Kay Hanley Explained

Kay Hanley
Background:solo_singer
Birth Date:11 September 1968
Birth Place:Dorchester, Massachusetts, U.S.
Genre:Rock, folk, pop, acoustic, alternative
Instrument:Vocals, guitar
Years Active:1990–present
Label:Zoë Records
De Guerre
Associated Acts:Letters to Cleo, Michael Eisenstein, Veruca Salt, Cheap Trick, American Hi-Fi

Kay Hanley (born September 11, 1968) is an American singer and songwriter. She is best known as the vocalist for the alternative rock band Letters to Cleo.

Life and career

Hanley grew up in Dorchester, Massachusetts,[1] across the street from the Wahlberg family. She attended school at St. Gregory's and Latin Academy. She has been lead singer/songwriter for rock band Letters To Cleo since 1990. The band name was inspired by Hanley's childhood penpal.

In 1996, she co-starred alongside Gary Cherone in Boston Rock Opera's performance of Jesus Christ Superstar as Mary Magdalene.

In 1999, Hanley appeared as herself in the film 10 Things I Hate About You, singing a cover version of Nick Lowe's "Cruel to Be Kind" to Heath Ledger and Julia Stiles at their characters' high school prom, in addition to performing original song "Come On" with Letters to Cleo during an earlier scene at a club. Towards the end of the 90s she began performing with her then-husband[2] and fellow Letters To Cleo member Michael Eisenstein outside of the band. Around the same time, she gave birth to their daughter, Zoe Mabel.

Songwriting

In 1999 Hanley began a shift in her music career. She wrote and performed songs for the Kids' WB cartoon series Generation O! along with the rest of Letters to Cleo and provided the singing voice for Rachael Leigh Cook's character Josie in the movie Josie and the Pussycats. In 2002, she released her first solo album, Cherry Marmalade. That same year, she appeared on the Dropkick Murphys/Face to Face split CD, providing guest vocals on the original version of the Dropkick Murphys song "The Dirty Glass".

In 2003, Hanley was approached by Jun Senoue from Sega to co-write and perform on an original song for their upcoming entry in the Sonic the Hedgehog series, entitled Sonic Heroes. The result was the song "Follow Me."

In 2004, Hanley released a follow-up to Cherry Marmalade, The Babydoll EP. That same year, she and her then-husband Michael Eisenstein had their second child, Henry Aaron, the name given in honor of baseball player Hank Aaron and their love for baseball.

In August 2005, Hanley recorded a cover of Iggy Pop's "Lust for Life" for the soundtrack of the Reese Witherspoon film Just Like Heaven. In September 2005, she appeared on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno as part of a pre-taped man-on-the-street segment, singing a song about falling in love at Starbucks.

Hanley is popular with fans of the New England Patriots thanks to the team at one point going after she sang the pre-game National Anthem at Gillette Stadium. The streak came to an end when the Patriots lost on January 10, 2010, to the Baltimore Ravens. Hanley is also very involved with the Boston-based charity "Hot Stove, Cool Music," both as performer and spokesperson for the semi-annual event, which has raised over 6 million dollars for The Foundation To Be Named Later

She sang the theme song [3] for My Friends Tigger & Pooh,[4] a half-hour Disney Channel TV show that premiered on Playhouse Disney on May 12, 2007, and "We Are Care Bears" from and Care Bears to the Rescue.

Hanley and longtime writing partner Michelle Lewis currently compose all-original songs for animated television shows such as the hit Disney series Doc McStuffins.,[5] Cartoon Network/WB's DC Super Hero Girls, and Harvey Girls Forever and Ada Twist, Scientist on Netflix.Hanley won a 2022 Emmy Award for songwriting on We The People.

She and writing partners Michelle Lewis, Dan Petty, and Charlton Pettus created Kindergarten The Musical. In production at Disney Junior, the show will debut in fall 2024. Hanley serves as executive producer.

She is co-executive director of Songwriters of North America, an LA-based non-profit which advocates for fair pay and other rights for songwriters. Due to her work with SONA in getting the Music Modernization Act passed into law in October 2018, Hanley was elected Vice Chair of the Mechanical Licensing Collective's Unclaimed Royalties Oversight Committee in August 2019

On Thanksgiving Day 2007, Hanley sang a song called "Caring Changes The World" in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade on the Care Bears float.

In 2007–08, Hanley toured as a back-up singer with Miley Cyrus for Hannah Montana concerts and events.

Hanley's latest album, Weaponize, was released May 27, 2008.

Hanley co-wrote "Don't Wanna Be Famous" on the band The Dollyrots' eponymous album.

In 2014, Kay Hanley appeared in the Parks and Recreation season 6 finale, performing her song "Here & Now" at the Pawnee-Eagleton Unity Concert. The character of Ben Wyatt, played by Adam Scott, is seen offstage in his Letters to Cleo t-shirt, blissfully watching the band as Hanley winks at him. Hanley is seen later in the episode entering Tom Haverford's new restaurant, Tom's Bistro.

In 2020, at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, she appeared as lead vocalist in a "distanced" music video, a cover of Donnie Iris's "Ah! Leah!"[6] Later that year, she appeared on Saving for a Custom Van, a tribute album for Adam Schlesinger, with whom she had worked on Josie and the Pussycats, following his death from COVID-19. She performed the Fountains of Wayne song "Radiation Vibe" in his memory.[7]

Hanley married audio engineer Clayton Janes in 2021 in Bentonville, Arkansas.

Oh 2023, Hanley and her fellow Letters to Cleo bandmate Tom Polce wrote the songs for “Subspace Rhapsody,” an episode of performed in the style of a broadway musical.

Discography

Letters to Cleo

See main article: Discography.

Pet Projects

The title of this section indicates projects that both Hanley and Eisenstein have taken an active interest in developing, in terms of playing multiple roles, including production as well as composition and/or instrumentation.

YearArtistTitleLabelRole
2003The GentlemenBlondes Prefer the GentlemenSodapop RecordsVocals
2007Murder Capitol of the WorldSt. Jude's RevengeDot RatVocals
2008CruiserweightBig Bold LettersDoghouse/Siren SongsComposer, Background Vocals

Solo

YearTitleLabel
2002Cherry MarmaladeZoë Records
2003The Paradise - Boston, MA 5/30/03 (live)Instant Live[8]
2004The Babydoll EP
The Paradise - Boston, MA 8/26/04 (live)
2006Kay Hanley / Scamper split single CDDe Guerre/Scamper
2008WeaponizeDe Guerre

Soundtracks

YearTitleLabel
1996The CraftSony
199910 Things I Hate About YouHollywood Records
2001Music from the Motion Picture Josie and the PussycatsSony
2003Sonic HeroesPioneer/Geneon
2005Just Like HeavenSony

Special appearances

YearArtistTitleLabelRole
1995Mary KarlzenYelling at MaryAtlantic RecordsBackground vocals
2002James TaylorOctober RoadSonyChoir, chorus
2006Agnes ChanForget YourselfBungalo RecordsBackground vocals
Peter GammonsNever Slow Down, Never Grow OldRounderVocals
2008Lisa LoebCamp LisaFurious Rose ProductionsVocal harmony
2009Will DaileyTorrent, Vols. 1 & 2BSBackground vocals
2010Lindsey RayGoodbye from CaliforniaLRayComposer
The PosiesBlood/CandyRykodiscVocals
2011Bowling for SoupFishin' for WoosMRIVocals, sounds
Will DaileyWill Dailey & the RivalsUniversal Republic RecordsComposer

Filmography

Year Title RoleType
1999 10 Things I Hate About You Herself Cameo
2000 Generation O! Molly O's singing voice Voice
2001 Josie and the Pussycats Singing voice
2007–2008 My Friends Tigger & Pooh opening song performer (Season 1) Performer
2008 Herself Background vocals
2014 Parks and Recreation Herself Cameo

Further reading

External links

Notes and References

  1. Jordan, Chris (August 18, 1995). "Dear Cleo". The Central New Jersey Home News. p. On the Go 5.
  2. http://www.jeffpearlman.com/the-quaz-qa-kay-hanley/ "Kay Hanley"
  3. http://atv.disney.go.com/playhouse/tiggerandpooh/music/musicvideo/index.html My Friends Tigger and Pooh Theme Song Music Video - Music - My Friends Tigger and Pooh - Playhouse Disney
  4. http://atv.disney.go.com/playhouse/tiggerandpooh/index.html Home - My Friends Tigger and Pooh - Playhouse Disney
  5. Web site: Doc McStuffins. IMDB.
  6. Web site: The Isolation Jams - Ah! Leah! (Feat. Kay Hanley) . .
  7. Web site: Adam Schlesinger Honored with New Tribute Album Featuring Jeff Rosenstock, Charly Bliss, Ted Leo, Rachel Bloom & More: Stream . Enis . Eli . June 16, 2020 . consequence.net . Consequence of Sound . October 18, 2022 .
  8. http://www.cduniverse.com/search/xx/music/pid/6796708/a/Babydoll+EP.htm CD Universe listing