biographical info
Kay grew up in Southern Ontario, playing music for
local audiences and developing a small and dedicated following in her area. A few years and
many open mics later, Kay moved to Peterborough to pursue university, where she instead found herself thriving in a close-knit music scene that broadened her influences and developed her talent.
Looking for a
change of scene, Kay moved to Toronto and took to the road to play
well-attended shows across Ontario, Quebec and the northern US. In 2007
she was a featured performer at Toronto Pride, and shortly thereafter partnered with For The Love of.. Records to release her debut,
self-titled EP (December 2008).
A
YouTube video of her cover of the
theme song to 1990s TV hit, "The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air", exploded
online, garnering over 60,000 hits and multiple reviews. A favourable mention in Entertainment Weekly's
"Popwatch" perfectly captured her surprising ability to combine the
saccharine sweetness of pop culture with the grittiness of folk: "You
got chocolate in my peanut butter, Kay Pettigrew!"
Kay currently lives in Toronto's west end, where she is holed up writing songs toward her next release (Spring 2010).
lineup
Kay Pettigrew Vocals, Guitars
Aaron Friend-Lettner Drums
Adrian Cook Bass
influences
Mirah
Cat Power
Julie Doiron
Wanda Jackson
Gillian Welch