Independent singer-songwriter Kaitlyn Frances has a chance to open for such musical stars as Shawn Mendes, Cold Play, Doja Cat and Black Eyed Peas, but she’s going to need some help getting selected to be on the stage.
The 24-year-old Chatham native, now living in Windsor, has been selected to be part of the Opening Act competition in the Pop category, to earn a chance to perform at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles.
Frances admits she was surprised when she found out she made it into competition.
“I honestly forgot about it, because I’m always reaching out and trying to apply for things and just get recognized for my music,” she said.
The Chatham-Kent Secondary School graduate said the competition is stiff, noting, “I’ll be up against other amazing independent artists.”
Frances is thrilled her music was recognized by people well established in the music industry to earn her a spot in the competition.
“I’m excited to see if I can get into the second round, but it really depends on public votes,” she said.
Online voting starts on Monday and continues daily for nine weeks. Frances said the link to vote for her will be posted on her Instagram @kaitlynfrancess.
Even if she is selected as a finalist, Frances said she gets to go meet record industry people in Los Angeles.
“It’s a great competition to be involved in.”
Frances grew up around music, taking opera lessons from local music teacher Elisabeth Enzlin, who is still her voice coach. She also did musical theater and competitive dance at PURE Academy in Chatham.
“I’ve been writing music my whole life,” she added.
Frances has earned success with her song ‘Close to Me,’ which she said has earned a spot on the regular rotation of Windsor’s Mix 97.6 FM.
From there she began working with someone in the radio industry and Frances said, “I ended up being put on rotation at 16 radio stations across Canada from west to east coast.”
She also created quite a buzz when she announced on TikTok that her single ‘Electric’ was on Spotify and Apple Music.
Frances said the song “blew up” with people wanting to know what she was talking about. She added people Googled her song and it ended being streamed in countries she never even heard of.