Kelly Butts-Spirito to Debut Original Album

Kelly Butts-Spirito will perform his first original music album in full later this winter. The live set is scheduled to take place during the presentation of his "Season 4" winter clothing collection, where Vermont models will debut the new line.

Butts-Spirito, who runs the multi-media company Love, Kelly, has built his career around music videos, film, and fashion design. He has directed videos for the band U2 and prominent hip hop artists. This year, he designed a clothing and footwear collection for New York Fashion Week in partnership with Crocs.

Prior to this project, he did not plan to record original songs. "This whole entire album has pretty much happened by accident," he said. "I never had planned to make any music at any point in my life."

He entered the music industry as a videographer for rappers before expanding into concert production and clothing design. "But I had never sung or anything like that," he said.

The upcoming album follows a specific narrative arc. It moves from the pain and disbelief of a break-up to anger, acceptance, and finally hope. "I had actually gone through a pretty difficult heartbreak and just didn't really know how to express myself and get those feelings out," he said.

Butts-Spirito views his various creative roles as distinct avenues for expression. "Slowly over the years, I've realized that just different mediums are like just different opportunities for me to express my creativity," he said.