Kelly Greene's start as a performer was nothing if not eclectic. At age six, after announcing that she wanted to be a singer, she dove headlong into dancing while she excelled at playing the piano. Ultimately, things settled down. As a teen, she realized that she could sing and that singing and songwriting was a viable career. It was a realization that her fans are glad about now, especially when they attend a live performance. "People will ultimately take away what they want to," Greene says when asked how she wants her audience to feel leaving the venue, "but I want them to feel like they've not only heard a great performance, but that there's a real person out there going through all the same crap they do." Greene says that her own "internal darkness" which she tries to have a sense of humor about, and a keen sense of observation, inform her songwriting. "I am an avid observer of people and their behaviors," she says. "I don't try to analyze them; just pay attention and if someone is going through something, I have a tendency to empathize." Her songwriting process is never forced; Greene prefers to go with something that strikes her imagination, pick up her guitar, and let it flow. If an idea doesn't pan out immediately, she sets it aside for later. It's consistent with her whole reason for songwriting, which is a conduit for her own inner struggle instead of an affect. "I'm understood best after someone listens to what I write, versus the hard-a** everyone may think I am," she says. Her new album, You Leave Me Here, is an excellent way to understand the singer and songwriter—and it reflects her overall philosophy about her musical career. Greene believes that it is possible to maintain her artistic integrity and produce music that's eminently listenable. "I've chosen to be a commercially viable artist. I write about things that I think will help myself and my listeners, and do so in a way that's easy for just about any ear to listen to." It's Kelly Greene's personal formula for success, and by all indications (CD sales, live performance bookings, and her own enthusiasm for her performances) she is on her way to grabbing national attention. Can she imagine life without performing? "I don't think I'd ever be doing anything else," she says. "Life just doesn't feel right without it." Listen to You Leave Me Here, and you'll agree. For more information about Kelly Greene and to order her new CD You Leave Me Here, visit www.kellygreenemusic.com.