KATE THE DREAMER SHARES HER JOURNEY OF SELF DISCOVERY WITH NEW SINGLE “LOVELY”
By: Craig Claro
Emerging Los Angeles-based indie-pop singer-songwriter kate the dreamer has released her third song of 2021, “lovely,” available now on all streaming platforms. The track will be included on her upcoming debut EP and follows up her first two releases of 2021, “call u when i land” and “i don’t wanna know you anymore.”
We had the opportunity to speak with Kate about her musical journey and tconcept of "Lovely".
Hi Kate, it’s been a while since we have been listening to your music and we felt this would be a good time to get to know you better.
Can you give us some insight about your journey to becoming a songwriter and making strides in the music industry?
Music has always been at the root of who I am. Creative writing was the only class I ever got a 100 in, and I found myself skipping class to write my own songs and sit in on other music classes from an early age. Growing up in New England meant going to college right after high school, studying a major that would guarantee you a good job, and moving to either Boston or NYC the year after graduating. Because of that, music never felt like a suitable career.
I was always in band throughout high school, but always stuck with sitting behind an instrument because it made me feel more comfortable. I wrote poems as a kid and had a whole notebook filled from sixth grade that I took with me to college. I found myself inspired to write songs as I got into my last year in high school, but never wanted to perform because I was super shy. It wasn’t until college that I started singing and performing my original songs in front of people.
As I moved through college I was a part of multiple bands as a backup singer/performer. It was easier for me to be behind the scenes, rather than in the spotlight. I didn’t have confidence in myself at the time. As we started playing more shows I would perform some of my own songs and step in as the lead singer. It felt really good to hear people singing back words that I wrote. After that, I knew that I had to start writing more of my own songs, and started performing in a duo right after college. We put out two songs that I’m still very proud of, but it never fully felt like me. A few years into it I went through one of the harder parts of my twenties, started working a full time job, and fell into what felt like a trap inside my own life. It wasn’t until I completely gave up on music that I found my sound as ‘kate the dreamer’.
After four months of trying to convince myself about what music meant to me, I decided that I was going to move to LA at the top of the year 2020. It was scary, but not any scarier than staying where I was, completely lost.
So with that came growth, networking, finding the right people, and stepping into my confidence. It has brought me a sense of peace and allowed me to create art everyday, which I am beyond grateful for.
We found listening to “Lovely” comes deep from your heart and is very personal. Did you find it hard to release the song?
Lovely is about the feeling of wanting to get away from it all, float off and not having to deal with the world around you. I felt it was most difficult explaining this concept to my mom. She is a huge positive light in my life, and I never like to feel like I am letting her down. Admitting sometimes that I am weak, or have depressive thoughts felt like I would be disappointing her.
When listening to a song for the first time we all often come up with our own interpretation. Can you give us the true meaning of the song, and how penning this song has changed your perspective on life?
Lovely started off as a couple of lines ‘I wish I could fly away and be someone I’m not, hang out with the aliens, make friends with astronauts’ and ‘if I live up in the clouds away from Earth, if I never come back down I can’t get hurt.’ Both of these lines had been written in my notes for months before it was all pulled together.
I found throughout my 20’s life has been a series of ups and downs, learning lessons, and figuring out who I am. Not having control of the way people affect me and my feelings is something that I struggle with. Sitting in my depressive state and wanting to just run away from it all is exactly where Lovely stemmed from. The feeling of people so far out of touch with others around you, the heartbreak that comes with falling in and out of love, and the realness of watching your parents grow old, it makes the world feel dark sometimes. Lovely is that feeling to me. It’s my exact thoughts as I grow into my late twenties.
I feel so free releasing this one out into the world, because it truly transports me everytime I listen. I also know I am not alone in this feeling, but the ability to be able to put it into art has given me so much power to move through the harder times in my life and I hope it does the same for everyone else who hears it.
Tell us about the process. You have these thoughts that you want to share through your music, and we see you chose two people close to you to share the process with you. What is it like working with a team of writers, and the difference when the team is made up of your closet friends?
This song started out with a guitar loop that my roommate/friend/producer Drew Polovick came up with. I had been listening (and still do) to a lot of Ben Kessler at the moment and was really inspired by his ability to use organic elements (especially the acoustic guitar) with other synths to create a very cinematic sound. My other roommate/friend/cowriter Austin Wolfe (Artist Name OSTON) came downstairs and joined our session. I read her off the lines I had and was struggling with how the chorus would sound. She was able to pull the pieces together and came up with the line ‘Lovely’, which was the perfect way to describe how I was feeling. Working with my best friends allows me to fully be myself, share ideas that I wouldn’t always feel comfortable to do, and truly create art that feels like me. I couldn’t be more grateful to have OSTON, JORDY, and Drew in my life. They not only are my best friends, but they have helped me become a much better artist/songwriter.
What’s next? Tell us about your debut Ep and what's to follow.
For now I can say there is an EP coming, date to be announced soon. More songs written with my favorite people, sounds that are very different for me, potentially a video, and much much more music to come. Thank you so much for allowing me to share, I feel honored that people care enough about my music to be here for the journey.
Thank you for taking the time to share with us!
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