Kaylee Bell is an inspiration for the starters, the dreamers, the nearly there’s

REVIEW: Kaylee Bell wants to change the way Kiwis view country-pop, and she sure went some way to achieve this in New Zealand’s country music capital, Gore, on Friday evening.

And Bell, you certainly got me listening too.

Despite Bell being a superstar in the country music scene internationally, this country music novice reviewer hadn’t heard of her until I saw her recently in the news. That’s my fault, not Bell’s.

When I happened to stumble upon her, I thought she looked fun, energetic and her music was more than great, so I wanted to go see this woman who singer Ed Sheeran chose to open with while touring in New Zealand.

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Bell captured her crowd the minute she walked on stage. Dressed in white cowgirl boots, white shorts, and a matching vest with a splash of colour she looked like a serious superstar.

Opening with her hits Be with You and Getting Closer, it was clear this crowd knew more about Bell than I did, and they loved her. The crowd varied from primary school girls to 60-plus grannies (and grandads), and they ALL knew the words.

When she threw in Shania Twain’s Don’t Be Stupid for the third song, she had the Gore crowd in the palm of her hand, and admittedly, me. She should be known and loved in this country music town, as she won the sought-after Gold Guitars award at only 18 years of age.

Bell had a performer attitude mixed with a likeable small town girl vibe on stage. The thing I love about her, is her story.

The country singer hails from Waimate, a town of just 3000 in the Canterbury Plains. You could somehow tell, but in the best of ways. She’s humble, loved being on stage – like an excited teen – and loved her band member like old mates, all from Otago.

She’s a role model for young women, or men, who didn’t, won’t and shouldn’t give up on their dreams. I know this because, she in fact, told us all not to.

The same age as me, 34, Bell took 14 years to be really noticed, but I don’t understand why.

Bell is really hitting her step now it seems (remember I just found out too) – she opened for The Chicks (then known as The Dixie Chicks) in 2017 and performed with Kiwi-born Australian musician Keith Urban during his 2014 and 2016 tours. She’s a big deal.

After releasing her single Keith – about Keith Urban – who was a coach on The Voice Australia, the song has amassed more than 14 million streams on Spotify alone.

Bell was clearly adored by her fans, the young girls dancing in the crowd singing her every single lyric to hits Green Light, One More Shot, That Summer, Nights Like This, and my favourite, Who I am.

She also pulled out rippers from the 90s Bachelor Girl’s Buses and Trains, Natalie Imbruglia’s Torn, and Six Pence None The Richer’s Kiss Me. I was back being one of the primary girls standing up in the crowd.

I wasn’t disappointed by this pop-country hybrid, and nor was a sell out crowd in Gore which is celebrating its annual Gold Guitars weekend.

Forging a path as a country artist has not been easy for Bell, but she says the lines between genres are now much less defined.

After tonight, I would have to agree. My country taste should extend further than Taylor Swift and Shania Twain.

Buzzing with the sound of Boots n’ All in my head I started wondering, have I been missing out on something with this cowgirl boots/fedora wearing genre?

It’s good to branch out every once in a while, perhaps.