music
Cover Of classic oleta adams song
Kandace PEPPER’S first album, “On My Mind” is a journey through jazz classics, blues and standards with unique interpretations showcasing Kandace’s mixture of pop/jazz/soul & a little bit of southern jazz thrown in. Grab a coffee or a red wine, a comfy couch or even a dance floor & enjoy.
Videos
Shows
GRAYS ON MAIN - OCTOBER 28, 2022
ABOUT KANDace
Nashville fans expect a great deal from their vocalists. Musical Style and sophistication are a must. They want someone who will take the standards and make them their own. Fans get all that and more from Kandace Peppers. Not only does she bring an elegance and vocal prowess to her shows, she adds her own Mississippi influences in delivering her unique brand of Southern Jazz, R&B, and Country vocals to her live performances
Music has been the centerpiece to Kandace’s life from the very beginning. Kandace was born and grew up in Amory, Mississippi. It was there that she began singing as a child at her church, accompanied by her mother who was the church pianist. She also performed gospel and country music with her mother and sister at local events and on local radio.
Upon graduating from high school, Kandace spent her college years studying classical voice and majoring in Vocal Performance with a minor in Theater. While still in college, Kandace competed in the Miss Tupelo Scholarship pageant and won. She then went on to compete for and win the title of Miss Mississippi. That fall, Kandace competed in The Miss America Pageant. “The pageants were a great experience for me. They gave me performance opportunities, scholarships and played a valuable role in shaping my musical vision.” To this day, Kandace remains involved in the Miss Mississippi Pageant as the vocal producer for the televised event. This program has won three Emmys during the time of her participation.
After receiving her Master’s degree in Vocal Pedagogy (music education) from Mississippi State University, Kandi came to Nashville to work for Gaylord. She spent the next two years entertaining crowds at Opryland Theme Park before going back to Mississippi to get an additional teaching degree. While she spent the next several years teaching elementary music, Kandace worked as a demo singer in Nashville and recorded her first song for a nationally released album. As Kandace Williams, she sang ‘Beyond The Sea’ for the Disney CDs Finding Nemo-Ocean Favorites, and Driving With Disney.
It was the culmination of all these experiences and influences that brought Kandace to southern jazz vocals. “It was more of an evolution than an epiphany. Growing up with Gospel and Country, along with my classical training and my pageant and Opryland experiences were all part of the journey that brought me to southern jazz vocals”.
Her first CD, On My Mind, is now available. Kandace plans to begin playing more extensively in the Nashville metro area this spring, bringing multiple styles of music to her audiences. “I’m very proud of my first album and I hope music lovers enjoy listening to it half as much as I enjoyed recording it.”