Calling Kate Walsh a singer songwriter is like saying Van Gogh was a cartoonist. Kate is, er, different. A 26-year-old from a sailing town in Essex who’s been likened to Joni Mitchell, Kate Bush and Jane Austen, she’s ferociously independent…in every sense. I caught up with the stunning singer to get to know her a little bit more.
Hello there Kate what are you up to?
I am sitting on a train to London, on my way to a friend's birthday dinner....hopefully I will be eating something very naughty like banoffee pie..
So, you’re getting ready to release your new album Light & Dark on August 31st can you tell us a bit about it?
I'd been writing L&G since about 2006, after recording Tim's House, although I wrote the song Trying when I was 19. It is a collection of songs about real life experiences and feelings. It is a much more grown up record than the last, I hope we've managed to catch the real light & dark of life and love.
The new single from that, June Last Year, comes out on 24th August, why are you releasing that track now?
I feel June Last Year still nods to the musical direction of Tim's House but is also a lot more direct in terms of pace and structure so we thought this would be a good introduction to my next album, hopefully appealing to listeners who maybe wouldn't have caught on to it before.
Your previous album ‘Tim’s House’ was critically acclaimed and also knocked Take That off the top of the iTunes download chart , do you think you can replicate this with the new record?
If we get anywhere near the same success as Tim's House I will be extremely happy, especially as I'm releasing on my own label again. Having iTunes single of the week last time really helped us to get the music heard by people right across the board. It is hard to get that kind of coverage twice but we are working hard to get the music heard by as many folk as possible. I'm so proud of this record so I'd like to think that everyone who bought the last album will stay on this journey with me.
There is a lot of competition in the business today, do you think you have what it takes to give the big names a run for their money?
It is very difficult to make it in the industry nowadays, thankfully I already have some foundations that I can keep building on but I don't know how new acts manage to break the scene without masses of promo and bucket loads of cash behind them. I think seeing it as a 'competition' just about sums up the nature of the business now, I'm not trying to compete with anyone and I don't have any aspirations to be a big rock star, I just want to be able to write my songs and feel chuffed that they mean something to other people as well as myself. If I can keep doing this steadily and build a career then I'll be more than happy.
So, if you could recommend just one song of yours for us to download so that we want to hear all of your music, what would it be?
I would say Greatest Love from the new album is one to hear. It is a subject that I think everybody could relate to and has Olly from Turin Brakes singing with me. Musically it starts very stark and then grows to epic proportions with lovely strings and things. I am very proud of this song.
If I was contemplating coming to your show or sitting at home and watching Big Brother, how would you get me out of the house?
I would say 'come outside and live real life, let me give you the words you've been looking for to explain why being in love is the hardest thing in the world'. And don't get me started on BB, I can not believe that the contestants still think there will be a silver lining to it all once they're booted out!
We’ve got to admit you’re a little bit cool, so what advice would you give to someone just starting out, knowing what you know now?
Simply make yourself available. You never know who is watching, listening or ready to get involved at any stage. A lot of my success is down to hard work and having good trustworthy people around me, but some of it is due to being in the right place at the right time. If you love performing then get out there and perform as much as you can, even if its just at the local open mic night. But be honest with yourself about why you want it and how far you're willing to go in order to get it.
To anyone who hasn’t heard of you yet, how would you sell yourself in just five words?
Brutally honest, hopefully romantic dreamer.
If you could only listen to one CD for the rest of your life, what would it be?
The complete works of Debussy.
Okay, now we want to ask you some random questions; Tell me about the most terrifying experience of your life…
Having my wisdom tooth out last month...I thought the dentist was going to break my jaw!
What’s the most stupid purchase you’ve ever made?
A piece of pink neon elasticised string, parading as a belt...I've never worn it.
Why go to the top of a tall building, only to put money in binoculars and look at things on the ground?
I guess it has something to do with the voyeuristic side to us, we like watching things without being seen...
FemaleFirst - Ruth Harrison
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