Lora Kelley Opens Up About Pandemic’s Emotional Effect in New Single “Waking Dream”

CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA (January 19, 2021) - As humankind begins a new trip around the sun, the remnants and effects of 2020 are still fresh wounds for many. An artist who herself had to pivot and make decisions to keep her family safe in the midst of a pandemic, Lora Kelley has penned a new song that grapples with loss amidst uncertainty and continuing forward into the unknown - something most people experienced in some way or another during 2020.

“Waking Dream”, releasing on all major platforms on February 5th, is a testament to the pandemic’s emotional impact on society.

“As the pandemic began to gain momentum, and it became clear that there was an indefinite nature to it swirling around us, my husband (a wedding photographer) and I decided the most conservative approach to outlasting the pandemic's emotional and economic impact was to sell our house and to try and pivot swiftly to a job that had a more essential nature to it,” says Kelley of the moment behind the song.

“One morning, after sleeping at my mother's house, I woke up confused as to where I was. For a minute, I was back in time waking up in our old house, the morning light pouring sideways through the blinds. It felt like an alternate timeline and that many pre-pandemic memories only exist in that in-between space of waking and sleeping.”

Read more about the upcoming record and the single “Waking Dream” here

single design

calligraphy + motifs - Stephanie Fishwick
cover design - Hyphen
photo - Eric Kelley
styling - Lora Kelley

xoxo,
Lora