This transcript was automatically generated and might contain errors.

[0:01] Kerry Butler: Once I played a panty who just couldn't stop the beat. Yes, with roller skates on her feet. A girl who loved to beat a girl who's recently deceased. A real cool mom, a musical version of Tina Fey. Tina Fey! Now come with me and fly, fly.

[0:41] Kerry Butler: I am your host, Miss Kerry Butler. Together you and I are breaking Broadway.

[0:55] Kerry Butler: Hello! Welcome back to Breaking Broadway. Today's guest is Kelsie Watts, a pop rock performer who just made her Broadway debut in Six The Musical. How exciting! She also has a huge social media presence with over 2 million followers on TikTok and Instagram. Welcome to the show!

[1:18] Kelsie Watts: Hey, thank you so much.

[1:20] Kerry Butler: So tell me, when you were little, did you dream of being a pop rock star or did you dream of going on Broadway?

[1:29] Kelsie Watts: Crazy enough, both.

[1:31] Kerry Butler: Oh!

[1:32] Kelsie Watts: I always just wanted to sing.

[1:34] Kerry Butler: Where did you grow up?

[1:35] Kelsie Watts: I grew up in Lubbock, Texas.

[1:36] Kerry Butler: Oh, wow!

[1:37] Kelsie Watts: Yeah, very small town. Not a lot of Broadway there.

[1:41] Kerry Butler: There's definitely not. Yeah, no.

[1:44] Kelsie Watts: Not a lot of Broadway there. I mean, yeah, but I mean, I grew up singing in church, like my mom and dad and brother and sister all sing. And so, you know, I mean, it's really just like always been a part of my life. And so even though I love pop music, Broadway was for sure my first love.

[2:03] Kerry Butler: Really?

[2:04] Kelsie Watts: Yeah.

[2:05] Kerry Butler: Did you see a show in Texas? Like, how did you fall in love with it?

[2:08] Kelsie Watts: So both of my parents really love like classical musical theater. And one of the first shows I ever listened to was Les Mis. And I remember being a kid and just being enamored by the music and what was happening and the story. And I was like, oh, my gosh, this is amazing. Like, I want to do this all the time.

[2:30] Kerry Butler: That's one of my favorite first loves, too.

[2:32] Kelsie Watts: Yeah, I mean, it's just like, oh, gee, it's great.

[2:35] Kerry Butler: It's a great one. So, I mean, that's kind of what started it.

[2:39] Kelsie Watts: Yeah.

[2:40] Kerry Butler: But that wasn't the direction that you went in, right? So how did you become a pop rock star?

[2:45] Kelsie Watts: Yeah. So, I mean, I did opera for a really long time.

[2:50] Kerry Butler: You did?

[2:51] Kelsie Watts: Wow. So like middle school, high school, college. But halfway through college, I transferred into Belmont in Nashville. So I went from Texas Tech to Belmont in Nashville, Tennessee, and started studying vocal performance and commercial music business. And I was like, I want to write and I want to sell out arenas and do my own stuff. And I love to dance. And like, I love playing with a band. And I just was like, that's the goal. That's what I want to do. And so that's the direction that I went. And then, you know, social media took off. And I never thought Broadway was going to be in the cards.

[3:26] Kerry Butler: Is that how you ended up, like, getting jobs in front of stadiums and stuff? Is that just from social media? Is that how you really took off?

[3:34] Kelsie Watts: Yeah. I mean, from The Voice a little bit, like I did The Voice back in 2020. So that kind of helped with visibility. But really, it was from social media that everything just took off and exploded. I still am just in a state of shock that it happened.

[3:51] Kerry Butler: Yeah. Did you have like a plan on social media on how to use it? Did you know what you were doing? Or was it just like throwing stuff out and getting lucky?

[4:01] Kelsie Watts: You know, it was kind of a little bit of both. I've been on social media a long time, but I'd never really taken it seriously. And I was so over trying to do everything right and, like, do things for numbers and trying to make everything look right. And so one day I was just standing in the kitchen and my husband, Brandon, was like, Kelsie, just sing. And I was like, nobody wants to hear me sing, Brandon. Everybody sings. Everybody and their dog sings. And he was like, no, like, they want to hear you sing. And so I put forth the least amount of effort and literally set up my phone here and set up his phone here with a karaoke track and just started singing, like, while I was making my coffee or while I was making a shake. And it just took off. And I was like, what is happening? And so as cliché as it sounds, it was like once I stopped caring and was just myself, it was everyone was like, oh, my gosh, this is great.

[4:55] Kerry Butler: I love that so much.

[4:57] Kelsie Watts: Yeah. And then I just decided I was like, you know, I'm going to post every day. And so I posted every single day. And I went from about 100,000 followers on TikTok to 1.7 million in about a year.

[5:11] Kerry Butler: Wow. Crazy.

[5:13] Kelsie Watts: Just crazy.

[5:14] Kerry Butler: So. And did you do the same thing every day? Like just singing in your kitchen or things like that?

[5:19] Kelsie Watts: Yeah. For the most part. I mean, I would take requests. I would do lives every now and then. But then I just started, like, cross posting on Instagram and YouTube shorts what I was already posting on TikTok. And so it just grew even more. And I was like, this is insane. But, yeah, was just singing. And then I, you know, whenever I would release a song, would post my own stuff and promo videos, music videos, stuff like that.

[5:44] Kerry Butler: That's so awesome. You know, this podcast is for, like, performers starting out. And I'm always like, you don't know the power of social media. Like, you have to do it. And we have to figure it out because I see it. It helps you get on Broadway, too. Obviously, it helped you. Did you have to audition for Six?

[6:01] Kelsie Watts: Yeah. Well, yes. I mean, yes. But initially I was doing a gig and Roberta Ducek, who's the musical director, came up to me like a meet and greet and handed me her card. And was like, I mean, I didn't know who she was at the time. I had no idea. And she handed me her card and was like, hey, I'm casting for this Broadway show. I would love to chat. And I was like, what? OK, cool. And so I literally texted her and was like, hey, girl, hey. Like, the same thing. And this was right before the pandemic. So Six was just becoming a thing. But I went in officially for it in 2022, I think. End of 2021, 2022. And then discovered I needed to learn how to act because I'd never done musical theater before.

So I was like, OK. So I started. I already danced, but I started being really intentional about dance, really intentional about acting, and literally emailed the casting director, Peter Van Dam, with Tara Rubin and was like, hey, who do you recommend for acting coaches? Because I've never done this before. And so I started working with a guy named Benji Shaw and have been with him for about two years now. And I went in for an intensive bootcamp in 2023 for Six. And honestly didn't expect anything else to come of it. And crazy enough. In like, what, September of last year? I got a call and they were like, hey, there's an opening on Broadway. You still interested? And I was like, what?

[7:29] Kerry Butler: Wow.

[7:30] Kelsie Watts: So that was all the way from that last audition. You just got it then?

[7:33] Kerry Butler: Yeah. I'm telling you, things take time.

[7:36] Kelsie Watts: I know. I say that all the time. Like people think like, oh, I didn't get it, you know, in that moment. But then like years later, sometimes they'll remember you.

[7:45] Kerry Butler: Yeah. That's such a great story.

[7:48] Kelsie Watts: Yeah. Oh my gosh. Well, I mean, like I didn't get it the first time or the second time.

[7:53] Kerry Butler: Wow.

[7:54] Kelsie Watts: I mean, it's very, like, it is a process of figuring out, you know, when casting is the right time, you know, who gels well, who is needed for this. Like I'm a firm believer that just because you don't get cast for something doesn't mean you're not good enough. You may just not be what they need.

[8:09] Kerry Butler: That's right.

[8:10] Kelsie Watts: You know, a hundred percent.

[8:12] Kerry Butler: Yeah. And it's so great that you then went in and did the work. You know, you looked at yourself. You saw what you needed.

[8:17] Kelsie Watts: Yeah.

[8:18] Kerry Butler: And you did the work. You didn't get discouraged.

[8:22] Kelsie Watts: No.

[8:23] Kerry Butler: Yeah. I mean, I was discouraged for like a day and I was like, I'll give myself time. And I'm like, it's okay to be disappointed. I'm very disappointed. But now, yeah, you have to put the pedal to the metal. And like, I always say you have to be ready in the off season. So that way, whenever the on season is your time that you're ready instead of being like, oh crap, now I have to figure out how to do this.

[8:45] Kelsie Watts: That's right.

[8:46] Kerry Butler: Yeah. That's right. Preparation. Preparation is key.

[8:50] Kelsie Watts: Absolutely. What's the, what was the rehearsal process like? Because I know I've been a replacement before and it's insane, like so fast. And especially since it's your Broadway debut. You know, I had to learn how to learn the show. Like, like I really, so I mean, conveniently it's a whole new cast of Queens. So all six of us, one new to the show, which was really great. It was for three of us, our Broadway debuts, the other three had been on Broadway before, but we started January 12th. So I had just gotten off of a tour and was in Nashville for five days and then immediately moved to New York. And I was like in an Airbnb, like that's what everything is still everywhere. It's crazy. Yeah. Went in and had dance. And I swear, we just danced from like 10 to six every single day, like insane, but I'm so grateful. And so then we would have one-on-ones. I mean, but you got one day off a week and for a month we were there.

[10:01] Kerry Butler: Oh, that's actually a good amount of time.

[10:03] Kelsie Watts: It was for rehearsal. Yes. And I think it's because they, because it's on a brand new show, you know, we have the times they brought all of us in a month prior to actually like really drill everything. And when I tell you they are meticulous, I mean in the best, I'm so thankful for it. I would much rather be meticulous than like messy about it, but it's very, very specific styles of dance, very specific types of choreography, little things like character choices, musical choices. So they were very intense and specific, which was amazing. And it also gave us time just as a new cast to get to know each other, to work well with each other and things like that. So, but it was exhausting. I'm not going to lie.

[10:31] Kerry Butler: So it was a full month of rehearsal before you went in and they were singing. It was mostly dancing or like it was doing it all.

[10:41] Kelsie Watts: I was mostly, it was dancing. I mean, like we did have some days where we just did music for like the first half of the day or where we would work with Roberta one-on-one, but a lot of it was group choreo because there's, you never leave the stage. It's just the six of you. And so you're learning the music as you're doing the choreography. So we would go through all of the music. And once we finally got through all of it.

[11:06] Kelsie Watts: As we're doing the choreo, we have these like mic belts. They're like fake mic belts and like a fake mic that like you have to hold because it's, you know, you're using in-ears and microphones. And so there's a lot of micography and how often you have to switch your hand and it's a lot of movement. And there's not a lot of room for error because there's literally six of you on stage. So right? Yeah. How is it different doing this Broadway show than doing like your own tour? Is this is there sound different? Like you talked about the in-ears? Is it kind of the same as doing a tour? Your own music?

[11:36] Kelsie Watts: Um, I'm used to I love in-ears. I love I love in-ears and microphones. And that's what I'm used to. So I was actually the only person, yeah, because I've never used to that. I've never done a show. Yeah. And I didn't think about it because all the girls were like, what? What? We don't do this. And I was like, what do you mean? And then I go, Oh, right, you have an orchestra in like, right in front of you. And that's what you're going off of. I mean, like for my own music, I have a lot more freedom with the choices I get to make with my in-ears. On Broadway, it's very specific how they do it. And so I have had to adjust to that a little bit. But honestly, it is very similar to doing my own show.

You know, it's an hour and a half long. It's just me on stage normally, unless I have tracks where there's like some BGVs laid down in the track, which I would call like a TV track. But I mean, so I was used to the pace, if that makes sense, you know, for my own shows, I'm not dancing for an hour and a half. But you are moving around the stage constantly like hyping up especially like if you're with a band, so there's a lot of energy. I love it. I was like, this is the perfect mix for me.

[12:42] Kerry Butler: Oh, good. And it's funny, you were actually like the most experienced then kind of because you lived in that world. And it's so close to the world that you're in. Even though it was your debut.

[12:52] Kelsie Watts: Yeah, yeah, which is crazy. Crazy. But yeah, that was very, very helpful. Already knowing how to navigate in-ears and sound and like specific words like, you know, I could articulate, hey, there's a lot of compression in my ears. Can you please take that down? Or like, hey, I have no idea. I have no idea about that.

[13:13] Kerry Butler: Right, right. Well, I mean, because you've never had to do it. So like, I mean, just like there's so many things on Broadway that I'm like, I'm in a union now. Like, what is that? I know nothing about any of that. And I'm like, what? It's just because it's the world that I came from, you know, so that's helped a lot being able to articulate what I need or what I can hear or not hear. And so as far as the sound goes, because it's a concert, you know, so that's been such a blessing for sure.

[13:38] Kelsie Watts: Yeah. Do you do all eight shows a week? I do.

[13:44] Kerry Butler: Oh, and how has that been?

[13:49] Kelsie Watts: So we just finished the first week and just finished your first week. Literally just finished the first week. Wow. You know, I think it's going to be a little different because we've still had rehearsal before the shows. So yesterday was actually the first day that I just did a show that we only had a show or didn't have like a double. So, you know, my knees are very confused. They're like, why are you bending down nonstop? Because the choreo is very like a crouch a lot. You're jumping and you're in heels as well. So even though they're amazing heels, they're still heels, you know? And so I'm having to learn how to not only train like an athlete, which I'm used to lifting. I'm used to working out a whole lot and being super active and I love health and fitness, but I'm having to now learn how to recover like an athlete, you know, because even on like tours, I mean, sure I would do, you know, five, six shows a week maybe. Um, but eight and doing all of them and dancing the whole time, you're like, okay, we need to figure out a new routine.

[14:57] Kelsie Watts: Yeah. So, I mean, I feel great. I still can't believe I'm on Broadway. Like my brain still like doesn't comprehend that every show, like what, before the curtain opens up, we all kind of look at each other and we go, we're on Broadway guys.

[15:10] Kerry Butler: I love it. I still, every time I walk through the stage door, I'm like, thank you. You know, because I still just, I'm still so excited that I get to do it. You know, it's very few people get to do what we do. For real. I love that. Yeah. It's, it's such a blessing. My gosh, it's crazy. Crazy.

[15:26] Kerry Butler: Hey everyone. I have some exciting news. I am revamping my YouTube channel, Carrie Butler official, and I'm going to, my first episode is all about Beetlejuice and I know so many schools are doing Beetlejuice now. So I'm focusing in on the creation of Beetlejuice and what you need to think about for each of those characters. If you're auditioning for them or if you're working on them and kind of what our backstory was in creating those characters. And a fun little thing I'm doing on the YouTube channel is people can submit their auditions to me and I will give you feedback at the end of my YouTube videos. So if you would like to be included on my YouTube channel, then on Carrie Butler coach at Instagram, I put a form for you to fill out and I have an email address for specifically for submissions for people who want to submit an audition that I will give you feedback and try and help you hit those notes or hit the acting beats. But I just thought it would be a fun way to connect and be sure to subscribe to my new YouTube channel, Carrie Butler official for all the behind the scenes stories of the shows that I've done.

[16:38] Kerry Butler: Is Broadway what you expected it to be like?

[16:42] Kelsie Watts: I know it's not that glamorous, right?

[16:44] Kelsie Watts: You know, it's so funny because I remember the first time I ever came to New York, I was a senior in high school and I got to go see Wicked and I was like, this is the coolest thing ever. Oh my gosh. And I loved New York and fell in love with New York. And I knew that it was hard work, but at that place in time, you're just like, wow, it's just so amazing. And it is so glamorous. And the reality is it's very hard work. It's really hard work. Now, granted, we've worked our whole lives to perfect our craft as best we can to be able to be prepared for that hard work. But it is what I expected in terms of satisfaction from what I get from it. It really is just like I'm just in awe that I'm even here.

I'm so, so grateful. And God's timing is so perfect. And to be able to be in a show that is so uplifting and so happy and just get to bring people joy for an hour and a half and make people laugh and I get to lean into my awkwardness, which is so great. It's so fun. So I mean, it's definitely what I expected in terms of the satisfaction that I get from it. Unexpected, just living in New York. This place is wild. It's just insane, especially coming from Nashville. So it is insane, but I love it. I absolutely love it.

[18:08] Kerry Butler: Good. What have you found so far has helped you maintain doing all those rehearsals and everything? Are you doing Pilates or what do you feel like? Do you have a routine so far?

[18:19] Kelsie Watts: You know, my life is pure chaos. My mattress is still on the floor. That's how chaotic my life is. So the first month I was here, I was in an Airbnb, which was helpful. My friend was here in town as well. And so we just kind of were roomies together. And then I just moved into this apartment about a week and a half ago. And all of our real furniture, quote unquote, is in storage in Nashville. So I'm building dressers and putting things together. So it's not like, oh, I just get to go to a rehearsal process and then get to come back and just exist and chill. It's like everything is still all up in the air and chaotic. So I haven't had the opportunity to create a routine. I am so excited that I get to now start creating a routine. But I will say during rehearsals specifically, I slept a lot, a whole lot. Like we would get done with rehearsal and I would get home at like six thirty or like seven and was in bed by eight thirty and slept until like eight the next day.

[19:24] Kelsie Watts: Wow. Because I was like, all right, we got it. I needed it. My body needed it. But I've also been going since October because I was on tour with the Transylvanian Orchestra for half of October, all of November, all of December. And I got back to Nashville January 5th and moved five days later. So everything is just like bananas. But I will say I do love Pilates. I do lift. I do like complex lifts. And that helps me with strength a whole lot. I make sure I get a gallon of water a day.

[19:54] Kelsie Watts: Oh, very. Yeah. I literally am a water snob and I'll go by the one point five liter essential waters and drink two of them a day. Like I'll just have that.

[20:00] Kerry Butler: Oh my gosh. My favorite. I order them in bulk from Costco.

[20:07] Kelsie Watts: Oh, and it's so great. But I'll just carry that around. So that way I make sure I get my water and I steam at night vocals.

[20:18] Kelsie Watts: You do. Oh yeah. Oh, for sure. And then I have the little like nebulizer with the mist for before shows. And would you do that even on your other concerts? Would that be part of your routine? Just.

[20:23] Kelsie Watts: Oh, oh yeah. Just for vocal health in general. So because I mean, gosh, I mean, you know, like as singers, if we lose our voice or we like get sick nine times out of ten, our voice is the first thing to go or like or it's not as strong or your high notes go or. And so I'm obsessive about like health. I don't drink like I don't really stay out late. Many people would consider me to be boring. My gosh, you live in New York. You don't want to go out. And I'm like, bro, you know what kind of schedule this is?

[20:55] Kerry Butler: But I know what you're thinking. But I mean, you know, so that it's like that. But I also do press and have my own stuff and I'm releasing new music as well. And so my schedule is hectic. I'm so grateful for it. But I have to be very intentional with my food, what I'm putting in my body, sleep and all of that. So that way I can continue to do all of the things.

[21:15] Kerry Butler: That's smart. Does your will give you the physical therapy?

[21:19] Kelsie Watts: They do. Yeah.

[21:25] Kerry Butler: Yes. When you were talking about your knees, I was like, I hope they give them the physical.

[21:29] Kelsie Watts: Yes. Oh, yeah, for sure. And we also have. Have you seen this compression boots? I use them. So it's like really good for lymphatic drainage, but also for inflammation. And so.

[21:35] Kelsie Watts: Yeah. So I've started doing that as well. But, yeah, the physical therapy, that's the boots for specifically for dancers. Like what are they for?

[21:45] Kelsie Watts: Oh, no, you can use them like just anybody that's active. So your lymphatic drainage system is like what helps basically take the trash out of your body. Like that's the easiest, like the easiest way to put it. And so a lot of it's through compression and it helps you. It just helps all the inflammation go down. Basically, it's it's the best thing ever. If you can do it, like if you go to Neurosport, you can do it there. But I mean, things like that cryotherapy.

[22:10] Kelsie Watts: Yeah. Do you have any other tips for people like a health thing?

[30:33] Kerry Butler: That's great advice. And do you have any tips or pointers for people listening who want to be on Broadway?

[30:41] Kelsie Watts: Have you learned anything? I know it's so new for you, but have you learned anything about the process?

[30:49] Kelsie Watts: I think this would go for not just Broadway, but any type of gig that you want. Always be willing to learn. Accept constructive criticism with grace.

[31:01] Kelsie Watts: Take notes well. Notes are a good thing. They're not meant to be offensive. Be willing to learn from people that know more than you do. Your personality will get you much farther than your talent ever will.

[31:15] Kerry Butler: That's a good one. Nobody wants to work with a diva. That's right.

[31:21] Kelsie Watts: No matter how good you are, unless you are Mariah Carey and you can literally do whatever the heck you want anytime.

[31:27] Kerry Butler: We're not Mariah Carey.

[31:35] Kerry Butler: Thank you so much for being here. I feel like you're going to do really well. You have such a good attitude.

[31:41] Kelsie Watts: I really loved talking to you. This was so much fun.

[31:47] Kerry Butler: Please tell everybody where they can find you and plug your new stuff that's coming out, too.

[31:53] Kelsie Watts: You can find me on Instagram, TikTok, Twitter, which I guess is now X, Facebook, Blue Sky, all of the things. Just Kelsie Watts, K-E-L-S-I-E, and then W-A-T-T-S.

[32:05] Kelsie Watts: Kelsie Watts' music is on Instagram because somebody else already had my name. I'm very active on all social media platforms. I have new music coming out soon.

[32:17] Kelsie Watts: It's a song called Fit In that I think is my favorite that I've ever done. I'm so excited about it.

[32:23] Kerry Butler: I listened to some of your music before the interview, and you have a gorgeous voice. I love your music, too.

[32:29] Kerry Butler: Everybody, after you listen to this, go give her a listen.

[32:35] Kelsie Watts: Spotify, Apple Music, all the things.

[32:41] Kelsie Watts: Thanks, everybody. Thank you.

[32:47] Kerry Butler: Thank you so much for listening. If you would like me to come to your school or theater group and give a master class or a talkback, please reach out at kerrybutlercoach.com.

[32:55] Kerry Butler: If you like this podcast, subscribe and leave a rating. And in the comments, let me know what topics you want me to cover.

[33:01] Kerry Butler: You're listening to the Broadway Podcast Network.