Kelly Willis is a country music singer-songwriter noted for her clear, unad… Read Full Bio ↴Kelly Willis is a country music singer-songwriter noted for her clear, unadorned vocal style and her fresh-faced beauty. Willis’ music has been described as contemporary country, alternative country and new traditionalist.

Kelly was born in Lawton, Oklahoma on October 2, 1968, Willis was the youngest of three children. While her father was a U.S. Army colonel, Willis’ mother had a strong interest in music and sang and acted in amateur musicals. Willis began singing when she was nine as a way to comfort herself after her parents divorced.

==Career==
Willis joined her first band in high school. Her boyfriend, drummer Mas Palermo, introduced Willis to his rockabilly band. The band took her on as the lead vocalist and soon rechristened the band Kelly Willis & the Fireballs. After Willis’ high school graduation, the band decided to move to Austin, Texas, to participate in the vibrant Austin music scene. After a few months in Austin, however, the band broke up. Willis and Palermo, married in 1989, formed a new band called Radio Ranch. In Austin, Willis attracted the notice of several influential Texas singer-songwriters including Nanci Griffith and Lyle Lovett. Griffith introduced MCA producer Tony Brown to Willis. Brown was very impressed with Willis’ vocal abilities and signed her to the MCA label in 1989.

MCA embarked on a big marketing campaign to tout Willis after she recorded her first album on the label, the 1990 album ''Well Travelled Love''. MCA ensured that Willis was interviewed by several national magazines including unusual venues like ''Vogue'' and ''Mademoiselle''. Her voice appeared in the 1991 Ridley Scott-produced movie ''Thelma and Louise'', singing "Little Honey." Willis also had a small part in Tim Robbins’ 1992 film ''Bob Roberts''. Despite of all the publicity and positive reviews from most reviewers, ''Well Travelled Love'' and Willis’ subsequent albums for MCA (''Bang Bang'' in 1991 and ''Kelly Willis'' in 1993) sold modestly and received very little radio play. During this time, Willis felt uncomfortable with the way she was marketed by MCA. In 1994, MCA released Willis from her contract.

Willis continued to pursue her music career after leaving MCA. In 1996, she recorded an EP for A&M Records entitled ''Fading Fast''. However, her relationship with A&M was short-lived; after working with two major labels, Willis decided to record her next album on her own. Her efforts resulted in the 1999 album ''What I Deserve'', which Willis sold to Rykodisc after finishing the album. ''What I Deserve'' received quite a bit of press after the album’s release. It was commonly seen as Willis’ response to her history with MCA, and was uniformly praised by critics, becoming a hit for Willis.

In 2003, Willis and Bruce Robison, her husband and fellow country musician, released the record ''Happy Holidays'', a cover album of Christmas songs.

In Fall 2007, Willis released ''Translated From Love''. It was recorded at Robison's studio, Premium Recording Services, in Austin, TX. and produced by Chuck Prophet, formerly of the band Green On Red. The album is co-written by Willis, Prophet and notable songwriter Jules Shear, and includes a cover version of Iggy Pop's "Success."

In early 2008, Willis announced she would take an indefinite hiatus from live performances due to family obligations. Said Willis in a website announcement, "Being a traveling musician with four kids may not make an extremely compelling reality TV show but it is kicking my butt. I plan to continue making records. And I may do the occasional holiday show/song swap/benefit here and there.... Happy trails...until we meet again." Her winter/spring 2008 scheduled dates continued as planned until the final show May 2, 2008.

Willis has recently begun to tour outside of Texas again; first she headlined the Northern Rockies Folk Festival in Hailey, Idaho on August 7, 2010. Next up, she is scheduled to perform at the Hardly Strictly Bluegrass festival in San Francisco on October 2, 2010.

==Personal life==
She is married to country singer-songwriter Bruce Robison.

Official website: http://www.kellywillis.me
Facebook fan site: http://www.facebook.com/KellyWillisRobison
Twitter: http://twitter.com/KellyWRobison

Reason To Believe
Kelly Willis Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Now my dreams can all come true,
And now my life can follow through.
Suddenly, it's all so clear.
There's not a thing that I should fear.

Who'd have thought that it would start
With the beating of your heart
And the world would stop for me

And show me love like it should be.

(Chorus):

Holding your hand in mine,
catching my breath each time
Looking up at the stars,
Now they don't seem so far.

(Repeat Chorus)

Spread the news that I'm alive,
Cuz I was born in your blue eyes.
Good things were meant for me
Now I've a reason to believe.

Yes, good things were meant for me,
Oh I believe, yes I believe.

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Kelly Willis's song Reason To Believe describe the feeling of finally finding true love and how it has changed the perspective of the singer's life. The opening lines "Now my dreams can all come true, and now my life can follow through" reflect the idea that love has given her purpose and direction. She feels like she can conquer anything because there's not a thing she should fear. The second verse talks about how unexpected it was for her to find love and how it all started with one heartbeat. She mentions how the world stops for her when she is with her lover and how his love has shown her how true love should be.

The chorus of the song describes the physical and emotional connection she feels with her lover. Holding his hand in hers makes her catch her breath as she looks up at the stars, realizing that they aren't as far away anymore because she has him by her side. The repetition of the chorus emphasizes the newfound joy and happiness that love has brought to her life.

The final verse shows the singer feeling grateful that good things were meant for her and that she has finally found a reason to believe in the power of love. The repetition of "good things were meant for me" and "oh I believe" reinforces the idea that love has given her a sense of confidence, purpose, and direction.

Overall, Kelly Willis's song Reason To Believe celebrates the transformative power of love and how it can change a person's outlook and attitude towards life.

Line by Line Meaning

Now my dreams can all come true,
My aspirations are attainable now.

And now my life can follow through.
I can achieve my goals and live a fulfilling life.

Suddenly, it's all so clear.
Everything makes sense now.

There's not a thing that I should fear.
I have no reason to be afraid.

Who'd have thought that it would start
It's amazing how it all began.

With the beating of your heart
Your love was the beginning of it all.

And the world would stop for me
My life changed completely because of you.

And show me love like it should be.
You gave me the kind of love that I deserve.

Holding your hand in mine,
The simple act of holding hands is magical.

catching my breath each time
I feel breathless every time we touch.

Looking up at the stars,
You make the universe seem closer and more beautiful.