Following the release of her latest single ‘Sympathy Pain’ LOCK Magazine had the pleasure of catching up with singer-songwriter Kitty to find out more about her musical journey so far.
Can you tell us a bit about yourself and your musical journey from your time at The BRIT School to where you are now?
“After graduating from BRIT I released my first EP ‘Nights’, it began to gain momentum and as an 18 year old I was really excited and hopeful. I was also working as a Marketing Intern at Sony Music so I was fully immersed in the industry. The momentum around my music died down as I didn’t know how to promote myself and I don’t think I was ready for something bigger at that stage either, but I didn’t know that at the time and I felt so disheartened. So I went travelling and released some random songs here and there that didn’t really have any alignment with myself or my sound, I was totally lost. All of this prompted some time away from releasing where I explored songwriting for other people and toplining which I loved. But, with the help of my mentor, David Crookes, and the motivation I got from doing a degree in Songwriting and being around other musicians, I realised making music for myself was still very much part of what I want to do. That led me to where I am now with the release of ‘Sympathy Pains’.”
How has your experience at The BRIT School influenced your approach to music and your artistic development?
“BRIT School is truly like a sweet shop for a young creative person wanting a creative career. It was a wonderful place, I remember getting three trains from Acton to Selhurt every day and sometimes I’d be pushing the boat out with a new outfit and I’d feel a bit weird on my train journey but inside the walls of BRIT no one cared what anyone wore. I genuinely I saw students wear pyjamas to lessons some days. It was a place of acceptance, of all styles of music and musicians. It taught me to be really open minded about music and to appreciate and take influence from a lot of different places.”
Your latest single, “Sympathy Pains”, is said to mark a new beginning for your music. Can you share the inspiration behind the song and how it reflects your current musical direction?
“The song was inspired by issues I was having with a friend, and by my mental health and how boundaries in friendships is important. The friend was going through a lot and leaning on me more than a friend should, I didn’t have the strength to put boundaries up at the time as I didn’t want to hurt them, but in not doing that I was hurting myself. I felt drained and it was like I was taking on their pain, which is where the phrase ‘Sympathy Pains’ came from. I took the idea to my friend, Francesca Morris and we sat down in her living room at her piano and within 10 minutes she had produced this beautiful chord progression that we fell in love with. My musical direction, in regards to songwriting, is the same as it has always been. I write narrative songs about real things happening in my life that feel important, and I write them in a brutally honest way (sometimes to my detriment). The only difference is that now I am in my mid-twenties instead of my later teens/early twenties, so my perspective and the things that affect me are different. With this gap in age I have also grown more assertive which has allowed me to finally find my individual sonic style and go full force ahead with it.”
What can listeners expect from your upcoming EP, ‘Swimming for Dummies’, in terms of themes and musical evolution?
“The theme of change and being in uncharted waters is the main one throughout ‘Swimming for Dummies’. It spans from the beginning of a breakup with a man, to being in a new relationship with a woman, as an out lesbian. It’s like a second puberty and it’s been difficult and confusing at times. I feel so much more myself now than I ever was and that is massively reflected in the production of the new music as well. The sonic world of ‘Sympathy Pains’ specifically feels like my personality if it were a sound. The productions were built from scratch with my producer, Jules Konieczny. I didn’t know exactly what my sound was as I’d never properly thought about it and when working with previous producer’s I’d let it be whatever their sound was. But for the new era I knew I had to find the sound I actually wanted to create. I knew it started with something organic like an upright piano as that’s where my love of music began; with an out-of-tune, upright piano my neighbours were going to throw away. We listened a lot to ‘As it Was’ by Harry Styles and ‘Driver’s License’ by Olivia Rodrigo for inspiration on how to develop a slow ballad into a double time sad-bop. I also took inspiration from visuals, I watch a lot of TV and film and I was inspired by the dark twinkling feel of ‘Euphoria’. So there’s this theme of juxtaposition and a delicate balance (very Libra of me) of something super organic mixed with sparkly, otherworldly synths, and my voice at the centre.”
Your lyrics are often described as introspective and humorous. How do you approach songwriting, and where do you draw inspiration for your lyrics?
“I always begin a song with a concept for what the song is about. Sometimes a phrase or a few lines will come first but mostly it’s just a general direction, then I play around on a piano, or when co-writing someone else might do that part. Then I start singing melodies over the top and develop the story section by section in chronological order. I know Lily Allen’s album ‘Alright, Still’ almost completely off by heart as it was the main album I listened to growing up and I still always come back to it. Her conversational, tongue-in-cheek lyric style, and singing in her own accent has all been very influential in how I approach my lyrics. I’m very open about my feelings and I reflect on them all the time, probably down to my mum being trained as a counsellor, this is where the introspection comes from. And because I’m so used to talking honestly about my feelings that’s just what comes out in my songs, it’s as if I were having a conversation with a friend about something going on in my life.”
What advice do you have for young artists navigating the challenges of the music industry, especially considering your own experiences?
“I’d say just keep going, don’t give up after your first hurdle or your first rejection because for most artists there will be a lot of those. I started releasing music when I was 18 and I’m now 26, I’ve only just figured out who I am and the music I make now is what I was always supposed to create and I’m so glad a kept going until now so that I could figure that out. It’s been really difficult at points to see my classmates succeed and live the career I want, but as hard as it is to do sometimes, the best thing is to not compare yourself because everyone really is on their own journey. When I was younger I allowed those negative feelings to eat me up inside I wasn’t happy at all. But now I try to be genuinely happy for the people around me who succeed and I’m so much happier with my life and the journey I’m on.”