Lora Kelley Debuts New Single "Will You Hold My Arms Up?" — A Raw Invitation to Faith, Doubt, and Healing
Blurring the lines between folk confession and somatic storytelling, Lora Kelley offers "Will You Hold My Arms Up?" - an aching, Americana-infused meditation on faith, grief, and human resilience
2025/06/04.LoraKelleyDebutsNewSingleWillYouHoldMyArmsUp.asp NEWS SOURCE: Pressed Fresh PR June 4, 2025
North Garden, VA (May 30, 2025) — Multidisciplinary artist and trauma-informed story work coach Lora Kelley invites listeners into a stirring landscape of vulnerability and hope with her new single, "Will You Hold My Arms Up?", ahead of her forthcoming album due this fall. Known for her compassionate work guiding individuals through healing, Lora's music is a profound extension of her life’s calling — a tender space where storytelling, spirituality, somatic healing, and song meet.
Steeped in years of walking alongside others through their deepest wounds, Lora Kelley’s songwriting reflects a hard-won tenderness — an understanding that some forms of suffering cannot be undone, only witnessed. "Will You Hold My Arms Up?" rises from this sacred tension, shaped by a lifetime spent navigating the liminal spaces of faith and doubt. Growing up attuned to the emotional landscapes of the Psalms, Kelley found early resonance in the vulnerable confession, "I believe; help my unbelief." Over time, she observed the ways religious culture often imposed shame around expressions of sadness, anger, or spiritual fatigue — a rigidity she found at odds with the profoundly human grief embodied by Jesus himself. "This song is a declaration of what it means to be human," Kelley shares. "To have faith, yet lean on the faith of others. To find strength, and still grow tired. To know that God's presence holds steady even when our belief feels frayed. Sometimes, it’s enough simply to ask for someone to hold our arms up."
A moving anthem for anyone who has wrestled with that exhaustion, doubt, and the longing to be held in the midst of hardship - the song weaves plaintive lyrics with an intimate Americana sound, reminiscent of artists like Porter's Gate, Madison Cunningham, and Natalie Merchant. Produced by Jeremy Casella, "Will You Hold My Arms Up?" features stirring performances from an all-star lineup of musicians, including Nate Duggar (guitar), Matt Stan (piano), John Hunt (drums), Jacob Blowery (bass), and Mike Payne (guitar). Engineered by Evan Redwine, the track captures the emotional intensity and quiet strength at the heart of Kelley's writing.
"If you ever feel shame about faith and doubt... or if you ever feel shame about feeling tired or around spirituality and God, this song is one of resonance. It's a cry for help when we just feel on the edges of our ability to stay present with ourselves and our hope."
Rooted in the themes of resilience and gentle honesty, Lora's work is deeply informed by her background in narrative-based trauma care, including her studies with the Allender Center. Her music stands as a testament to the beauty of brokenness, offering not platitudes, but presence — a hand to hold in the dark. Raised amid the liminality of faith and living today on a conserved farm in Virginia with her partner, children, and a lively menagerie of pets, Lora crafts songs that feel lived-in, earthy, and unflinchingly honest. Her upcoming album will continue to explore the emotional terrains where suffering and hope coexist — a body of work poised to resonate with those yearning for deeper connection and sacred honesty.
This Thursday, November 20, 2025
ALBUMS Britt Nicole II II V (independent)
SINGLES The Rocky Valentines Happy Thanksgiving - Double Single [Velvet Blue]
This Friday, November 21, 2025
ALBUMS Alexxander Llorón (Crybaby) [Reach] Blanca A Christmas to Remember - EP [Curb] Drew Holcomb & the Neighbors, Ellie Holcomb I'll Be Home for Christmas - EP [Magnolia] Joseph Habedank The Great Adventure: A Tribute to Steven Curtis Chapman [Daywind] Andrew Marcus Christmas - EP (independent) ODYN The Chronicles of the Sacred Eye Pt. II: The Fury of the Star Spawn [Charon Collective] Polished Arrow New Blood [Polished Arrow] Stryper The Greatest Gift Of All [Frontiers]
SINGLES Franni Cash Good Woman - Single [Capitol CMG] Cliff & Antoinette Murray By The Blood We Overcome (Emmanuel) - Single [DREAM] Good Weather Forecast Little Christmas - Single [DREAM] EJ Swavv, Craig Watson & prodbyzayne 100 Percent - Single [Syntax] Jake MacAdam, Mark & Sarah Tillman Christ Has Come - Single [Ocean House] Kelo Reconcile ft. Anaia Lachelle & Selah the Corner - Single [Syntax] Life.Church Worship A Thousand Blessings - Single [Ocean House] Myles Maestro No Love in the Wild - Single [Syntax] Michael W. Smith, Chris Brown Agnus Dei - Single [The Fuel] MAYIA As the Deer - Single [Syntax] Jason Nelson Shepherd's Song - Single [Tyscot] Rhymes In Harmony Trade (ft. Mitch Darrell & Rich Will) - Single [Syntax] Seph Schlueter Cling To The Cross (feat. Matt Maher) - Single [sixsteps] TREE63 How Much Longer? - Single (independent) We The Kingdom Dear Jesus - Single [Capitol CMG]
VINYL Stryper The Greatest Gift Of All Vinyl [Girder]
Next Friday, November 28, 2025
ALBUMS Seth Davey Words in the Wounds (independent) Emery White Line Fever (Remastered) - Disc Two (independent) Phil Wickham Psalm 8 - EP [Fair Trade] Calum Wood Christmas Songs from the Kitchen Table, Vol. 1 (independent)
SINGLES Ashes Awaken For You - Single [MTS] Ian Austin Simpler Times (feat. Heather Suzanne) - Single [Ocean House] Mark Fonseca No Vacancy - Single (independent) Hillside Recording Unto Us - Single [Ocean House]
VINYL John Schlitt The Christmas Project Vinyl [Girder]