- Hello Kate! Can you tell us all a little bit about yourself before you became a country artist?
I grew up in a beach town between Boston and Cape Cod called Duxbury MA. Around age 7 I took voice lessons which eventually led to some piano lessons as well. At age 11 I taught myself guitar on a Martin my dad had in our basement which he played from time to time. Even though I did play a lot of music growing up, I had a really cool childhood, played a lot of sports and was in a lot of different friends groups which, I believe, made me a really well rounded person. I am the youngest of 3 and neither of my older siblings can sing or play any instruments but they always had their friends over blasting music. At my core I have always loved the radio. I didn’t really get into country music until highschool but when I did it totally changed the course of my life.
- What made you want a career in country music?
In highschool I changed my friend group who all LOVED country music. I’ll never forget one of them gave me a couple Miranda Lambert CD’s and I was floored. I never heard anything quite like it yet had never related to something so quickly. At the time Eric Church and Lady Antebellum were also hitting their first huge wave of success so I got really into both of them as well. I was pretty close to going to college in Nashville but ended up getting a scholarship to Berklee College of Music in Boston which I took as a sign that I needed to be there.
- Who are some of your musical icons?
As a musician this question always throws me for loop because I never clung to one specific artist for too long. I was constantly jumping into different genres. But several big names I took a lot of inspiration from are Joss Stone, Ed Sheeran, John Mayer, Miranda Lambert, Gavin Degraw, Maren Morris and you could even say Britney Spears for her attention to her performance.
- How would you describe your music in 3 to 5 words?
Soul, Style, Grit, and Grace.
- What is the background behind your new song “Turn on Your Light?”
In August of 2020 I received a track from a musician in town. He asked if I wanted to write to it as he had a female artist friend in mind for it. He actually told me the girl he wanted to create it for was going through quite a tough year. At that time we had all been through a tough year so I took that concept and flipped it into a comforting song of seeing the light at the end of the tunnel. Long story short, I then brought the song to Peter Shurkin who I have worked with for several years who produced the song with Goffrey Moore. We ended up cutting the song with more live band production which ended up being the best fit for the lyrics and melody.
- Where are a few of your favorite venues to play at?
Since going to Berklee I never had a typical social college experience so playing in bars and clubs in my late teens and early 20’s really became that for me. In Boston I used to play 3-4 nights a week over the summer and really gained my chops in every type of dive bar to five star hotel possible to play in town. Once I moved to Nashville, I started playing a bit Downtown but over the years really gravitated towards playing in Midtown. I have played so many songwriter nights on Demonbreun it feels like several hundred. This past year I started playing 4 hour cover gigs at Live Oak which has become quite the spot for musicians in town. I really enjoy it there, the staff and crowd are always fantastic.
- What is your recording process like when making and creating new music?
It really depends on the song. “Turn On Your Light” was really unique because I wrote it to a track rather than starting it on my own. Usually I can demo all my songs on my own then send them to a proper producer to create.
- What is one of your favorite quotes?
“Be a jack hammer” – Billy Ray Cyrus – I recently heard him say this in an interview on the Bobby Bones podcast. His story really hit a note with me in the fact that he played bars and clubs for a decade before getting signed to any sort of deal. (Which essentially could be my story as well) The phrase basically means hit your daily grind from all angles and as many times as possible.
- Is there anything else you would like to share?
I really hope most people can take one part of “Turn On Your Light” and resonate with it! Hope to stay in touch! XO
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