Molly Kate Kestner (ASCAP)

Abe Olman Scholarship, 2024

Molly Kate Kestner is a singer/songwriter whose soulful voice and timeless lyrics have set her apart since she was just a teenager. She was propelled into the music industry spotlight when her first original song she wrote at 17 years old went viral. “His Daughter,” an emotional ballad she recorded for her friends and family received over 1.5 million views in less than two weeks, got her a performance on Good Morning America, and eventually led to a signing a record deal with Atlantic Records. Molly moved to Los Angeles in 2016 and has been busy writing songs for herself as well as for other established artists, such as Kelly Clarkson & Andy Grammer. She has released seven singles with Atlantic Records. Her song “Compromise” landed a national Jeep Campaign as well as an LG commercial. Her most popular, “Prom Queen,” has reached over 100 million streams on Spotify & Apple Music. She most recently released a powerful anthem, ”My Way Up” which is her first independent single since “His Daughter.” One week after its release, she performed the song with 30,000 choir students and formed the largest choir in America: The American Young Voices. It’s since been used in various placements, such as American Idol & So You Think You Can Dance. She recently signed a deal with indie Essential Music Publishing and is looking forward to writing & releasing more music in the future!