Steve Perry said his late girlfriend, Kellie Nash, asked him not to retreat into isolation after her death. He promised her he would not. In a 2018 interview, Perry connected that promise with his gradual return to writing and performing music—but described a personal turning point, not a single event that instantly brought his career back.
Who was Kellie Nash?
Kellie Nash was a psychologist and cancer survivor. Perry told The Guardian that he first saw her in a film about breast cancer directed by his friend Patty Jenkins. He asked Jenkins to introduce them. Nash’s cancer had returned, and she and Perry were together for about a year and a half.
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What did Nash ask Perry to do?
Before she died, Nash asked Perry not to withdraw from other people. Recalling her words in the 2018 interview, Perry said she told him: “Promise me you won’t go back into isolation, because I fear it would make this all for naught.” He said he promised.
The wording matters: Perry recalled a request not to return to isolation, rather than an instruction to restart his music career. He later described grieving for two years before he began writing music again. His account connects the promise with his return, but does not establish it as the sole reason for every step that followed.
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How did Perry return to music?
He performed before releasing an album
Perry’s return unfolded over time. On May 25, 2014, he joined Eels onstage in St. Paul, Minnesota. NPR Music reported that he said singing for an audience felt good again. In a 2018 interview with NPR Music, Perry said, “I’ve rediscovered the passion for music and it’s something I don’t want to let go of ever again.”
Traces followed in 2018
In October 2018, Perry released Traces, his first solo album in more than 20 years, as NPR characterized it at the time. The album grew out of the writing and recording he had resumed after grieving. Perry described the emotional path behind that music to NPR: “A heart isn’t really complete until it’s completely broken and mine was completely broken after I lost her,” he said. “But that became the good news because from that came joy and songs and ideas.”
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A contemporaneous SiriusXM recap of Perry’s Town Hall with Katie Couric also noted that Nash’s laughter appears on a bonus track on Traces.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What Perry’s account establishes—and what it doesn’t
The interviews document Perry’s recollection of Nash’s request and his description of how he returned to music. They do not independently document Nash’s private thoughts beyond his account, quantify the role grief played, or show that the promise alone explains his career decisions. The clearest account is of a gradual process: Perry promised not to isolate himself, grieved, began writing again, performed with Eels, and later released Traces.
Quick Recap
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- After 25 years, Steve Perry made his long-awaited 2018 return with TRACES
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- Steve Perry's holiday album, The Season, is re-released as The Season 3 for the 2024 holiday season with 6 additional tracks
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