Kaya Welsh was born in the mountains of North Carolina and raised in Slidell, Louisiana, in a family of artists of all types. She was brought up listening to all types of music with Jazz and Celtic being two of many favorites. She cherishes memories of "going to church" with her extended family (sitting together and singing old country hymns.)  Along with music, Kaya grew up alongside horses and, to this day, she embraces the "Country girl" life. 
 
At the age of 11, Kaya discovered a passion for singing and performing on stage. This passion became a love, and she participated in show after show for many years. One of her favorite shows was “Chicago,” which she did at the age of 14. Other favorite shows include “Jesus Christ Superstar,” “The Little Mermaid,” and “We Will Rock You.” Kaya was featured in her role of “Meatloaf” in “We Will Rock You” on the Queen Official Website. “Hair” followed “We Will Rock You” in which she portrayed the role of “Crissy.” This show was viewed by original writer, James Rado, who complimented her portrayal of the role. Other roles include “Janet Weiss” in “The Rocky Horror Show” and “Evil Tina” in “She Kills Monsters.” “Evil Tina” was her first non-singing role. It was also her first experience with Stage Combat.
 
At 15, Kaya started working with vocal coach Lee Farrar Bailey. Together, they put together a jazz album, “Timeless” which featured artists such as The Andrews Sisters, Johnny Mathis, Irving Berlin, Ella Fitzgerald, and others. She began to take music more seriously, and began the study of Music Theory under the tutelage of Colm Keegan of Celtic Thunder, a fantastic opportunity to work with someone she had been a fan of for years. Kaya still works with Colm, who is teaching her to sing in the Irish language. He mastered an emotional ballad with her from a Zoom meeting between the two of them.
 
Everything was not always easy for Kaya. She was diagnosed with Seizure Disorder at the age of 12. Medication helped her get through high school, but at the age of 17, the seizures returned worse than before. After much testing, Kaya was diagnosed with Temporal Lobe Epilepsy. She continued to perform despite this, sometimes having to ask fellow performers if she even sang the correct lyrics onstage, but by the age of 19, the seizures were completely out of control. Kaya made a brave and life changing decision to get a Vagus Nerve Stimulator implant. With this surgery and implant came the possibility of vocal cord paralysis, which would leave her unable to sing and possibly even speak. She was blessed with the best medical team, and her vocal chords remained unharmed.
 
After surgery, Kaya had to “relearn” how to speak and sing with the VNS implant. The Vagus Nerve Stimulator (VNS) is like a pacemaker for the brain. Its main unit is in her chest with leads going into her heart and the main wires attaching to her Vagus Nerve crossing her vocal chords. This device can be cut off with a special magnet to allow her time to sing, rehearse, and perform, as long as the magnet is still held or taped over the main unit.
 
In the fall of 2022, Kaya began studying Vocal Performance under Dr. Maryann Kyle. Dr. Kyle has not only taught Kaya to sing with her “new voice,” but has helped her to improve in all areas of performance farther than ever. Kaya is grateful for all of the love, knowledge, care, support, and love she continues to receive from family, friends, and teachers, but is most grateful to God for all of the blessings and opportunities her life continues to be filled with.
​
​