BIOGRAPHY

Montreal singer-songwriter Ian Kelly started singing in cover bands at age thirteen. It wasn’t long before he learned to play guitar and started to create his own musical world. Ian is a self-taught musician and producer.

 

His first outing Insecurity, was completely DIY. He wrote, played and recorded everything on his own. A copy of it ended up in the hands of a television show A&R who invited Ian to do his first TV appearance. Ian delivered such a solid performance that Audiogram's president Michel Bélanger decided to sign him onto his label, one of the top indie labels in Canada.

 

Ian Kelly's second album Speak your mind is certified gold with 45,000 units sold in Canada. In support of that release, Ian played more than 150 concerts domestically and abroad, including in France, Belgium, USA and UK.

 

Ian’s third album, Diamonds & Plastic, was released in May 2011 in Canada. It debuted at #8 in Canada and #3 in Quebec, behind only Lady Gaga and Adele. The album has now sold almost 20,000 units in Canada. Ian toured over 75 dates in support of it in 2011-2012 including festivals in Canada (Osheaga, Montreal Jazz Fest, etc), Belgium and France.

 

All These Lines was released in Canadian stores on November 2013. It debuted in the iTunes top 10 albums in Canada along side Eminem, Arcade Fire, Celine Dion, Lorde, Katy Perry, Avril Lavigne and Glee. Ian accompanied Sarah Slean on her Land and Sea tour across Canada, as well as in the UK, The Netherlands and France.

 

In 2014, Ian built a new studio and produced other artists. He’s also making music for film and television as well as running his own label, Sunset Hill Music. Ian is also constantly writing new material for himself and others. Ian wrote the lyrics to a song sang by Céline Dion for the movie Snowtime's (La Guerre des tuques, 2015) soundtrack. 

 

After a successful tour of over 50 concerts in his home province with his full production, the All These Lines tour took Ian back on the road across Canada in an acoustic format for a series of over 30 intimate concerts. Ian has played well over 100 concerts in the last couple of years. A Concert film was put out on June 23rd 2015, Ian Kelly Live/ All These Lines Tour, which made it to #1 in its category on iTunes.

 

On March 4th 2016, Ian released a brand new solo album, the critically acclaimed SuperFolk. 

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Ian Kelly is back in the spotlight with Long Story Short, his sixth album, which was released by Sunset Hill Music in 2019.. The singer-songwriter invites us into his rich folk universe with a collection of songs that are both melancholic and full of light. The album, which Ian considers to be his most accomplished work to date, is an exercise in pure authenticity.

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Ian is supported by Godin Guitars, Nord Keyboards, Taylor Guitars, Gold Tone Guitars and Sennheiser Canada.