Kai Nanfelt

Kai Nanfelt writes songs for the moments we struggle to put into words. After spending much of the past decade helping tell other artists’ stories through publicity and festival communications for events including Boston Calling, Newport Folk Festival, Newport Jazz Festival, and Outside Lands, Kai returned to his own music with a renewed sense of purpose. While quietly building a catalog that has surpassed 3 million streams, he realized his greatest opportunity to help others wasn’t behind the scenes, but through sharing his own story. Drawing from his experiences with anxiety, OCD, depression, and recovery, Kai writes songs that create connection through themes of mental health, friendship, addiction, grief, resilience, and hope. His breakout single, “Sober,” inspired by his best friend’s mental health crisis, became the foundation of that mission. His latest single, “Down,” explores the non-linear nature of healing and the quiet realization that progress isn’t measured by never falling, but by continuing to get back up. To extend that message beyond the music, Kai is donating 100% of the song’s streaming proceeds during its first 100 days (through October 25, 2026) to Tune In Tune Up, a Rhode Island 501(c)(3) nonprofit where he serves on the board, providing mental health, medical, dental, and financial assistance to music industry professionals in RI. Kai lives in Newport, Rhode Island with his fiancée, Megan, and their dog, Frankie.