Kelli Caldwell - Songwriter

2019 Winner - West Coast Songwriters International Song Contest – Best Children’s Song
2018 Finalist - Local Roots Annual Song Contest – Americana
2014 Honorable Mention - Artists in Music Awards – Best Pop Song

With her distinct vibrato and phrasing, Kelli’s sound is unique and passion undeniable. Though compared to that of Alanis Morrisette, Kina Grannis, Gigi Love, or “a cross between Tracy Chapman and Nanci Griffith,” her voice and style are all her own. But it’s the storytelling and genuine desire to reflect and honor the souls of her characters that drives her songwriting.

Drawing on her unconventional upbringing—the daughter of two fine artists (her father also a conga drummer, and her mother also a dedicated social activist); having once been a French clown, started grade-school from a tent, lived for a while in an octagon-shaped house on stilts in the Redwoods, down the road from a commune; having grown up in N. California and small-town Oregon, with summers in Idaho; and time spent living solo in Finland, Tokyo, Vancouver B.C., and NYC—Kelli has always danced to her own beat and her diverse experiences are reflected in her varied subjects written across genres.

Kelli studied speech-level singing with The Voice Project, was a board member of the Portland Songwriters Association for 8+ years, and is currently a member of West Coast Songwriters and Nashville Songwriters Association (NSAI). Kelli also writes and performs children's music as Kelli Welli (www.kelliwelli.com). She has a Master of Publishing degree and a B.A. in Speech Communication with minors in Japanese and German.