Kelli Welli has two new recently released singles, the first of which is “Sunshine is Medicine,” about opening up and using your voice when times are feeling dark. Welli says, “We can probably all relate right now to feeling helpless in tough times. My kids said most people will just think this is a song about going outside—and of course, getting out into the actual sunshine is wonderful medicine—but the point is really to encourage people to tell their stories, to open up the windows and the doors that keep secrets and sadness locked inside and steal our power and joy. We need to let it all out.”
Friend and neighbor, Johnny Clay of the kindie band Ants Ants Ants and folk pop band The Dimes, produced the song and Will Hensley mastered it. Suzi Shelton and Little Miss Ann, who make a team as Birds of a Feather, added their voices. Welli’s 12-year-old twins Ryan and Kira, as well as Clay’s daughter Emma, came into the studio to add their radical kid energy to the song.
“Feelings Take Practice” is a short, gentle a cappella song about feelings. Understanding big feelings, or even small feelings, is a process that we start in our infancy, but it’s amazing how long it can sometimes take in our lives to be able to hear and interpret what our bodies are trying to tell us is going on inside. And the message in this song is: That’s ok. Understanding our own feelings takes time and practice.
So let’s talk about our feelings and the signals that might help us understand our feelings. In this busy, distraction-driven world, it’s often the quietest places where we hear or realize the most important things we need to know, including about ourselves. This song is for kids, adults, educators, anyone trying to help kids understand and learn how to regulate feelings, as well as a reminder to anyone going through confusing times themselves.
Visit linktr.ee/kelliwelli to sing along with the new songs.
