Presley, the great niece of US Navy sailor, Sam Davis Presley and cousin of Elvis Presley, was born October 19, 1989 in Mobile, Alabama and raised in the small community of Franklin Creek, Mississippi. Presley's paternal great grandmother came to the area from Michigan with her mother, Hilma, and father, Antti Kanakala, along with other Finnish immigrant families in the 1900s. Amelia Presley celebrates her Finnish heritage with the community via a yearly “Silver Tea” held around Christmas time at the Finnish Lutheran Church in Kreole, MS. In 2010, Presley enlisted in the United States Coast Guard where she became a machinery technician. While enlisted, she recorded and released her first album, No Pony Ride, after selling a horse and horse trailer to afford the studio fees. She was discharged from active duty service in 2015. She then worked as a farm hand in Mobile, Alabama and a machinist in Pascagoula, Mississippi before touring full-time. In later years, it would be revealed that Presley endured 13 years of abuse starting from the age of three at the hands of her adoptive mother.
Music career
In 2011, Presley recorded and released "Silver Tongue". In 2012, Presley recorded an acoustic EP entitled, "Backwoods Love Story" but decided to record the album again with a full band. The EP was never officially released as "Backwoods Love Story", however, the tracks were released individually. In 2013, Presley recorded and released an album entitled No Pony Ride. In 2015, Presley toured with Ronnie McDowell, Logan Brill, Amber Hayes, Farewell Angelina and Megan Moreaux. The tour spanned from Nashville to Arkansas, Oklahoma and Georgia and ended at the Historic Collins Theater for a sold-out show in Paragould, Arkansas. In early 2016, Presley released a single entitled "Hard Headed Mama". In 2017, along with KK Bodiford, Presley formed the Texas-Country duo, Highway Sisters. In 2017, Presley became a member of Americana Music Association and Country Music Association. In 2017, Presley sang at the Grand Ole Opry. In 2018, Presley was featured on American Idol. In 2019-2020, Presley became an advocate against child abuse by telling her own story of abuse that she endured for 13 years starting at age three, and by releasing her single “Harm Nobody Else”.
Personal life
In 2016, Presley married her fiancé Austin Evans. Soon after, they released that they were expecting a baby girl. Presley continued to perform and played 15 shows while pregnant ranging from Chicago, Illinois to Nashville, Tennessee. Presley gave birth to a baby girl in July 2016. Presley also has a son who was born in 2008.
