Ross County country music singer nominated for 8 awards

CHILLICOTHE— Local country music singer-songwriter Paul Kazee has been nominated for eight awards this year with the International Singer-Songwriter Association.

Kazee, under his stage name Paul Allen, is up for eight awards in total from the association including USA Male Rising Star, USA Male Vocalist of the Year, USA Male Songwriter of the Year, USA Male Emerging Artist Of The Year and USA Entertainer of the Year. He is also nominated for USA Male Album of the Year with his album Who I Am, USA Male Single of the Year with his song Crazy For Loving Me and USA Band of the Year with Paul Allen & Whiskey Ridge.

Last year Kazee was nominated for Single of the Year with the ISSA. He was a finalist in this category but ultimately did not win. He and the band are hopeful that this year they will walk away with an award.

"We put a lot of hard work into our album," said Kazee. "We are hoping with eight nominations we will win at least one this year."

The International Singer-Songwriters Association works to connect and support independent artists worldwide. They offer support to artists looking to promote their work and help to get their songs played on the radio.

Kazee's passion for music started at a young age when he started singing in church. He started learning how to play instruments around the age of 10 and at 15 he wrote a song to comfort a friend who had lost their grandmother. As he got older he became more interested in country music and even played at Red White and Boom.

"The sound between southern gospel and country isn't that different," said Kazee. "It wasn't that big of a jump."

When his wife and him started their family Kazee put music on the backburner. It wasn't until 2019 that he started posting videos of himself singing online as a way to pass time. Kazee then signed with Country Road Records under the name Paul Allen, which is his middle name. He chose to use his middle name in hopes that a simpler name would allow people to focus more on his music. Since being signed Kazee has been able to hear himself on the local radio for the first time last year, something he describes as being amazing.

Kazee's musical style reflects his personal taste in country music. He is heavily inspired by 90's country music such as George Strait and Garth Brooks. Fans coming to his shows will also hear some rock country inspired by artists like Jason Aldean.

Kazee finds inspiration for his songs in his everyday life. He likes to write songs about real-life issues that all people face, he finds this helps listeners to better relate to his songs. He also notes that songwriting takes time and practice.

"The more you do it the better you get," said Kazee.

He and the band enjoy playing high-energy shows and having fun on stage. Kazee is excited to have more people coming to shows since the Covid-19 pandemic is winding down.

"It is amazing," said Kazee of playing in front of an audience. "People are loving coming back."

Kazee is hopeful about his music career in the future. He is currently working on writing more music and plans to have another EP or a full-length album released by the end of this year.

"My dream is to be the premier country band of Ohio," said Kazee.

Fans can vote for Kazee under his stage name, Paul Allen, on the ISSA website until April 30, Finalists will be announced May 2 with the winner being announced Aug. 6 at an award show in Atlanta, Georgia.

You can also support Whiskey Ridge by visiting their website or watching them perform live at any of their shows.

Shelby Reeves is a reporter for the Chillicothe Gazette. You can email her at SReeves@gannett.com

This article originally appeared on Chillicothe Gazette: Ross County country music singer nominated for 8 awards