Kennedy Von Kat takes the stage at The Warehouse Concert Hall in downtown St. Catharines in front of about 80 hip hop fans.
She’s the fourth of six acts to appear this night, following three male rappers and preceding the headliners Robbie G and Brandon Hart
The fact that she’s there to sing rock songs, mostly written by the 16-year-old Niagara-on-the-Lake resident herself, doesn’t faze her in the least. As she stalks the floorboards, belting out her lyrics to a backing track played this night by DJ Young L.A, the crowd roars its approval.
It’s her second show at the venue in five days for the confideant young singer, real name Kennedy Horbach, who lives in rural NOTL. The previous Saturday she and her full band opened a show headlined by Welland rock group Otherwives.
Kelowna, B.C. hip hop artist and impresario Robbie G says Kennedy reached out to him about a year ago with the hope of getting an opening slot for one of his performances. She ended up playing a short set during his You Know This tour last spring and he continues to be impressed by her talent..
“The first time I saw her I thought she had a voice like Amy Lee from Evanescence,” says the rapper who has shared the stage with hip hop legends Ice Cube and Jeru the Damaja. “I get goosebumps when I listen to her. She strikes a chord that’s deeper than the surface level. She’s got incredible talent, supportive parents and fans. If she keeps working at it I think she has a bright future.”
Horbach’s stage presence isn’t a new development. She spent many years attending classes at Yellow Door Theatre Project, performing in a number of their plays. Until recently she attended Laura Secord Secondary School as part of their DNA (District Niagara Academy of the Arts) program. Since January she has been homeschooled with the support of her parents Kristi and Jon.
Her focus shifted from theatre to music when a family friend, Roger Habel Jr. of Niagara band The County Junkies, invited her onto the stage to sing a Luke Bryan song.
“It was nerve-wracking,” remembers Horbach. “But when the music kicked in, the nerves just went away. I started having fun, and dancing. It felt good, I felt happy.”
That experience was the impetus to begin singing lessons with local teacher Melissa Marie Shriner, and to start writing her own songs.
“I like to write in my room,” she tells The Local, a sister publication of ThoroldToday. “I play guitar and have fun. I like to write about my personal experiences, relationships, friendships, and mental health things. Anything that feels deep to me, that is meaningful to me.”
Kennedy adds that writing songs is like therapy to her. Instead of spewing her emotions to her family and friends, she expresses them in song.
She counts among her inspirations young pop-rockers Maggie Lindemann and Nessa Barrett, as well as bands such as Paramore, Chase Atlantic, and Linkin Park. And yes, Evanescence is on that list. She includes a cover of that band’s biggest hit Bring Me to Life in her Warehouse shows.
Horbach also offers up a new original called Edward Scissorhands, a song she has been working on with producer Paul Gigliotti, formerly of the Niagara Falls based pop band Wave. The single will be hitting streaming services on October 31.
“It’s my favourite Tim Burton movie,” Kennedy says of her inspiration for the lyrics. “It’s a real metaphor about relationships. I wrote the song with me as the girl, and every time I get close to him, I get hurt. She’s in love with a guy who’s dangerous.”
She has other songs she’s working on with Gigliotti as well which will come together in an EP next spring.
In addition to supporting Kennedy’s decision to switch to homeschooling, Kristi and Jon are her biggest fans. They pay for her session work with Gigliotti and are there hanging out at the Warehouse for both shows, beaming with pride as their only child performs a 15-minute set.
In fact, it was Mom who initially reached out to Robbie G to convince him to put Kennedy on the bill.
She even takes some of Kristi’s advice in her songwriting, in an attempt to ensure her songs appeal to a broader audience.
“I’m not musically inclined at all,” Kristi says. “I’m always blown away by what she shows me. It’s kind of cool that she trusts us enough to let us listen to her work.”
And the hopeful rock star has a great work ethic, having been put to work in the family greenhouse business from about 12 years old. Horbach says she wakes up early each morning to get her school work out of the way then puts in full time hours at Hypnotic Hair Lounge in Virgil during the day. In the evenings she can be found writing music either at home or in the studio with Gigliotti.
She’s not putting her eggs all into one basket, though. Her plan is to attend Cappa School of Hairstyling and Aesthetics in St. Catharines after she graduates.
“I love artistic things,” says Horbach. “I love my job there, I love all the people I work with. Working there has been great. It gives me a head start in the career, and it’s given me a chance to see that it’s the right career for me.”
“I just want her to be happy,” Kristi adds. “If this is what she wants, and she’s happy doing it, I’m good with that. If she wants to pursue music, and fulfill a career outside of that at the same time, I’m good with it. I just want Kennedy to do what makes Kennedy happy.”
Kennedy sees how hard her mentors in the music industry work and is trying to follow suit. Robbie G tours constantly, runs a production company called R-evolution Media, and releases new music regularly. He tells The Local that if Kennedy sticks with it and keeps working hard at her craft, he has no doubt she will be successful.
For Horbach, or Kennedy Von Kat if you will, success in music would be lovely, but that’s not the be-all and end-all about her songwriting.
“I want to make music for people to help them,” says Horbach. “It would be great to perform big shows to a crowd of people who really love my music, knowing it helped them get through a tough time. It would be really great to be in a crowd of people that are my fans, who love my music, and are going through the same things I am.”
