Kelly Reed Releases New Single“You Will Be Okay”

Kelly Reed (formerly known professionally as i.e. kokoro) released her single, “You Will Be Okay” on June 7, 2024. Kelly is a Chicago-native who moved to Durham, NC and began attending The Gathering Church in 2021. She and her husband, Brandon Dorn, initially bonded over their mutual love of Sufjan Stevens. Though Kelly describes her music as “genre-unconcerned,” her style has been likened to artists including Stevens, as well as Emily Hanes, Susanne Sundfør, and Cat Power.

“You Will Be Okay,” Kelly writes, “isn’t a song I wanted to do; it’s a song I had to do, one that I felt compelled to do. I couldn’t get the refrain out of my head, I couldn’t stop repeating it to myself. It’s something I needed to hear — for my younger self, my self today, and my future self. It’s for all your selves, too.”

“You Will Be Okay” artwork originally by Kelly’s 10-year-old nephew

The album’s artwork is particuarly special to Kelly because it is originally drawn by her 10-year-old nephew, Parker. He wrote the name of the song and Kelly’s name over and over, using a variety of different pens, pencils, markers. Then, Artist Jen Matthews took his art and transformed it into the album cover.

This song is an anthem for those who strive to be both honest and hopeful. Kelly writes, “In the midst of whatever you may be experiencing right now – suffering, loss, chaos, malaise — may it invite you to believe that there will be a day in which the fog of your circumstances will lift. And joy will be found, again.”

We are for you Kelly. We hope folks will listen and support Kelly’s newest single here and receive this song as a blessing for you, too.