Alex Kline.Photo: Ryan Nolan
Producer/songwriter/multi-instrumentalist Alex Kline never used to be one to pay much attention to the country music charts. She never has been much of a numbers person, and audience stats and spin counts really have never been her thing.
That is, until the day “Somebody Like That” was released.
“Every single morning, one of us will wake up to the other person’s text telling us about what the live chart says,” explains Kline, 35, a music visionary of sorts that co-wrote the fast-rising single alongside fellow songwriter Allison Veltz Cruz and country artist Tenille Arts. “We are pretty much refreshing that chart page every 12 hours these days.”
And for good reason.
RELATED GALLERY:Beyoncé Has 28 Grammys: Here’s What They’re For
The love of music has long lived within the heart of the true triple threat.
Born and raised in Minneapolis, Kline grew up on a hearty mix of pop, rock and hip-hop. But at the age of 13 years old, Kline moved to northern California, where her musical tastes quickly shifted to more of theBob Marleyand Grateful Dead variety.
One thing she wasn’t listening to was country music.
“We didn’t have any country stations that came in on the radio untilThe Chickscrossed over,” remembers Kline, who spent a good portion of her days writing and playing the guitar throughout her childhood. “When they crossed over, a whole new world opened up for me.”
“I remember that I was sitting in the front row, and my jaw just dropped,” says Kline, who went on to play a number of different instruments throughout her career, including the lead guitar, banjo, dobro, mandolin, bass, lap steel and piano. “The venue and the magic between her and David and the music and I mean, it all hit me like a ton of bricks. I knew from that moment on that I just had to live in this town. This is where great songwriting was happening, and great artistry lived.”
RELATED VIDEO:Mickey Guyton Says Grammys Performance Will Be a ‘Beautiful, Empowering Moment For Black People in Country Music’
Soon after, Kline moved to Nashville and quickly tried her hand in country bands such as The Fireman’s Daughter and The Lunabelles, the latter who nearly scored a top 50 hit with the song “A Place to Shine.” But Kline says she still felt herself searching for something more.
“I realized thatbeingthe artist was not my journey,” Kline remembers. “I wanted to write.”
And write she did. Kline had a hand in writing for artists such as Ronnie Dunn,Reba McEntireand Mitchell Tenpenny. At the very same time, she also started getting her feet went when it came to producing.
“I realized I was able to do everything I wanted to do in my spare bedroom on my crappy computer,” admits Kline. “From there, I became obsessed with production. I realized thatthiswas my journey.”
And now, that journey sits at a crossroads which might make Kline one of country music’s most successful female producers. Because while “Somebody Like That” is quickly making Tenille Arts a household name, the song is also shining some much-deserved spotlight on Kline’s growing prominence in the country music industry.
“The day we wrote it, it just felt special, especially when we put Tenille’s vocal on it,” Kline remembers of the song written in 2019 and featured on Arts' current albumLove, Heartbreak & Everything in Between. “Writers get that feeling a lot though, and then nothing happens,” she admits with a laugh. “But this song — I mean, everyone who listened to it flipped out. We knew we really did something special.”
And if this song does indeed reach the top spot, it will be even more special, especially considering the rough road female producers in general have had to walk.
“There is probably not a woman in this town who doesn’t feel like they have had to work a little harder just to prove that they belong in the room, simply because they are a woman,” concludes Kline, who also serves as the player of a good portion of the instruments heard on “Somebody Like That.” “If I were a male, chances are I wouldn’t be getting this same attention.”
And yes, Kline is looking forward to working with more all-female teams as she moves forward in her career
source: people.com
