Susanna Kennedy Mesmerizing

January 9, 2026

If you have been at one of her many live performances, seen her hop on stage to guest at one of Victory North’s variety of tribute shows, or popped into Abe’s on Lincoln’s Monday night Open Mic (which she both hosts and plays in), Susanna Kennedy is a musician you do not forget. Sometimes sultry and seductive, sometimes sweet and silly, her approach to performance is enchanting. I first saw her at Sea Wolf Tybee during their “Songs beneath the Ghost Ship” series they did just after opening. I remember being very impressed right out of the gate. Her voice is (for lack of a better term) kind of mesmerizing. Her passion for what she does is so glowingly apparent from the moment she starts to sing and play. Because of that, she has an ability to effortlessly command your attention in a way that I don’t even think she is trying to do. I had a chance to sit down with her recently and talk about her life, her work, and her appreciation for the culture of Savannah.

Born in Savannah into a family of evangelical missionaries, her musical foundation is similar to that of many people in the South, through the church. “My first introduction to music was learning children’s church songs.” So many firsts of hers are related to the church because it was instrumental in her upbringing.

Kennedy’s family migrated to Costa Rica to do missionary work when she was 5 and stayed there long enough for her to complete high school there. Secular music didn’t play too much a part of her life for quite some time. “It wasn’t until I was an adult that I found out that my dad was a huge Beatles and Harry Nilsson fan. He knows all of these random facts and quotes old television interviews of both of them from when he was a teenager. While we didn’t listen to much secular music growing up, my parents were very instrumental in all of their children learning instruments and singing. I took violin lessons, I was in choir. We made up songs all of the time.” Classical music and spiritual music were the bedrock of her formative musical years. “My first concert was seeing Shane and Shane. They were a huge part of my musical formation because they really wrote beautiful songs.

Photo by Garret Boyd

Great harmonies, beautiful guitar parts and incredible lyrics. They were really masterful with what they did.” I had never heard of Shane and Shane and when I asked her to recommend a song to check out, she suggested the song “Yearn”, and let me tell you, her description was spot on.

I just started crying because it was so beautiful
and the song inspired me to want to make art.

“The first piece of secular music that I remember being affected by was Clan of the Bear by Bon Iver. My brother was playing it for the a little and I wept. I was a bit of a dramatic child and I was really interested in painting (my aunt is a painter) and I just started crying because it was so beautiful and the song inspired me to want to make art. At the time I thought that the art I wanted to make was through painting but over time that turned into wanting to make music.”

We shifted the conversation to talk about the music scene in the city of Savannah and unsurprisingly, Savannah had some great things to say. ‘I think Savannah has more musical talent than most people could ever realize. I meet so many new musicians all of the time. There are people playing almost every day. The amount of people that play vs the size of Savannah is wild. There is so much potential and so much happening.’

While it’s never really been a city that’s a statewide trendsetter for music, there is a community here of so many incredibly talented people. ‘It seems like everyone is in the same mindset and really wants to support everyone else and see them succeed. There is a lot happening. I think in the last two years or so, you are seeing a large rise of SCAD students getting involved than I’ve ever seen (in my lifetime). Maybe it was like that years ago but it really hasn’t felt that way since I’ve been playing in Savannah, it’s only now we are more of a hub, a centerpoint for the music scene. Also, Victory North has done a lot to make themselves more accessible to the music community. They didn’t have to do that but they did. It’s just awesome that they have. One unfortunate thing about the scene here is that there is almost too much going on. It feels like there aren’t enough people to support just how much is actually happening. What is the hardest part of being a musician in Savannah playing original music?’ ‘You don’t get paid well to play original music… I earn.’

What’s the most memorable show you’ve participated in in town? ‘The I homegrown show we had last year for Craig Tanner at Victory North. He’s a great musician (and a man) a lot to so many as I mentioned not listening to a lot of music as of late but when I have been in here to Craig’s album (nowadays on Spotify). With him not being around anymore, it’s so nice to hear his voice singing his songs. I think that night was so beautiful. There was a great turn out and everyone did such a great job.’

As a person that loves a good hypothetical, I couldn’t help myself but ask Savannah if she could collaborate with one artist of her choosing, who would it be. ‘Jeff Tweedy. He’s just the best. I’ve read his books and I really liked them. I’ve listened to all of his records. The diversity in the songs and his ability to go in any direction is so great. Some of the most beautiful and pretty stuff and then he can knock that all down and do something completely different. I love it.

I think Savannah has more musical talent than most people ever realize

When she is not playing music, Savannah loves hanging out with her dog and working on photos. ‘I haven’t been listening to a lot of music lately and I’ve been really into listening to murder podcasts (as she bursts out laughing). It’s like I got a bug or a something. I love The Last Podcast Network. I love just about everything they put out. I’m a retired listener to the Small Town Murder podcast, I’ve got a ways to go catching up because there are so many!’

Photo by Robin Elise

What are some things about you that would surprise people? ‘I firmly believe that my decision to follow my passion for music is directly related to my father being a pastor and us being missionaries, I was so convinced that life’s purpose was so tied to my religion because of my upbringing. I had such conviction in it that when I became an adult and started feeling myself walking away from that, grasping at straws for meaning and purpose, I realized that the feeling I got from music helped center me.’

In the middle of the interview, the Gerry Rafferty song, ‘Right Down the Line’ came on and she said, ‘This is one of the best songs ever. It’s perfect.’ I was thinking about it earlier today. ‘I bring this up because I remember exactly where I was when I first heard this song and my reaction was the same, I knew it was perfect. We then spent a few minutes talking about how bad Gerry Rafferty was (because I’m like a cat with a laser pointer when it comes to that type of stuff!)’

I love asking people about their favorite things. Records, books, movies, restaurants, etc. I started steering the conversation in the direction of favorites and then the discussion turned to how we make those decisions. ‘Broccoli and the Wyld are the first that come to mind for food. When it comes to a drink, I love just sitting at Abe’s on Lincoln. Such a vibe in that place.’ I also ‘don’t want to blow up my favorite places!’ As all Savannahians know, ‘our secret’ is out about something like that, the clock can start ticking. ‘At one point I thought about being a philosophy major in college. I got really hung up on social constructs and I really like to think about those kinds of things. I ended up not doing that because I can’t decide on anything. That’s why I don’t like thinking about having favorites of things, I don’t have a tattoo. I don’t have one piercing. I think, ‘Miller time because I can make up my mind and I know that will just be fine.’ Perhaps one day we can see that on a T-Shirt.’