Speaking personally, seeing Kayley Bishop live is an experience. After our first experience last June, we were floored by her voice, songs and stories. So much so that when flying back home, we had her album, Little Dove, on repeat for most of the flight.
During our last interview, Bishop clued us in that she had a live record waiting in the wings, and was pondering the right time to release it. Fortunately, the time is now, as she’s unveiled Little Dove Live from Nashville, a 75-minute journey through all of the songs on the studio album, unreleased material, covers and cuts from her earlier catalog. Chock-full of stories, testimonies and powerhouse performances, Little Dove Live, released exclusively through Bandcamp, places the listener front-and-center in the audience from the shows recorded for the album.
We chatted with Bishop all about Little Dove Live, as well as how she looks back on the studio album, entering her next season of music and more!
Pro Country: You released your album, Little Dove, nearly a year and a half ago. With that time having passed since its release, how do you look back on the album and its songs?
Kayley Bishop: I really wanted to create something I was proud of. I had to live so much life to be able to write those songs. I became a better songwriter over the course of writing those songs. As an artist, finding your voice can be a challenge. It’s easy to move to Nashville, and maybe you’re talented and have a passion to sing, but having the layer of understanding about who you are is the key to informing what the songs sound like and say. I think Little Dove was a culmination of all of those things coming together.
PC: You recorded your new album, Little Dove Live From Nashville, at 3rd and Lindsley in Nashville, which has hosted so many great artists and shows in its history. How special was it to be on that stage and to capture the two shows you recorded?
KB: It was awesome. I always wanted to play at 3rd and Lindsley, but I thought too little of myself [laughs]. God told me to stop limiting myself and to ask for what I wanted. Once I did, the doors flew wide open. I was really glad that we made it happen there.
PC: The shows that make up Little Dove Live were recorded in March and October of 2024, respectively. With two years having passed since the first show and a year and a half since the second, why did you feel it was the right time to put the album out into the world?
KB: It was me making good on a project I knew I had waiting in the wings. Last year, I felt like the Lord was telling me not to cultivate the land of music and to let it rest. I took that to mean that it wasn’t the time to work on the live record; I didn’t have peace with doing it yet. I felt released to do it at the beginning of this year, so I called a producer. At that point, I’d put a couple grand into mixing and mastering it. It’s one thing to bring great musicians on stage and to multi-track record the session, but there’s so many variables that happen on stage that it needs a fine-tooth comb to go through it. It took a lot of time on the production end. I’m happy it happened when it did.
PC: You put together big, solid bands for the show days. Can you talk about how playing with friends took the songs to another level and bringing their talent to the songs?
KB: It wasn’t my intention to use two different bands, but the chips fell that way. It really brought a great element having a different band to the October show. I got the producer who co-produced the studio album to play keys. He added things that were really special, specifically to “Boy, Amen.” I love his piano intro on that song.
PC: “Shiny New Thing” is a great, grooving song you wrote with Lauren Mascitti that has yet to be released and opens Little Dove Live. Why did you feel it was the right song to open the album and show with?
KB: That song has such a fun beat. I thought it would be a great song to walk out on stage with. The crowd was so electric at the first show. It felt so good! I wanted to do something with the song. It was the same with “If I Ever Find Love Again.” I wanted to record it on a studio record, but I was playing it live because I love the song, so why not put it out? I don’t know if it’s taboo to do that, but here we are! [laughs].
PC: Speaking of “If I Ever Find Love Again,” in the release notes on Little Dove Live, you tell a funny story about when you had a breakthrough on the song. Can you talk about writing the song and the breakthrough that took it to the finish line?
KB: Yeah, my “epeephany” [laughs]. It’s a joke that I say on stage, but it’s true. We were struggling, and I went to use the bathroom, and there was something about sitting down on a toilet that made the idea emerge [laughs]. I’m glad it did, because I walked out and the guys said “yeah, we’re going to write that!”
PC: Two songs you’d released prior to Little Dove, “Honey Yes” and “Blue Eyed Baby,” are included on Little Dove Live. How much did you enjoy bringing those songs back to that setting and playing them with the band?
KB: I did that for the fans. I’ve had a lot of people who have loved those songs for a long time. I wanted to honor the people who have been with me for the last handful of years.
PC: Little Dove Live includes your second live cover of “Valerie,” popularized by Amy Winehouse. Can you talk about what you love about the song and how much fun you’ve had making it your own over the years?
KB: That one continues to take new shape, especially vocally. I find new pockets of melody to sit in and play around with. It feels like a home base type of song for my band, because we play it a lot. Whenever it comes around, we’re always excited to play it. It feels like a showstopper. I can show off everybody in the band and let them have their moments to be showcased.
What’s funny is that people think it’s my song; they don’t know it’s a cover. It’s an Amy Winehouse tune, and she covered it from The Zutons. We’re just out there doing a cover of a cover!
PC: We’ve seen you play “Hold On Honey” live, and you’ve mentioned that every time you play the song, you hear of how at least one person in the crowd was moved and how the song has touched them. Little Dove Live closes with a nine-plus minute recording of the song, complete with a breakdown, a testimony and extended solos. How special was it to give that extra life to “Hold On Honey” in particular?
KB: I loved it. I love being able to go off script and to make a song an experience. When you’re in a studio setting, in a way, you’re playing inside of a box. When you’re on stage and you’ve got the audience there willing to participate, it becomes more about them than creating something that’s polished and refined.
The recording we used is from the March show. In that year, I’d sent the songs from that show to my producer, and when I got back “Hold On Honey,” I cried in my car. There was something on that song.
PC: On many live records that get released, the performance is edited almost strictly to the song itself. You included musical intros, stories about the songs and banter with the audience throughout the album. How important was it for you to capture a true, live feel of the album in that way?
KB: One regret that I had was not putting more microphones in the audience, so they had more power. Their participation was everything. We’re all given a gift. No one is left out. Every single person that God creates and breathes life into is given a gift, call and purpose. Those gifts aren’t meant to be held on to, they’re meant to be given. When I think about giving the gift of music, if I’m there just playing for myself, I haven’t capitalized on the opportunity. I need the audience there to give something too, and when they participate and want that experience, it creates something palpable. You can feel the atmosphere shift.
PC: What do you hope listeners take away from Little Dove Live after listening all the way through?
KB: I hope that when they listen through, they’re inspired to play, sing and dream bigger. More than anything, I hope they get a little taste of the Holy Spirit, even if they don’t know that that’s what it is.
PC: To that point, what has the response been to the album in the week that it’s been released?
KB: It’s been good! I’ve had my diehard fans download the whole record. We’ve done it on Bandcamp, so there hasn’t been as much of a splash. We’re kind of experimenting and seeing what it looks like to recoup some of the investment outside of Spotify and iTunes. And then potentially release there later. In one week, I’ve earned more than I’ve earned in a year on a digital streaming partner.
PC: You mentioned releasing Little Dove Live exclusively on Bandcamp. Can you talk about making that decision and how great a platform like Bandcamp is for independent artists?
KB: It’s a fun, different option. Every artist has fans that really want to go the distance with them. They want to feel like they’re part of the team. It makes them feel honored, while also honoring the time and effort I’ve put into building it. I’m glad there’s an opportunity to exercise releasing music in a different way.
PC: You released “Beyond The Blue (Angel That He Loves)” in late February, which is a special song you wrote with Chelsey Stallings and Chris Crowley for someone grieving the loss of their sister. Can you take us in the room and talk about how the song came together?
KB: Chris found me through a platform where you can hire songwriters. He was hoping that I’d record and release a song, but I just thought I was doing work-for-hire and just writing the song for him. He kept coming around, and I realized that maybe the song should be more than just a song, and that I should record it and put it out.
Chris gave me the back story and some concepts, and I took it in a direction that was most appropriate. Like the lyric says, “I can’t tell you that she’s happy in the sky.” I wrote it from a place of comforting someone about a loss without assuming that I truly know what heaven is like. That’s the angle I took when I sat down with Chelsey to write it.
It went through several adaptations production-wise. Chris asked about doing a country version, so we called the producer to have him put on fiddles, but it wasn’t me. If I was going to release it, I needed it to have my fingerprint on it. I remember telling the producers to put some Prince guitar on it. I really like where it ended up.
PC: In the few weeks that it’s been released, you’ve mentioned messages you’ve received in response to “Beyond the Blue.” How special has it been to hear from people that have been touched by the song?
KB: It’s been really special, and also surprising. Every so often, there’s a song that I write that I know is meaningful, but it’s not necessarily meaningful to me. When I see the response where a song is meaningful to someone, it kind of surprises me. Some songs, when you’re writing them for other people, you’re trying to make it mean something to them. I don’t want to diminish the song at all, because when people love it, I’m so glad that they do.
PC: On social media, you mentioned that you’re in your “next season of music.” What does that season look like for you? What can people expect to hear?
KB: I have a heart and a mind to write songs about faith. Something shifted in me at the beginning of last year. A missionary heart busted out of my chest. If I have one last breath to breathe, I have to go out talking about who the Lord is, because He changed my life. If I’m going to steward a voice and a song, I want it to be about Him: what He’s done, what He can do and what He will do. That’s where my heart is right now. I would really love to have a show about those songs, and eventually record them, when I find more money to do so [laughs].
PC: What do you have planned for 2026?
KB: There’s a few things. I’ve started working on a concept Christmas album about my dad. I’ve got all five songs mostly written. Sonically, they hit on different areas of music. I’ve got a producer lined up for that, and I really want to put it out. My dad has dementia, and I’m not sure how long I’ll have him for. I wanted to write a Christmas record about him. I’m also doing an Aretha Franklin-inspired EP of songs about faith.
As far as traveling and touring, I’ve got shows on the books, but I’m also going to Malaysia this summer. That’s an offshoot of what I did in Japan. I’ve sort of become an ambassador of music for the United States. They’re sending me to the US Embassy, but they’re sending me on diplomatic performance programs, where I perform, collaborate with the locals and mentor students. It’s been really fun, and I love doing it!
PC: Is there anything you’d like to add?
KB: I was writing this today: the people that complain about the rain the most are the ones that don’t have any seed in the ground. That’s a tidbit I’ll leave for people. The rain is great, but get the seed in the ground.
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