Singer-songwriter and British country music powerhouse, KEZIA GILL has released a new version of ‘Local Man’s Star’, an emotional tribute to her late father, the beloved musician and entertainer, Eddie McGill, who inspired young Kezia to follow in his footsteps.
‘Local Man’s Star 2026’ was produced and mixed in Nashville by multi-instrumentalist, Alyssa Bonagura.
With touching lyrics, a soft heartfelt sway of melody, and a poignant ivory and cream vocal, this is a loving tribute.
“This song is dedicated to my father, telling his story from being a young man with raw talent to enjoying retirement after 50 years as an entertainer,” explains Kezia.
“ Following his death in 2020, this re-write has been years in development and now takes the number on a new journey of me living the dream he always had for me and wanting to honour his memory, making him proud every day. This is as personal as story-telling gets, and this new version lets me breath fresh life into a song that means so much to me.”
“This was such a special song to produce,” continues Alyssa Bonagura, “...and I think Kezia’s voice and the track itself shine in a new way now. I wanted to incorporate the Celtic influence in the production to pay tribute to Kezia’s Irish father and to bring out the country story-telling in a sensitive and authentic way. I think listeners will get to know Kezia and feel the spirit of her father when they listen to this, and really, that’s all I can hope for as a producer.”
KEZIA GILL Local Mans Star 2026 is out now via Snakefarm / Universal Records: https://keziagill.lnk.to/LocalMansStar
Photo credit Frank Fieber
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