Kyle Kelly Gets Real About The Road Less Traveled On New Single “The Way It Is”

With grit in his voice and truth in his lyrics, Kyle Kelly lays it all on the line in his brand-new single “The Way It Is.” Out today across all streaming platforms, the emotionally charged track—written alongside fellow country artist Justin Clyde Williams—dives into the highs, lows, and hard truths of chasing a dream.

LISTEN TO “THE WAY IT IS” HERE. 

The song was born in Kelly’s garage, wrench in hand, frustration heavy in the air. “I was in a mood that night, discouraged with the business side of things,” he says. “I just kind of shrugged it off and said, ‘that’s just the way it is.’ I wasn’t quitting—I know what I signed up for—but that moment turned into the first verse, and a few days later, Justin and I finished the song. The ones that write themselves are usually the most honest.”

That honesty shines in lines like: “While my friends are all having the time of their lives / I’m breaking even, barely getting by / I push the thought to the back of my mind / ‘Cause I’m too afraid to change…”

Paired with his unmistakable country drawl and no-frills instrumentation, “The Way It Is” stands as a confessional anthem for the dreamers and drifters, the ones “getting high off the down lows and letting the world just pass [them] by.”

The single follows Kelly’s working-man-inspired track “Something to Remind Me” and marks a bold chapter for the down-home raised, old-soul storyteller. A true product of the South, Kyle Kelly discovered his love for music at just eight years old, heavily influenced by the timeless sounds of Lynyrd Skynyrd, The Marshall Tucker Band, and Waylon Jennings. His debut EP “Lyin’” (2021) paved the way for relentless touring along the East Coast, earning him a reputation for raw, real performances—whether full-band or just him and an acoustic guitar.

At the end of 2024, Kelly returned to the studio with his road band to self-produce a fresh batch of singles for 2025—capturing what’s been weighing on his heart after doing “a little livin’.” A true throwback, the 29-year-old splits his time between turning wrenches on old Mopars by day and honky-tonkin’ by night.

You can learn more about Kyle Kelly by connecting with him on his Facebook, Instagram, and his official website.