Kendal Conrad, Singer-Songwriter
Kendal Conrad is a local musician from Pennsylvania who has played concerts ranging from small acoustic coffee shop gigs to opening for Blake Shelton in front of a crowd of 18,000 during the Dick’s Sporting Goods Open. Her influences range from Whitney Houston and Taylor Swift to Ariana Grande and Halsey, and her music lies somewhere between pop and country. She grew up listening to all genres of music at home with her parents and was always interested in playing music and performing.
You could say her music career was partially made possible in Lehigh Valley. She plays a Martin Guitar, she’s been performing at Musikfest just about every year for the past 8 years, and her first opening act for a national headliner was for Phil Vassar at the Musikfest Café.
During Musikfest in 2014, Kendal was brought on stage to sing a song with Keith Urban. After submitting a video audition, Conrad was chosen to perform “We Were Us” with Keith at Musikfest as part of his Raise ‘Em Up Tour in front of her home crowd.
Alongside singing, she also enjoys acting and starred as Holly Golightly in the exclusive post-Broadway production of Breakfast at Tiffany‘s which played at Allentown’s Civic Theatre. In her role, she acted, sang, and played guitar. During the recent pandemic and the ongoing crowd restrictions, she’s been performing at outdoor venues and live on her Facebook page, did a virtual happy hour with Discover Lehigh Valley and other online streaming sets, including another set for this year’s Musikfest.
She plays again at this year’s Virtual Musikfest on Sunday, August 9 at 6:30. Click here for the full schedule and follow along with her Lehigh Valley adventures on Instagram at @KendalConrad.
Live like a local:
What keeps you coming back to the Lehigh Valley?
This is my favorite part of Pennsylvania … it’s just so vibrant and there’s so much to do here. Everyone appreciates not only music, but art in general. It’s a bustling community for art.
As a foodie, the restaurants in Lehigh Valley have an amazing offering of dishes: everything from elk burgers to specialty pancakes to creative sushi rolls to mouth-watering steaks. And the food is so beautifully arranged on the plate — I always snap a picture for my Instagram story!
What’s one of the most unique venues you’ve performed at in the Valley?
Brü daddy’s in downtown Allentown: It’s distinctly unique. They have this outdoor beer garden with the exposed brick and potted plants and hanging vines with gorgeous string lights, and it makes me feel like I’m in Nashville.