Kelly Maglia was a closet metalhead. Even though she grew up in Orange County, just miles from the bright lights of the Sunset Strip and was naturally musically talented, Maglia kept her love of metal under wraps. “It was more the circles that I ran in” Maglia explains, “I was very academic, very studious, and my parents were very not into metal so it felt like a very rebellious thing to be doing. Not a lot of my friends were into it except for my musician friends, so that’s how I got into it. Most of my closest friends were nerdy like me, and I didn’t want to admit to them that I was listening to this music.”

As Maglia grew older, she decided to pursue her love of music becoming classically trained in vocals, piano, and clarinet. She also studied musical theater, theory, and composition and minored in dance. At the same time, Maglia, who was also interested in art and fashion, was being asked to design dance costumes for her sister and her sister’s friends, all of whom were dancers. When she emerged from college she had a degree in music and drama, but she didn’t know what to do with it. When her sister approached her about turning her costume designing hobby into a business, it seemed like a practical step.

Now, years later, Kelly is the successful owner of two design brands, Her Triple Threat line, which specializes in dance costumes, and the Kelly Maglia line, created to cater to pole dancing, another one of Maglia’s passions. It is there where Maglia can let her rocker influence shine through. She is also currently expanding the line to include rock n’ roll street wear. “I had to tone it down for Triple Threat,” Maglia explains, noting that the costume market is often aimed at teenagers and children, whereas she calls her own line “edgy, sexy, adult.”

Yet, while Maglia was enjoying the success of her design companies, she always felt that there was an itch that needed to be scratched. “I was building a business because it was what I thought was practical but then got to a point where I was like, I can’t ignore this anymore. I can’t pretend any more that I don’t want to do this and I’m going to say it to everyone.” And so Maglia decided the time was ripe for her to let her love of metal be known to the world, and she finally launched her band”¦ in a big way.

In December of 2015, she released her first EP, Just Enough Rough, a collection of five songs which Maglia describes as a “unique blend of metal and hard rock.” The EP can be purchased on the Kelly Maglia web site.

Maglia has also started to do live shows which is more an experience than just another night out. Maglia incorporates her love of theater, dance, and music into a spectacle which you’re not likely to forget. This is all presented in a medium Maglia has coined Cirque du Rock. “Every time you see a Kelly Maglia show, you’re going to see me and the guys in my band, and I bring in contortionists, acrobats, and pole dancers, and we do a full rock show,” Maglia describes.

However, because of the magnitude of the occasions, Maglia can’t gig as often as she’d like. She is using the next year to build an internet presence for herself. We can look forward to Maglia releasing two albums. The first will be an LP of revamped covers where she will be experimenting with genres, “taking rock songs and toning them down or taking songs that are not metal and making them metal.” Each one will be accompanied by a video, a medium in which Maglia can thrive, featuring her theatrical, musical, and design skills. She is hoping to follow that up with an album of originals by the end of the year.

And after that, she has plans to take her rock n’ roll circus on tour so look out for her band at a venue near you.

Video

Kelly Maglia – Love in an Elevator (Aerosmith cover)

You can follow Kelly Maglia at the following links:
Website: http://kellymaglia.com/
kellymaglia.com/cirquedurock
Facebook: facebook.com/kellymagliarocks
Twitter: twitter.com/kellymaglia
Instagram: instagram.com/kellymaglia/
You Tube: KM Official YouTube