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[0:00] Robert Bannon: Are you ready? It's The Roundtable with me, Robert Bannon. Welcome to The Roundtable, everybody. My name is Robert Bannon. You're listening to us on Broadway World over here on the Broadway Podcast Network, iHeart and Spotify. When I tell you I did a three-mile walk today and listened to this next guest album from beginning to end, it is so beautiful. Her vocals are crazy. It is like simple and lush at the same time. I don't know how to explain it. It's got this beautiful guitar and drums, and it is just perfect. It is perfect. Unlike the show, as my phone is ringing. I put it on Do Not Disturb, Kennedy, I swear. Kennedy is here. She has the best songs you love. You're going to fall in love with this entire album. Welcome to the show.

[0:44] Kennedy Caughell: Thank you. Thank you for having me.

[0:48] Robert Bannon: You know, I saw you in HELL'S KITCHEN here at the Fisher in Detroit, Michigan.

[0:52] Kennedy Caughell: Yes.

[0:53] Robert Bannon: The vocals were insane. Nobody, nobody, that role requires a lot of chopping and a lot of singing, and you did it and kicked it out the park. Congrats to this epic run that you have been doing.

[1:06] Kennedy Caughell: Thank you. Thank you. It's been such a gift to be able to just travel around the U.S. and bring Alicia Keys music to different pockets. I love the musical HELL'S KITCHEN, so please. I'm so glad you went and saw it, and if you're listening to this and HELL'S KITCHEN is anywhere near you, get a ticket. It is worth it.

[1:25] Robert Bannon: It is so worth it. I saw it in New York. I saw it in Detroit. I'll see it anywhere it is because it's so good, and I will follow you and listen to you sing anywhere. So your team of people are really kind of my team of people because my shows are done with Robbie and Yaz, and Robbie Roselle, everybody, who produced this with you, and then Yaz, who mixed this album, and Yaz, Yashulika Fukuoka, and they said to me, I'm working on Kennedy's album, I'm working on Kennedy's album, I'm working on Kennedy's album, and Robbie sent me a sneak of it a little while ago of a song, and I was like, oh my goodness, it's gorgeous. How did this come to be?

[2:01] Kennedy Caughell: So I actually, I was, I will say that sometimes we all just need that one friend who gives us a little artistic push to make us leap, and that was Brian Spector for me. So Brian Spector, we were just over coffee, and he was like, I want you to make an album. I want to hear your album. I'm going to help you, and we're going to do it, and I was like, okay. Literally, that's kind of how it happened because the one thing is I didn't, I don't know the first thing about making albums, number one. Number two, the fact, I think the fact that somebody was going to help me do it and I wouldn't have to do it alone was kind of like the push that I needed, and he was so gung-ho, so I was like, okay, all right, I'll just do it.

I'll just do it. Even if nobody listens, let's make something that, you know, God-willing people eventually will be proud of. Everyone who worked on it, I hope, is extremely proud, and honestly, the way that we created the album was so ass-backwards that it's a testament to Robbie and Yaz and their know-how for the way it turned out so well and so cohesive for doing it in tandem with Hell's Kitchen. Half of it was recorded on the road. Most of it, I recorded my vocals to scratch track before we even had the orchestration, so it was all ass-backwards, and I had to use a lot of imagination in the booth when I was recording those first eight songs to kind of imagine the way I thought it would go and the way I thought it would be, and I'm just so grateful that the orchestrations really came out to what I thought I had in my head, which doesn't always happen.

So it was a beautiful kismet and meant to be, meant to happen, and Robbie will tell you, too. We did everything so out of order. But it works. It works. It's gorgeous, and it's out, and you can be listening to it right now, everybody. It's streaming wherever you listen to music. So for you, a lot of it is a walk down memory lane of your career, and then there's some gems and things that we've never heard you sing before or people may have not heard often at all, some rare gems on this as well. Let's talk about your career hits first. You have this very unique mashup, wicked mashup, that came out when the movie part two was coming out, and I heard it as a single. Your PR, Dan Fortune, sent it to me, and I listened to it, and it took me out because it's so, when I said it was stripped and it's like an acoustic fun, and you get to play with the vocals.

When you do a show, I don't think people understand, you're in a stage manager, they tell you how to sing a song, you sing it in the way that it's supposed to be. This gets to have a little bit of Kennedy Flair to the way you sing. How does that feel to be free, to do it in a different way?

[4:45] Kennedy Caughell: It feels so good. I mean, like the song says, you know, Defying Gravity, it's close my eyes and leap. It's a beautiful metaphor for, honestly, my relationship with Wicked and my journey with Wicked, this incredible, for my time in Oz, I love Wicked. It's still one of my favorite musicals. I would always love to come back and do Elphaba full time. It's just a role that is so close to my heart and so personal for why I'm in musical theater. So I knew that I wanted Wicked on there because everyone was requesting it. But I also knew that I didn't want to do what everyone expected. Because when you do something like Defying Gravity, people expect you to just belt it out of the park. And I was like, well, we've already got a lot of belting hits on this album.

So let's, let's, let's slow it down a little bit. And let's really listen to the words that are being said. And I am from Oklahoma, I have bluegrass roots. And my friend Kevin Ramasar is an incredible guitarist who I met on Beautiful. And we worked together with Paradise Square as well. And so I was like, hey, Kevin, you know, I really want to do this like coffee shop acoustic version of I'm Not That Girl. So it started off as I'm Not That Girl. And we went into the studio that day. And we were just playing through it because he's that good to where I was like, I don't even need I don't even need us to like really plan this. Because we've done this before with other songs just for fun. And we were playing through and I was like, wait a second, Robbie, wait, wait, wait, wait, can we segue into Defying Gravity from here.

And so we literally, like Kevin, Robbie, and I, we sat down and that thing was arranged within 15 minutes. And it was in the can within an hour. Like it was just one of those kismet things where this song needed to come out in this version that it just flowed right out of all it just flowed right out of Kevin and I. And I'm so proud of it. It's so beautiful. And the fact that it was done like that meant it was it really was meant to be. And don't you ever let Robbie tell you don't even ask him Kennedy, you do whatever you want. You just tell him I'm a Broadway star. Who are you Robbie Roselle? And then you do what you want.

[7:00] Kennedy Caughell: No, he's he's brilliant. And I can't think I can't thank him enough. And I know how excited and proud he texted me this morning to say how proud he is of this album. You're I think you're my favorite. I mean, I loved all the tracks. I love the mash. I love I love the the Disney Met. We'll get to it in a minute. I love all the stuff. I have a favorite. Oh, and I hate to pick favorites. I would never pick a favorite. But I'm in Detroit right now. I'm walking the park. I'm listening to your album. And then all of a sudden you make me feel like a natural woman comes and the what you did with this song that you kept the bones of it but but changed it and then add it just it made me so I love this arrangement of this song so much. You are a Carole King you you did beautiful. What what was it like to play with this one?

[8:52] Kennedy Caughell: Oh my gosh, it was awesome because it kind of happened the same way that it was the same day that we did the Defying Gravity. I'm not that girl mashup. I'm pretty sure it was the same. It was at least we both of them were in Renaissance. So this one we had Kevin Ramasar and and we had Jason Howland who did the Broadway orchestrations for beautiful and he also played on other things and arranged obviously the Paradise Square songs for us but it was just the three of us in the room and we kind of like talked about like he he Howland arranged this arrangement so we when by the time we came in we had learned this arrangement but I didn't really pre plan any of the things that I was going to do and we recorded them and I kind of did like a scratch track so they could hear my pacing and then I went in and I recorded and we did I think like two or three takes but from from that we just found it and I it's one of my favorite versions of the of the song now to date because I feel like it has all the soul it has all the heart the you know the originations of what who Carole King is and but it also has a sprinkle of Aretha because like you have to have Aretha Franklin in there um I just feel like it it pays an excellent tribute to the lineage of this song and I feel very proud to be able to now add my name into the lineage of that line.

[9:27] Robert Bannon: Oh it's a it's a number wait to hear it it's it's it is a it is a hit number on this one you've also talking about big divas uh you did nine to five you did waitress um you know speaking of more divas like the one and only Sara Bareilles or talking about Dolly Parton so you sing any show that has a big giant number apparently Kennedy gets hired to do it because she's gonna sing so get out stay out is like the song that anyone that's got a big old voice they're gonna take their 16 bars and march into the audition room and belt and scrout that song to to the heavens and you matter to me and another big song but in a very different kind of quiet different beautiful way the colors of it so now when you sing these songs like nine to five and waitress and they were a part of you is it nostalgic for you to get in the booth and sing them again?

[10:11] Kennedy Caughell: Yes we'll get out and stay out we kind of stayed close to the original um I love Dolly I'll sing anything of Dolly like I know I know that I look like Jolene but I love Dolly Parton hair of flame eyes of green I'm like well sorry um but I just loved my experience doing nine to five and singing that song for you know in in the context of the show I I just knew that I just wanted to preserve that moment of my career um because that's really when I stepped into my leading lady like my true leading lady um era and and I was just it was just so freeing to be able to sing that song every night so that song is still kind of arranged by Yas but still in the style that you would expect so with so with uh you matter to me with Ben Fankhauser get into it he was my pometer at Wichita so we we did um we did waitress together and we just have this vocal synergistic kismet that like his artistic style really matches my artistic style really well so much so like I the funny thing is during tech we would we would play this game where we would do little riffs to try to like goose each other and make each other laugh because it was a really long tech process and there was one point where we both did that at the same time but in harmony and we did the exact same riff without talking about it and we both went okay like it was just one of those moments where we both went oh um so it's like when you have a when you find somebody who is as kind as Ben and it's there's a friendship there but then also your voices match so well I was like this and and when we polled the audience to say what they would like to hear on the album a lot of it was waitress a lot of it was like what baking can do you matt uh not you matter but what excuse me what baking can do and um she used to be mine but I was like you know what I think let's give them waitress but let's turn it on its head again because everyone expects like like I don't there everybody sings she used to be mine right everyone's expecting that you know that big power ballad anthem but I was like you know what let's let's add Ben into the mix and so I got Joshua Stephen Cortez to arrange it in a different way because I knew I didn't want it to sound like the show necessarily I wanted a new spin a new flavor and Ben grew up on gospel and R&B and I and so I knew that he had that in him and so I was like let's just rearrange it and so when we first were doing it Ben and I would sit and Ben was playing the piano and he's like what if we do this what if we do that and we sent that mp3 over to Joshua Stephen Cortez who took it and made it a huge beautiful arrangement that you hear and for those waitress fans because everyone asked for the bad idea riff and we did deliver deliver we just didn't give you a bad idea so little easter eggs in there it came out so well it's gore gorgeous gorgeous listen to this it is gorgeous you I hope steal these arrangements people and do your own versions and tag her on them because they're so beautiful they're so beautiful Paradise Square um and your run and the run of Paradise Square uh it was a moment it was right after COVID it was the theater was closed for so long bless you um theater was closed for so long and then to come back it must have been a very emotional time for everybody I never thought Broadway might ever come back you picked a song you sing heaven save our our home but you also have a song that we've never heard before yes let me talk about it so my my initial entrance into Paradise Square as a saga was in the Berkeley run and I originally was cast as ensemble feature Janie Foster so this is back when the show kind of surrounded around Stephen Foster and then I got to come in as his wife and be like you're not Milton you're Stephen Foster and you owe me child care money give me your money and I belt really high and then I leave and everyone's like she's amazing who was that character and we never see her again um but I sing this song called I Dream of Janie which is you know the breakup song it's it's the it's the get out and stay out with a little more venom and it was one of the best songs in the show but rightfully so they restructured the show for Chicago and Janie was cut and the beautiful song in the show was

[14:48] Kennedy Caughell: And I just wanted to preserve that little slice because it was one of Howland's favorites and I know that I know that I know um when you're a creative it's sometimes so painful to do what's right for the show but not necessarily what's right for your heart and I and I know that that killed him to cut that song and because they were they were trying to figure out what other character could you know possibly conceivably be written to do it but I was like you know what it's all good and so I decided that I was like Howland let's let's do I Dream of Janie and even if it's like maybe we can make it a hidden track or or something but he was like no no let's do it let's do it so we recorded this little slice of Paradise Square there's so many beautiful cut songs from so many beautiful shows that we never hear so this was like a little special Kennedy sauce because it was also very special to me because that was my entrance into Paradise Square as a whole it's beautiful way to listen to it especially also guests on the speaking of other tracks on the album guests a dream worth chasing trio I teased it before you have a Disney moment you have a Disney you have a trio of singers and a trio of songs and where do these ideas come from like what was the first song would you like I'm going to sing into the unknown and then maybe that is a go the distance moment or did the three of you come together at first how did this come to be?

[16:01] Kennedy Caughell: No that was actually all my brainchild um so when when I was originally doing this because Elsa was highly requested uh because I I had played Elsa twice before and so uh the original concept was actually to do into the unknown slash let it go um with Casey Levy and one other Elphaba one other Elphaba Elsa that we were we were kind of toggling around the idea once we had the arrangement down so it was originally either going to be a duet or a trio um of Elsa's only and it was going to be Elsa centered but then Casey Levy she busy honey she's doing ragtime she also lost what like she was lost boys at ragtime then back like and she has kids like she she could not do it and and rightfully so because she's a star so in my mind I was like okay well you know if from from that point I was like well if Casey can't do it why not restructure it to really mean to really mean something and I'm actually really glad because this is sometimes things don't work out for the better because the idea that came out of this I said well why do I want to sing this song and really it came out of this idea of who Kennedy is and the dream we're chasing trio was born of this idea of stepping into something more like knowing where you're at and where it is good but also hearing the call to go deeper farther um and so it kind of became about my journey as an understudy and so the my special guests are very special to me they are my the best my best friends outside of the business that like you know they were they were invited to my wedding you know like they are incredible human beings so Shoba Narayan and I were understudies in great comet together and we were swings and I just remember um really enjoying that chapter of my life but also going through the struggle and supporting each other through the struggle of being a cover because it's the hardest job in the world it's it's harder than what I do now truly like point blank the unsung heroes of our industry are our swings and understudies and standbys there is no harder job no more thankless job um so I love them all very much and I was an understudy for a long time so while it is amazing and you get to step into the lead role there's also a mental game that that's really difficult sometimes to do all that work and wonder if you will ever get your shot if you're if you'll ever get your chance to step into that and to kind of hear that so when I I cut let it go because I was like no no we have other songs like that and I was like let's base this around um into the unknown because sometimes you just have to take leaps of faith in your career and then I started listening to it and I was like oh my gosh how far I'll go actually syncs up with this but the the tricky part is they're very different time signatures so who did I recruit Caleb Hoyer one of the best best best Disney arrangers in the business Caleb Hoyer assists from John Balcourt for his orchestrations so so Caleb and I were kind of like talking about how this would fit in intermingle and I said and you know what I think ultimately we have to have Hercules because Hercules is my favorite Disney musical ever my favorite Disney movie ever ever I think it's perfect um so of course when when I had to have another person who had been through the understudy ringer that was Isaiah Bailey and what's beautiful about the song is that you kind of see these characters start off with the I want but then at the end it's like you know I'm not where I want to be can you show me I can show you will you show me I am on my way and so all three characters kind of it mirrors the fact that our friendships are what carry us forward in life and it's been one of my biggest joys privileges and honors to watch my friends who all started with me as understudies become stars in their own right Shobha Narayan was Broadway's best Jasmine in my opinion and then Isaiah Bailey right now is leading the phantom tour as the phantom and I'm I'm not kidding and I'm I'm not just saying this because he's my best friend I'm very picky he's the best phantom we've ever had so do not miss him if if the phantom tour is in your town do not miss him do this role so that's why that song is so special and that's why I had those people is because it just mirrors directly what's going on in Kennedy's career in life as is no joke I saw the tour and it's no no joke here at the opera no joke he's singing and this and this arrangement with the three of you is so beautiful how you overlap and how they all fit together like a puzzle you have to you have to check it out you have to check it out the other songs on it there are some songs that are not from things that you have done per se or they miss mean something to you or they're from a movie or they're from or even a pop like Kelly Clarkson pop song moment what what were the inspirations for other songs like what what made you want to sing that Kelly Clarkson it's a fun it's a fun mashup by the way or maybe or to sing to sing company or to sing the greatest showman or to sing Annie get your gun what are they what is violent what do they all mean what do they all mean to you?

[21:39] Kennedy Caughell: Well so these songs are I say they're they're half dream roles and half mean something in Kennedy's story so let's talk about catch my breath uh first off I just I love Kelly Clarkson and he like I just will sing whatever I I knew that I wanted her on my album just because I really really love her she's one of my early influences in pop um but I loved greatest showman and I and I just love the message of I thought the message of both of both those songs really fit together and luckily so did their so did their melody lines um so I knew that that was kind of a kismet mashup because you know the the lyrics you first hear I don't want to be left behind distance was a friend of mine catching breath in a web of flies I've spent most of my time uh starting waves playing acrobat shadow boxing the other half like our inner our inner self right we're not just fighting with the you know sometimes the crappiness that can come out of the business but we're fighting with ourselves you know learning how to react I've spent most of my time here goes catching my breath letting it go turning my cheek for the sake of the show god like those lyrics everybody every actor I know has turned our cheek has put our set aside our pride in so many instances not just paradise square but other things like we have we have self-sacrificed for the sake of the show and then now that you know this is my life I won't be told what's supposed to be right when the and then it goes into when the sharpest words want to cut me down so basically the music I wanted that mashup to mean something where the actor finally gets to reclaim their power and that it's okay to choose themselves over the show for the first time in your life and that was such a big moment of my life when when I was like Kennedy matters do you know how good you sound good night I'm waving the flag that's right do you hear your tone excuse me what in the world was going on here?

[24:02] Robert Bannon: I also like a green screen that there's like hands that are up here you don't even see it they're like wait here's a white I got a white flag wave it what is good night you want to hear those vocals you want to hear them that's she sings everybody in person go see her and then listen to this entire album so the dream roles the songs that the story that you tell as a storyteller from somebody that like that you are and you get paid to be this has to have a journey that's your story in many ways and many pieces of it are your story and that's why we have to listen to it from beginning to end because there's many colors textures sounds styles and and stories that I'm sure you're telling when people listen to this what do you hope people feel when they when they listen to it and take this ride with you?

[25:28] Kennedy Caughell: Yeah I think you know what at the end of the day I hope people feel hope and inspired this I hope that this album takes you on a my journey as an actor and let me tell you not all of it is sunshine and roses some of it is really sad and and there are there are points we all have low points so you're going to hear the emotion of the low points you're going to hear the emotion of picking yourself back up again and I just want people to listen to this album and maybe they won't feel so alone at the end of it because at the end of the day we're all human and at the end of the day you have something to bring that's inside of you so bring it out and do it with joy and and that's part of the reason why I have sun in the morning one because I love jazz and Ella Fitzgerald holla I just had to pay homage to her because she's one of my early musical influences but then let it sing is like the perfect closer of like whatever that means for you and it might not be even be singing if that means you're you have a novel inside of you maybe you want to start a non-profit like let it sing honey the world because the world we're waiting but it's not waiting so I hope that people feel inspired and encouraged from the album they are going to feel inspired and encouraged and you're gonna you're gonna be it's going to be on repeat when you listen to it it's absolutely stunning from beginning to end when you look back to you growing up in Oklahoma and and now Broadway shows under your belt and tours that are sold out across the country and now this album that's your yours it's your baby it's all you how does it feel to go back to that kid who first discovered music and sees where this journey takes her?

[27:24] Kennedy Caughell: Little Kennedy who did I tell you the story of how I got into this business because my mom took me to Annie on Broadway when I was like seven and she says that I turned to her at intermission and I went I want to do that I can do that without fear and and I think this album is for her and embracing that childlike belief of of letting doubt fear and shame kind of fall away and I feel very very blessed and proud of the fact that I think she would I think if she knew what was in store for her I think she'd poop her pants and then she would she would be so happy and I think and I think she is that young Kennedy inside of me I think seven-year-old Kennedy is very proud and excited for people to experience this because I think again it as the title suggests this is just the beginning.

[28:39] Robert Bannon: This is just the beginning this is this is just the beginning everybody so make sure you get your stream on and listen to this album wherever this album is streaming make sure you listen I hope when you get off she's booked she's on tour but when you're off the road I hope you get to do this live I hope we get to hear these these arranged oh stay tight follow Instagram the link is below follow up yeah stay tuned stay tuned because we hear you we hear the requests for the tour we're working on it and you're on the road for a minute a long time do you know how long we can catch you in Hell's Kitchen?

[29:22] Kennedy Caughell: There are things in the works that I can't talk about but I will let you know on my Instagram as soon as I'm able to let you know but for now we are on the road make sure you catch me by this fall yes coming to you Arizona San Diego Charlotte North Carolina Grand Rapids Michigan Toronto and Toronto Canada yeah let's go get get it on and go to hellskitchen.com and you can get tickets to see the tour if she's coming to your city or you can stream and stay up to date and the link will be below and no matter where you are in the world you can listen to the incredible album it was so nice to hear your journey your process I know how proud your team is of this project I know how grateful I was to listen to it because it's stunning and I can't wait to see what you do next.

[29:59] Kennedy Caughell: Thank you thank you for having me my pleasure you can sing the back of this Doritos bag and it will sound incredible I mean it's what incredible sunflower canola high oil see look that's the new commercial everybody somebody hire me pay her you want to sponsor my next album give her some money albums are not cheap baby that's it congrats what much love break legs have incredible rounds and thank you for being here.