music Association is a non-profit association that hosts an annual awards ceremony based in Atlantic Canada for music appreciation on the East Coast of Canada. Its mission is to develop, advance and celebrate East Coast Canadian mus ...
, where she won Fan Choice Video of the Year (for her single "Microphone") and Rising Star Recording of the Year. She released her second album ''KINLEY'' in 2020, where it was nominated for Pop Recording of the Year at the 2021 East Coast Music Awards.
Career
Dowling was born in
Charlottetown
Charlottetown is the capital and largest city of the Canadian province of Prince Edward Island, and the county seat of Queens County. Named after Queen Charlotte, Charlottetown was an unincorporated town until it was incorporated as a city in ...
, Prince Edward Island, Canada. Her recording career began when she was a music student at
Dalhousie University
Dalhousie University (commonly known as Dal) is a large public research university in Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia ( ; ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is one of the three Maritime provinces and one of the fou ...
. Dowling is based in Charlottetown.
Hey Rosetta!
The day after she graduated from Dalhousie University in 2007, Dowling started touring as the violinist with the rock group
Hey Rosetta!
Hey Rosetta! is a Canadian seven-piece indie rock band from St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador and led by singer/songwriter Tim Baker. Known for their energized live shows, the band created a large, layered sound by incorporating piano, viol ...
. She toured with that group, based in
St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador
St. John's is the capital and largest city of the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador, located on the eastern tip of the Avalon Peninsula on the island of Newfoundland.
The city spans and is the easternmost city in North America ...
, for ten years until the band started an indefinite hiatus in 2017.
Collaborations
In July 2011,
Liam Corcoran
Liam Corcoran (born July 3, 1984) is a Canadian singer-songwriter based in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island. Formerly the front-man of Two Hours Traffic, he is now an established solo artist.
Career
Two Hours Traffic
Two Hours Traffic w ...
and Dowling released their self-titled duo album ''The Express''. This album, consisting of 11 songs, was produced by Dale Murray. The first three original compositions were written by Dowling and the remaining tracks were written by Liam Corcoran.
In June 2017, Dennis Ellsworth and Dowling released the duet album ''Everyone Needs to Chill Out''. This album features songs written individually by Ellsworth and Dowling, as well as songs written together. ''Everyone Needs To Chill Out'' was nominated for six awards at the 2018 Music PEI Awards, and won the New Artist of the Year Award.
Solo career
Dowling released her debut solo album ''Letters Never Sent'' in October 2016. In 2017, the debut album won the "Female Solo Recording of the Year", "New Artist of the Year" and "SOCAN Songwriter of the Year" awards at Music PEI Week.
At the
East Coast Music Awards
The East Coast Music Association is a non-profit association that hosts an annual awards ceremony based in Atlantic Canada for music appreciation on the East Coast of Canada. Its mission is to develop, advance and celebrate East Coast Canadian mus ...
in 2018, ''Letters Never Sent'' won the "Rising Artist of the Year" and "Fans' Choice Video of the Year" for "Microphone". "Microphone" received attention for its coverage of sexual assault and the song was incorporated into Grade 9 Health classes in PEI to help students understand consent.
Her second album, ''KINLEY'', was released in 2020 and was preceded by the singles "Lightworkers", "Run With You", and "Washington". It was nominated for Pop Recording of the Year at the 2021 East Coast Music Awards, losing to Sorrey's ''In Full Bloom''.
Personal life
Dowling is a first cousin of musician
Liam Corcoran
Liam Corcoran (born July 3, 1984) is a Canadian singer-songwriter based in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island. Formerly the front-man of Two Hours Traffic, he is now an established solo artist.
Career
Two Hours Traffic
Two Hours Traffic w ...
. The former front man for
Two Hours Traffic
Two Hours Traffic was a Canadian indie rock band, based in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island. They are named after a line in the prologue to Shakespeare’s '' Romeo and Juliet''. Critics have drawn comparisons to 1970s power pop band Big Star ...
encouraged Dowling to write her own original music.
Discography
Solo albums
* ''Letters Never Sent'' (2016)
*''KINLEY'' (2020)
Solo singles
* "Microphone" (2018)
*"Lightworkers" (2019)
*"Run With You" (2019)
*"Washington" (2020)
Notable collaborations
* ''The Express'' by The Express (
Liam Corcoran
Liam Corcoran (born July 3, 1984) is a Canadian singer-songwriter based in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island. Formerly the front-man of Two Hours Traffic, he is now an established solo artist.
Career
Two Hours Traffic
Two Hours Traffic w ...
, Kinley Dowling,
Dale Murray
Dale Albert Murray (born February 2, 1950) is a former Major League Baseball pitcher.
Career Montreal Expos
He was drafted by the Montreal Expos out of Blinn College in Brenham, Texas in the eighteenth round of the 1970 Major League Baseball Dr ...
) (2011 album)
* ''Everyone Needs to Chill Out'' by Dennis Ellsworth and Kinley Dowling (Pyramid Scheme, 2017)
Other collaborations
Dowling has recorded on over 50 albums. This is a partial list of other albums that she has played on.
* ''The Send Off'' (2009) - Rose Cousins
* ''Echoes'' (2009) - Jenn Grant
* '' We Are an Empire, My Dear'' (2009) -
In-Flight Safety
In-Flight Safety is a Canadian indie rock band formed in 2003. In-Flight Safety was nominated for a 2007 Juno Award for Video of the Year for "Coast Is Clear". They are currently based in Halifax, Nova Scotia. The group consists of vocalist ...
* ''
Self Explanatory (Classified album)
''Self Explanatory'' is a 2009 album by Canadian rapper Classified (his twelfth album overall). The album received positive reviews from music critics. The first single "Anybody Listening", as of April 18, 2009, has spent 7 weeks on the Canadian ...
'' (2009) -
Classified (rapper)
Luke Boyd (born December 13, 1977), better known by his stage name Classified, is a Canadian rapper and record producer from Enfield, Nova Scotia.
Musical career
1995–2004: Early beginnings
Boyd attended Hants East Rural High School in M ...
* ''
Honeymoon Punch
Jenn Grant (born August 20, 1980) is a Canadian Folk music, folk pop singer-songwriter based in Halifax Regional Municipality, Halifax, Nova Scotia.
Career
''Jenn Grant and Goodbye Twentieth Century''
She performed as a musician for a time i ...
20 Odd Years
''20 Odd Years'' is an album by Canadian hip-hop artist Buck 65. It was released on February 1, 2011, and named in honor of his twentieth anniversary in the music industry. The album continued Buck 65's tradition of combining several different mu ...
'' (2011) -
Buck 65
Richard Terfry (born March 4, 1972), better known by his stage name Buck 65, is a Canadian alternative hip hop artist. Underpinned by an extensive background in abstract hip hop, his more recent music has extensively incorporated blues, country, ...
* ''
Coyote (Matt Mays album)
''Coyote'' is the fifth album by Matt Mays
Matt Mays (born August 10, 1979) is a Canadian indie rock singer-songwriter and was the lead singer of Matt Mays & El Torpedo, a rock music group based in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, and New York City. ...
The Beautiful Wild
''The Beautiful Wild'' is the fourth studio album by Canadian singer-songwriter Jenn Grant, released September 25, 2012 on Six Shooter Records.Jenn Grant
* ''Hazy Sunshine'' (2013) - Dennis Ellsworth
* ''
Compostela (album)
''Compostela'' is the fifth full-length studio album by the Canadian singer-songwriter Jenn Grant, released October 21, 2014, on Outside Music.Jenn Grant
* ''The Bliss'' (2015) - Fortunate Ones