Episode 014 – Kelsey Dower | MAKE // BREAK

Kelsey Maree Dower is a symphonic metal vocalist, composer, and multi-instrumentalist whose cinematic writing style turns orchestration into front-line storytelling. Best known for her single “Rage” and the concept-driven album project Rebirth, she builds massive arrangements with a DIY, self-composed precision that still hits emotionally. She’s also a featured vocalist and co-writer on Björn Hofer’s In the Shadow symphonic metal trilogy through B-Track Records. In Episode 014 of MAKE // BREAK with host Lance Marwood, Kelsey digs into the real work behind ambitious music: MIDI composition, mixing battles between strings and guitars, creative control, and navigating the music business as an autistic artist.

👀 What you’ll hear

• Trace her path from piano prodigy to symphonic metal songwriter with a clear creative compass

• Learn why orchestral parts feel easy, and why guitars and drums still challenge the mix

• Hear how collaboration stays open while protecting vision and keeping creative control intact

• Reframe ambition when your genre is niche, expensive, and hard for algorithms to surface

• Unpack the myth of getting signed young and the practical planning that replaced it

• Break down Rage, cathartic anger, and how growls became a new tool in her voice

🕰️ Chapters
00:00 Symphonic metal origin story and why it finally clicked

02:49 First metal exposure, emotional catharsis, Within Temptation moment

05:44 Moving childhood, Carnegie Hall, opening for Clay Aiken

08:09 Piano and vocals foundation, ear training, early performance discipline

09:40 MIDI composition workflow, Ableton-style arranging, finding the spark

11:58 Production challenge: orchestra width vs guitars, drums, and mixing presence

14:51 Collaboration mindset, creative control, and working through disagreements

17:35 Ambition in niche genres, costs of scale, algorithm invisibility

22:52 Inspiration vs showing up, building ideas over time without forcing it

26:50 Music industry myth: getting signed young, budgeting, planning, side jobs

30:54 Autism, gatekeepers, reading intent, navigating predatory dynamics

38:46 Rage single inspiration, bullying, catharsis, learning growls

42:58 Rebirth album arc: build-up, catharsis, post-release aftermath

🔗 Guest Links
https://promo.v13.net/2025/11/kelsey-dower/
https://www.instagram.com/kelsey_music2024/
https://www.youtube.com/@kelsey_music2024
https://open.spotify.com/artist/23z1Xwhfvf5B0zVQyzlCdu

🔗 MAKE // BREAK & Host Links

https://open.spotify.com/show/5GDOUd909p7ir2W74M9teg?si=cbc7e01e13ba4a20

https://instagram.com/lowkeyhellish

https://tiktok.com/@lowkeyhellish

🔗 V13 Media Links

https://v13.net

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[Minor audio dropouts in the early minutes]

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