Kelly Monrow

Kelly Monrow has lived through more than most do in a lifetime. The Texas native, who now splits her time between New York and Nashville, has endured two near-death experiences, one divorce, a rocky childhood and several career paths before she ultimately found her calling as a country singer. Monrow credits an ayahuasca ceremony in Joshua Tree after her divorce and a transcendental experience with chocolate mushrooms during the COVID-19 lockdown for realizing her musical purpose.

The truth is Monrow, also known in the acting world as Kelly Dowdle for her roles in “Billions,” “Lucifer” and “American Crime Story,” was always creative. At 19, she spent three months in New York to model. While she attended the University of Texas at Austin, Monrow studied radio, television and film and started doing independent films. She also appeared in Lonestar’s music video for “You’re Like Comin’ Home.”

Monrow says she feels a responsibility to pursue music for the women before her who have given up on their dreams to do what society often expects of them. “There’s a level of me that feels it’s my birth assignment to do this, to fulfill that destiny,” she says. “I want to finish what a lot of women didn’t start and didn’t get to finish. … It feels almost like a service.”

She’s accomplishing just that. In less than six months of launching her music career, Monrow has amassed more than 2 million streams and more than 160,000 monthly listeners on Spotify. In March 2022 Monrow made her performance debut at South By Southwest in Austin, a full-circle moment for the young girl from the Lone Star State.

“I’ve been working a year to muster up the courage to do this,” she says. “I’ve manifested all this in two years. I’m having a blast creating and birthing these songs.”

For Monrow, the sky’s the limit. She’s finally embraced her authentic self and by doing so found her true calling in life – country singer.