Blurring the lines between folk confession and somatic storytelling, Lora Kelley offers "Will You Hold My Arms Up?" - an aching, Americana-infused meditation on faith, grief, and human resilience.
North Garden, VA (May 30, 2025) — Multidisciplinary artist and trauma-informed story work coach Lora Kelley invites listeners into a stirring landscape of vulnerability and hope with her new single, "Will You Hold My Arms Up?", ahead of her forthcoming album due this fall. Known for her compassionate work guiding individuals through healing, Lora's music is a profound extension of her life’s calling — a tender space where storytelling, spirituality, somatic healing, and song meet.
Steeped in years of walking alongside others through their deepest wounds, Lora Kelley’s songwriting reflects a hard-won tenderness — an understanding that some forms of suffering cannot be undone, only witnessed. "Will You Hold My Arms Up?" rises from this sacred tension, shaped by a lifetime spent navigating the liminal spaces of faith and doubt. Growing up attuned to the emotional landscapes of the Psalms, Kelley found early resonance in the vulnerable confession, "I believe; help my unbelief." Over time, she observed the ways religious culture often imposed shame around expressions of sadness, anger, or spiritual fatigue — a rigidity she found at odds with the profoundly human grief embodied by Jesus himself. "This song is a declaration of what it means to be human," Kelley shares. "To have faith, yet lean on the faith of others. To find strength, and still grow tired. To know that God's presence holds steady even when our belief feels frayed. Sometimes, it’s enough simply to ask for someone to hold our arms up."
Cover art for "Where I Am Now"
A moving anthem for anyone who has wrestled with that exhaustion, doubt, and the longing to be held in the midst of hardship - the song weaves plaintive lyrics with an intimate Americana sound, reminiscent of artists like Porter's Gate, Madison Cunningham, and Natalie Merchant. Produced by Jeremy Casella, "Will You Hold My Arms Up?" features stirring performances from an all-star lineup of musicians, including Nate Duggar (guitar), Matt Stan (piano), John Hunt (drums), Jacob Blowery (bass), and Mike Payne (guitar). Engineered by Evan Redwine, the track captures the emotional intensity and quiet strength at the heart of Kelley's writing.
"If you ever feel shame about faith and doubt... or if you ever feel shame about feeling tired or around spirituality and God, this song is one of resonance. It's a cry for help when we just feel on the edges of our ability to stay present with ourselves and our hope."
Lora Kelley
Photos by Amy Nicole Photography
Rooted in the themes of resilience and gentle honesty, Lora's work is deeply informed by her background in narrative-based trauma care, including her studies with the Allender Center. Her music stands as a testament to the beauty of brokenness, offering not platitudes, but presence — a hand to hold in the dark. Raised amid the liminality of faith and living today on a conserved farm in Virginia with her partner, children, and a lively menagerie of pets, Lora crafts songs that feel lived-in, earthy, and unflinchingly honest. Her upcoming album will continue to explore the emotional terrains where suffering and hope coexist — a body of work poised to resonate with those yearning for deeper connection and sacred honesty.