Hello Kelly

Get ready for a lot of songs about existential dread and pizza.

Smirky synth-rock band Hello Kelly has emerged from a 10 year hiatus to wow us again with Sweet Nostalgia. A power punch of sweet, sugary hooks, swirling synths, and barefaced, brazen rock, the new album celebrates influences like Van Halen, Sum41, and Fountains of Wayne.

Originally formed by frontman François “Francy” Goudreault as a way to subvert his lifelong stutter, Hello Kelly rose to prominence in Ontario's post-emo rock scene circa 2004. The songwriting centered on nostalgia and hope in the face of pain. The live shows fostered inclusion and good times.

Working with Grammy winners Brandon Perdue, Juno winner Siegfried Meier and many chart-topping songwriters, the band released three records on 7Spin Music (SonyBMG). Singles “Fall Over Me” and “10 Good Reasons” reached Top 30 in Billboard’s CHR chart and the band shared the stage with rock mainstays Relient K, Switchfoot, Skillet to name a few.

Their cult hit “Hey Elizabeth (Paper Bag Princess)” was immortalized in music video form by Ben Knechtel (Alessia Cara, Scott Kelman, Carly Rae Jepsen.) And in 2012, Goudreault was awarded the “Converting Awareness into Action” award by the Stuttering Foundation.

Now independent, the band finds themselves in a beautiful place: starting over. And it’s perfect. The new lineup? Drummer Brent Lively, bassist Cormac Elmes, and keyboardist Aidan Scott. Their hometown is London, Canada. They call themselves “the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles of pop-rock.” Bright and glammy, with a twist of dread. Emo on sugar high.

"Sweet Nostalgia is about digging through the past to remember who we are," says frontman Goudreault. "It's about living in the 'good old days' right now."