Skyla Rose with special guest Kristy Chapa
Decades of songwriting to process the joy and pain of living has led Skyla Rose to where she is today. Her upcoming singles, “Caffeine and a Dream” and “New Mexico” (recorded and produced by Mike Meadows) reflect a period of transformation that brought her back to the stage with a new perspective.
The transformation came in fits and spurts starting in 2018 when a personal crisis led her to drive herself to New Mexico. After a week communing with the loneliness of the desert and the spirit of Georgia O’Keeffe at Ghost Ranch, it became clear that things had to change. In her pursuit of stability, she had lost the music that made her who she was.
She quit a stable (yet boring) career to return to waiting tables and bartending, going back to school, playing music again, and starting over at age 30. She worked 2-3 jobs scraping by for years, but things made sense again. She had something to work towards and live for.
These years of hard work and transformation birthed a collection of songs that will speak to anyone who has ever wanted to change their life or return to a truer version of themself. Her smooth Americana melodies and guitar voicings weave together stories and images that will make you want to get in your car and drive to some new beginning.
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Singer-songwriter Kristy Chapa has always known she’s meant to make music, even after years of trying to stay in the safe lane of teaching and administration. “Life is short,” she says. “I wasn’t going to spend it wondering ‘what if?’”A lifelong musician, Kristy started piano at three, taught herself guitar in middle school, and added flute and harp in high school, where she wrote her first song. From marching band to mariachi, each experience set the stage for the storyteller she is today—blending folk, Americana, and timeless lyricism shaped by artists like Emmylou Harris, Patty Griffin, and Madison Cunningham.
Though she studied English and Secondary Education at Texas State University, Kristy spent just as much time in the music building as any major, finding her voice through choirs, open mics, and small collaborations. The turning point came in 2020, when writing became both a refuge and a calling, culminating in her debut single “Where I’m Supposed to Be”—an Americana anthem about gratitude and resilience.
Since then, Kristy has worked closely with an artist manager and local music venues, learning the ins and outs of the business side while continuing to grow creatively. Her forthcoming 2026 single, “At His Best”—produced by David Beck in Martindale, TX—is a heartfelt tribute to her father, exploring memory, mercy, and the imperfect love that shapes us all.
