Brandon Lorenzo is an emerging country artist hailing from Airdrie, AB. In 2020, Lorenzo released his debut single, “Spread Some Good Time Around” (Written by Doug Folkins & Ryan Hydro), received the YYC People’s Choice Award and is presently up for nomination for Country Music Alberta’s Horizon Male Artist- Fan’s Choice 2020 Award. This year, the young artist released his second single, Kissin’ in the Kitchen (Written by Aaron Goodvin & John King) as well as the official music video for the song, which featured several of Lorenzo’s fans.
Recently, I spoke with Lorenzo about his upcoming single, his music journey and his goals for the new year.
Kyla Pearson: Growing up, you were a part of the “Calgary Boys Choir”, studied music at the United Conservatory for Music and pursued vocal training in your teens before pursuing a music career in country. How would you say your experiences growing up around music have impacted your sound/career today?
Brandon Lorenzo: With my knowledge of classical music and vocal training, I feel that it has helped me become a better vocalist and musician in general. It is a great foundation and a great element of training to help me grow into what my career has become today.
KP: You’ve stated that you were reluctant to pursue country music at first. What finally gave you the push you needed to pursue the genre? Can you see yourself as a country artist in 5, 10 years or do you plan on pursuing other genres?
Lorenzo: No, I think I have found my comfort zone in country music and I plan on sticking with it. I was reluctant because I never grew up listening to country music and I would sing a lot of R&B growing up (Bruno Mars, Michael Buble etc). I was also hesitant because I had never tried singing it before but as soon as my friends heard me, that quickly changed.
KP: You recently released your latest single, “Kissin’ in the Kitchen”, which was written by Canadian country artist Aaron Goodvin (Billboard #1 hit “You Are,” eight CCMA nominations, and a Juno nomination for Country Album of the Year for his album, V.) & American Country artist & songwriter John King. (18M+ Spotify streams, “Trying to Say Goodbye”,“Easy”). It was also produced by Candian country artist & songwriter Dan Davidson (“Role Models”). What is it like recording a song by established artists so early in your career? What made you want to take it to the studio?
Lorenzo: It’s an amazing opportunity to be able to see that established artists like Goodvin/King, Davidson believe in me as a new artist. As soon as I heard the song “Kissin’ in the Kitchen” I knew that I had to record it. It’s a fun, upbeat song that really captures the 90’s style country that I strive for. Recording with Dan was great because he provided knowledge, patience, and pushed me to explore my voice in ways that I didn’t know I could.
KP: Can you tell us a bit about the story behind the song? Do you feel like it will resonate with your audience?
Lorenzo: My story behind the song started when I first heard the demo that Aaron sent me. It was a song that I knew would express who I am as an artist. I knew that I would be able to incorporate some fans into the music video for it and connect with them on a personal level. It’s a song that resonates with couples from all walks of life and any age. It can be from a mom with their child in the kitchen, to a couple who has married for 60 years.
KP: The music video for the single premiered on Jan 12th, 2021, which was shot by videographer Greg Harder and produced by Cheryl Barkhouse, K-Leigh Schofield, and yourself. What was the filming experience like? How did you come up with the creative direction for the music video?
Lorenzo: The amazingly talented Greg Harder always does a phenomenal job and is a pleasure to work with. He always brings great ideas to the table and so does my team. We always start on the same page but then continue to explore new ideas as the video is being shot. With covid-19 we knew we wanted to incorporate people into the video. We wanted to create the illusion of an audience however with covid and the restrictions it became a little more challenging. You can see people present with masks on in some of the shots, so we also decided to ask for couples to send in video submissions from the comfort of their own home.
KP: In 2020, you earned yourself the YYC People’s Choice Award. Now you’re up for nomination for Country Music Alberta’s Horizon Male Artist- Fan’s Choice 2020 Award. How has all this industry recognition and success been for you? How does it feel to have so much support from your home province?
Lorenzo: To have the support from my home province (and beyond) is fantastic, and a little overwhelming. As an artist who is quite new to the country music industry, I never would have thought that I could be winning awards so fast. The industry has been very welcoming and supportive of all my recent success and I can’t wait to see what the next couple of years have in store!
KP: Alberta is also known for its country music scene, and Calgary is often considered “Nashville North”. Being an artist in Alberta, how would you say it has benefitted your career? What are some opportunities you’ve had that you may not have had were you a part of a different scene elsewhere in the country/world? What is one challenge you’ve faced in the scene?
Lorenzo: Some of the amazing opportunities that I have had is the ability to network with other artists, record in the music studios we have here, and the knowledge that I’ve obtained living in one of the hot spots for country music. Some of the greatest shows I’ve played have been right here in Calgary. The shows include the legendary Calgary Stampede and Country Thunder. 2021 is shaping up to be a productive year with Fairs, festivals and rodeos, along with multiple corporate and private venues reaching out and asking me to play/headline their event.
KP: Moving forward in 2021, what is one goal you hope to achieve with your music by the end of the year? Can fans expect new music other than “Kissin’ in the Kitchen”?
Lorenzo: Not to give anything away, but we do have some music on the back burner ready to go when the time comes. A goal I hope to achieve in my country music career this year is simply playing as many shows as possible given the circumstances of Covid-19. Another goal is to continue growing my fan base and connecting with fans everywhere.
Kissin’ in The Kitchen will be available on all streaming platforms as of January 29th, 2021. Pre-save it now:
To learn more about Lorenzo & his music, be sure to check out his website & socials:
Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3sS64x9
Apple Music: https://apple.co/39aJQ1G
Website: https://brandonlorenzomusic.wixsite.com/home
Works Cited
Goodvin, Aaron. “About.” Aaron Goodvin, Aaron Goodvin, us.aarongoodvin.com. Accessed 13 Jan. 2021.
King, John. “About.” John King, John King, us.aarongoodvin.com. Accessed 13 Jan. 2021.
Lorenzo, Brandon. Interview. Conducted by Kyla Pearson, Jan. 13 2021.
Unknown. “Featured: Albertan country artist Brandon Lorenzo”. Photo courtesy of Brandon Lorenzo. Accessed Jan.13 2021.
