Kendall Payne - Singer/Songwriter

Hello and Welcome!!
 

I'm so glad you're visiting my Bio page to learn more about me and how you can support the music thats coming out!  


If you are brand new to this site, allow me to introduce myself!  I am an independent singer/songwriter, born and raised in Los Angeles, and now living in Dallas.  I have spent almost two decades honing this craft of "making music" and yet I feel like I'm just getting started!  New songs are coming out, old songs that never got released are being revitalized, and more than ever, I feel the need to fearlessly share the art that I've created!


A brief history on me: I was signed to Capitol Records when I was 17 years old!  Pretty amazing thing to happen at such a young age, but reflecting back during that time I knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that I was born to do this!  So it felt like 'the rest of the world' was just catching up to where I'd been in my head since I was a kid.  I released my first album (Jordan's Sister) at 19 years old.  It was a dream come true!  I got to tour the world opening for incredible artists, I did photo shoots, interviews with magazines,  I won prestigious awards for my songwriting and had my music featured on television shows and movies.  It was all that I hoped for!  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kendall_Payne

​So you can imagine what a surprise, and how devastating it was, when I was dropped from my label at the ripe old age of 21!  There was a new president, who didn't believe in me as an artist.  There was an internet site called "Napster" that had introduced the concept of illegally downloading music without paying for it.  That caused my sales numbers to be skewed, and Capitol Records did not believe I was worth investing in another album.  Although I inquired with all my contacts about getting signed with any other labels, no one wanted to touch me with a ten foot pole. I was considered "damaged goods".  I was told by a major label executive, "If Capitol couldn't 'break' you (or make you successful) then no one can!"  

​And so I found myself all alone in the music world.  Quite a rollercoaster for a young artist to endure.  But as with most things, what doesn't kill you, only makes you stronger.  And my story is no exception to that rule!   I pursued some other options for a while (like enrolling in junior college & getting a 'day job') but I found myself returning to my guitar & piano in any free moment, and the songs just kept coming to me.  Finally, I had reached the point where I needed to take a risk and share this music with the world.

That was when a friend, Zachary Levi, offered to fund my next album.  (Google him!  He's the best!)  I can honestly say that I don't know where I'd be today without that generous gift!  Because he did that, it put me 'back on the map'.  Since then, I have released 6 independent albums. (Grown, Paper Skin, That's Why There's Grace, December, Wounds to Scars... and NOW my latest release, Raw)  

 
I became a 'One Woman Show'.  Being an independent artist for 10 years I had to learn every skill set necessary to succeed.  So I learned to book myself, promote myself, manage myself, market myself, produce myself... and it was glorious!  I loved every moment of it, well, there were a few moments I didn't love.  Haha!  But, I digress... I am forever grateful to everyone (you know who you are) who bought albums and booked me for shows.  Who let me sleep in their spare rooms, who drove me to and from the airports, who shared through tears how much my music had meant to them.  You kept me going and it meant the world to me!  (Check out my Patreon link if you'd like to know how to support me in this way again!)  

 
In 2011, switching gears yet still applying ALL my creative forces, I brought to life my 'piece de resistance' in the form of a 8lb 9oz baby girl, Elliot Payne Krohn!  And two years after that, I bookended the experience with another astonishing creation, baby girl #2,  Ashton Tyler Krohn!  After that, I officially retired from producing human beings!  Haha!!  Motherhood has been the greatest (and most challenging) experience of my life.  As it often happens with young children, there is very little time for pursing your own creative endeavors, and so I put my music career on the back burner. 

 
Life settled into a routine, I was a full-time mom and also led the music at a large church in Los Angeles... seemed like everything was "going as planned".  But here is where the story gets a little more interesting!! 

 
In 2019, after moving to Dallas for his career, my husband (of almost 15 years) shared a lifelong secret, something he had never told anyone- he was attracted to men.  Thus began an unraveling of our marriage, but I am happy to report that we have divorced incredibly amicably and are leaning hard into our new reality of being co-parents and (honestly) best of friends.  

 
But now I have found myself in a very strange and new territory... my kids are older,  I'm divorced and dating again, and I am having to completely financially support myself.   

 

I have felt the stirring and excitement to create again.  And that's where I find myself today!

 
And, quite honestly, that's where YOU come in!  If you've made it this far in the bio, I'm trusting that you are someone who wants to hear some music from "Kendall Payne".  And I want to share that new music with you!  And I need your help to do it!  I can't do it alone.  

 

There are two MAJOR ways you can help:

 

1. Word of Mouth!

The good old fashion way... spread the word!  Tell your friends about it!  In this day & age of social media, it is easier than ever to promote the music and artists you love.  So PLEASE would you do that for me?  Would you tell your friends/networks about "Kendall Payne"?   Let's make this a grassroots movement again.  Tell everyone who will listen!  Share the songs and share your story of why they mean so much to you!  It is literally the easiest thing to do, and it makes the MOST difference!!!  Awareness is the beginning of everything!  So every time you share my music on Facebook or Instagram or in conversation over coffee with an old friend, you are spreading awareness, and that is the greatest gift you could possibly give me!  Seriously, it would mean the world to me if you would.  

 

2. Become a Patreon Contributor!

I want to offer "free" music, but lets be honest, it costs money to produce!  And very few people are buying hard copies of albums anymore, everything has moved to a subscription based model.  Patreon is paving the way for artists to reconnect with the "audience" who truly cares about the music, and wants to keep it alive.  For as little as $1 a month (or $5, $10 or $20 whatever you're able to do!) You can sign up and become a contributor.  And that way, I can continue to release the music that is in my heart to make!  Click on the "Patreon" link to find out more information.

 

I can't thank you enough for all the love.

I'm sending it right back atcha! 

-Kendall