If you have been paying attention to the dallas music scene over the past few years, you’ve noticed Kaela Sinclair—or at least you should have. Her enchanting 2013 debut, Sun & Mirror, featured members of Midlake, The Polyphonic Spree, and Daniel Hart (who scored David Lowery’s Pete’s Dragon remake). Plus, her bedroom cover of SOHN’s “Artifice” became a minor viral hit early this year, racking up a couple hundred thousand views on Facebook. But the University of North Texas alumna was still paying her rent as a music teacher at Hall Music Productions in Southlake until March, when everything changed.
That’s when Anthony Gonzalez, better known as the man behind the French dream-pop group M83, hired Sinclair as a singer-keyboard player for his touring band, about to head off on a world tour following the release of his new album, Junk. She beat out hundreds of others in an open search and immediately became a highlight of M83’s live show, taking lead vocals on set favorites such as “Oblivion” and “We Own the Sky.” Even without a turn in the spotlight, it would be hard to miss Sinclair at stage right with her red and violet hair.
Dallas audiences have already gotten to see her with M83 once, at a sold-out Bomb Factory gig in April. When she comes back with the band at House of Blues on October 6, consider it a victory lap. And look for a new solo album later this year. If you weren’t paying attention before, you should be now.
