Kyle McKearney: Rooted in Grit, Raised on Soul
- Samuel Hope
- May 8
- 2 min read
Written by Mya Saroj | Interviewer: Samuel Hope
When Kyle McKearney takes the stage, there’s more than music pouring out of the speakers—there’s family, heartbreak, healing, and the weight of everything he’s carried. Born and raised in Fort St. John, BC, Kyle’s story starts long before the spotlight ever found him. “I started when I was a little kid,” he says. “Music was always around me—my parents and grandparents made their living playing. Guitars, mandolins, banjos… that’s just how we gathered.”
That deep-rooted upbringing laid the foundation for a sound that blends Americana, blues, and country with a lived-in kind of wisdom. “Most of my songs are just about life. Things I’ve gone through, things I’ve seen people go through, stories I carry with me. It’s all real,” he shares. “Even if I don’t always know what it’s about when I start writing—once I dig in, it reveals itself.”
Take his track Mercy, for instance. While it may sound personal, Kyle reveals it came from a more playful place. “It was just a concept we wanted to try—one of the rare ones that wasn’t based on something personal. That’s unusual for me,” he laughs. “But I love how it turned out.”
Kyle’s creative process is intuitive. Sometimes a melody kicks things off, sometimes it’s a guitar groove, and other times it’s just a gut feeling that won’t leave him alone. “It all depends. But once I start chasing the feeling, that’s when I know I’m onto something.”
While his earlier years were shaped by campfire country, Kyle’s influences quickly expanded—he fell hard for blues legends like Stevie Ray Vaughan, classic rock like The Eagles, and soul-heavy voices like Chris Stapleton, whom he still dreams of collaborating with. “He’s the guy. The way he writes, the way he sings—there’s just so much emotion in everything he does.”
Kyle’s no stranger to big stages either. He’s opened for Darius Rucker and The Reklaws at the Saddledome, and played guitar for five nights at Madison Square Garden as part of the Queen musical We Will Rock You. “It wasn’t my music, but it was still wild,” he says. “That kind of energy sticks with you.”
And now, with the release of his new album To The River (April 2025), Kyle is diving deeper into themes of redemption, family, and letting go. While his team of collaborators is mostly based in Nashville, he writes from home, staying close to his kids. “I don’t like to leave unless I have to. Zoom calls, voice notes—whatever it takes. My people understand my sound, and they don’t try to steer it in some commercial direction.
So what advice does Kyle have for artists coming up behind him?
“Stick to your gut. Remember why you started. Don’t chase success—chase being the best version of yourself. That’s what lasts.”
Now halfway through his 11-show Western Canada tour—with Calgary’s King Eddy already in the rearview and the Calgary Stampede’s Coke Stage on the horizon—Kyle McKearney isn’t slowing down. He’s just getting started
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