Kaeli Chae is a singer/songwriter from Southern Utah. She grew up listening to a wide variety of music (but mostly country and classic rock), taking piano lessons, playing flute, and participating in school choirs. Music has always played an important role in her life. 

Kaeli earned her Bachelor’s Degree in English Education and Creative Writing from Southern Utah University in 2017. After graduation, she accepted her first teaching position in Escalante, Utah, one of the west’s most remote towns.

While teaching English in Escalante, Kaeli became acquainted with a woman named Mary Kaye at a parent conference night. Recognizing the isolation associated with moving, alone, to a remote town, Mary Kaye welcomed Kaeli to Escalante, often inviting her to participate in her own family activities and dinners. Unbeknownst to Kaeli, Mary Kaye was an award-winning, touring, western music singer and songwriter, and they soon discovered they shared a love for country and western music. Much to Kaeli’s surprise, Mary Kaye invited her to practice and perform with her on several occasions. Though these may have seemed like small things to Mary Kaye, Kaeli attributes much of her confidence and continued pursuit of music, especially live performance, to her positive experiences in Escalante, singing with Mary Kaye and her family.

In 2019 Kaeli moved home to Cedar City, where she enrolled in private guitar lessons, began to put serious efforts into writing her own songs, and attended open mic nights to prepare for stage performances. After an open mic night performance in St. George one evening, the D.J. booked her a slot in the Washington County Fair, and she has been gigging at restaurants, farmer's markets, fairs, and small venues around Utah ever since. 

In Fall of 2021, she was commissioned to write and perform a song she titled “Worth a Thousand Words” for Evok Media’s spec commercial portfolio. She also had the unexpected opportunity to “star” as a budding musician in the video project which you can find on YouTube under the name "In Loving Memory."

Kaeli also enrolled in SUU's Interdisciplinary Master’s Program in English and Music Technology, taking music tech classes to expand her recording and mixing skills. She currently holds a Master of Interdisciplinary Studies in Creative Writing, Rhetoric and Composition, and Music technology. 

In 2025, she underwent open heart surgery to replace two failing heart valves and repair an aortic aneurysm. Diagnosed with Aortic Stenosis at birth, this was Kaeli's 3rd open-heart surgery, and it came as no surprise. What was unexpected, however, was waking up to find that in the process of repairing the aneurysm, the nerve controlling her vocal cords had been stretched and damaged. Kaeli's left vocal cord was paralyzed. She could barely speak in a whisper, let alone sing. 

While this experience was difficult, Kaeli knew she would continue to write music, play guitar, and make music however she could. She also hoped that the nerve would recover and restore her voice. Doctor's told her the healing process could take anywhere from 6 weeks to a full year, but that if cord movement hadn't returned within a year, it likely never would. She joined a local band "The Lonely Cactus Band" as a rhythm guitarist, and continued making music.

Fortunately, with a few weeks of speech therapy, an the help of exceptional medical professionals, Kaeli's vocal cord returned to full function within 3 months.  She's back to singing and gigging as usual, but this time with a greater appreciation for her voice, and with less concern for "perfection." She believes now, more than ever, that being an artist isn't about being "the best." It's about inviting others to meet in the music where words may sometimes fall short, but "music speaks" (Hans Christian Andersen). 

Kaeli hopes her story encourages others to achieve their goals. She strives to teach her students that they can successfully pursue more than one dream at a time, but most importantly, through her songs, she hopes she can show that stories matter, and that it is our responsibility to tell them however we can.