Kelli Welli on ‘Baby Ninja,’ Motherhood, and the Joy of Pool Days

Summer’s my favorite season, and it’s only in August that I realize how attached I’ve become to pool days and beach nights. Portland, Ore., singer-songwriter and mom Kelli Welli (Kelli Caldwell) can relate. That’s why the kindie musician worked so hard to capture the whimsical moments of childhood summers in her latest album, Baby Ninja. The record packs in a lot within its 16 tracks: twangy singing, pretty vocal harmonies, silly-but-clever lyrics, cool surf-guitar riffs, and even cooler collaborations.

The album’s latest single, “Water Baby,” captures all the good stuff in just two minutes. The accordion-infused song, written for and about Kelli’s daughter, Kira, is all about splashing and swimming — and the video features synchronized swimmers, too.

We recently caught up with Kelli, who’s a mom of two 9-year-old twins, to learn more.

Rockmommy: Kelli! Congratulations on the new record. It’s fun and carefree and makes me want to hold tightly to summer! :) How long did it take you to record, given that you are also a busy parent to 9-year-old twins?

Kelli Welli: So glad you enjoyed it! It took us about a year to record this album and the only way we made that work was to have a regular weekly commitment to record (with my producer), so that mom commitments and other life things didn’t fully encroach.

It’s definitely a constant balancing act and I don’t think I could manage now if I wasn’t able to check emails and social media and all the other related things on my mini computer/phone at stop lights or while waiting in line at the grocery store! It’s basically exhausting and feels like I’m about to drop some ball at all times — as I’m sure you understand as a creative woman and performing artist who is also a mom!

Rockmommy: You said that anxiety might be linked to the influence of heavy expectations placed on kids to “save the world.” How is your record a reaction to that — and different from that thought process?

Kelli Welli: I think kids are accomplishing big things every day, just by being kids. When you break it down and think about all that a baby is accomplishing in their development, it’s really incredible. Kids work through big challenges just learning how the world works and how they fit into it, how to be themselves or discover who they are. So many of the songs on this album are meant to highlight the power they already possess and applauding the work they’re naturally doing. It’s definitely important to help them grow into good citizens and to feel empowered to speak up and speak out about life challenges, but I think we need to keep a balance.

Rockmommy: You’re a Portland musician. I used to be a counselor at the Rock N’ Roll Camp for Girls (in 2004). What’s the music scene like these days?

Kelli Welli: I’m connected more with the Portland kids’ music scene than the larger music community, but Portland music seems to always be thriving with amazing talent. In the kids or “kindie” (kids independent) scene, we have a large group of very active folks and it’s really been awesome to connect with such a supportive and talented group. We get together from time to time just to hang out and some folks, like Red Yarn, Aaron Nigel Smith, Mr. Ben, and Jessa Campbell are really great about sharing opportunities with others.

[SEE RELATED: SMITH & YARN’S NEW ALBUM MIXES REGGAE, COUNTRY, AND MORE]

Rockmommy: What’s the inspiration for your latest video?

Kelli Welli: The inspiration behind the “Water Baby” song is my daughter Kira. She was definitely born a water baby. My son Ryan has also come to love the water and be a strong swimmer, but Kira’s always clearly felt at home in the water and doesn’t seem to get enough of it. I myself am not a strong swimmer and I have an irrational fear of water rooted in a childhood experience, so it was really important to me as a new mom to prioritize swimming lessons for them. And it’s been truly awe inspiring to watch the joy on both my kids’ faces as they swim and play in the water.

The inspiration behind the video was to show kids as very cool individuals and watch the joy that comes out as they play in the water.

I thought it would be really fun to also include some stodgy grownups and see what happens when kids’ contagious joy takes hold. My friends and kid friends were so awesome in coming to be part of this video — we had a great time and I had no idea they were such talented synchronized swimmers!

Rockmommy: You’ve got some awesome collaborators on your record — how do you make that happen when they live all over the world?

Kelli Welli: I’ve relied heavily on Bryan Daste, my producer, who is also an engineer and very talented musician, who knows the technical specs and has been able to bring things together. It’s also been great that the other kids’ artists I’ve worked with have been such solid and professional folks.

Marisa Torrieri Bloom is the editor and founder of Rockmommy.