Kendra McKinley paints on her clothes and makes music for smoking weed with your bra off.
She’s a conduit of connection with a voice that sounds like tuned honey, creating music that braids sensuality, levity and polish. Whether she’s casting spells with her looping pedal or fronting a dynamic band, her live show is an invitation to swerve and swoon to her yummy grooves.
Born in Santa Cruz, California, into a family of artists, McKinley has been immersed in a spectrum of performance mediums from a young age. Theater, dance, choir, visual art, fashion, and music have shaped this intuitive performer, laying the foundation for a dynamic and multifaceted career in the arts.
McKinley’s recorded catalog showcases the vivid depth and range of her artistry. Her most recent LP, WHERE DOES A BODY BEGIN?, blends lush, feminine, and seasoned sensibilities reminiscent of Joni Mitchell’s Court and Spark, infused with the undeniable groove of D’Angelo’s Black Messiah.
Her upcoming EP, music for smoking weed with your bra off, is a floral, funky, cozy, and cool collection of songs entirely performed and produced by McKinley. Its first two singles, you think you’d notice and never say never, offer a taste of the EP’s velvety vibe.
One of the most romantic additions to McKinley’s discography is The Henry Miller Memorial Library Sessions, written and recorded during a dreamy five-week residency at Big Sur’s iconic bookstore, music venue, and commemorative space dedicated to the late author.
Beyond her solo work, McKinley was the music director, bandleader, and performer in Ragnar Kjartansson’s piece Romantic Songs of the Patriarchy, presented at the Guggenheim Museum in New York (2021) and The Women’s Building in San Francisco (2018).
Now based in New York’s Hudson Valley, McKinley has found a vibrant community of fellow artists, where she continues to create and collaborate.