Interview by Ivona Homicianu
Photography by Nat Traxel
CATTY appeared on the music stage four years ago with her first single “Belladonna” — an ode to lesbian identity. Since then, she curated a specific sound, with haunting melodies accompanied by captivating vocals; CATTY summoned an intensity that defines her as an artist. She is exploring new horizons with her project Bracing for Impact after releasing her EP Healing Out of Spite last year.
Bracing for Impact is remarkable as it displays CATTY’s ability to refine her art through elevating her strengths. Her lyricism is introspective and honest, unafraid to shy away from expressing emotional depth. While her first project focused on uncovering her past, Bracing for Impact is all about where the artist is now. Her focus on being open to new love in spite of previous heartache on an 80s inspired production, CATTY is on the way to becoming a prominent name in music.
When asked about how she views her growth between her two projects, CATTY joked, “Absolutely zero growth,” followed by her admitting she thinks a lot less. “I’m not overthinking. The only thing that’s important to me is that I like what I’m making and that I would be happy to sing these songs for the rest of time.”
“Joyride” is the lead single and the opening track. CATTY recalls going into the studio thinking, “What would happen if Kate Bush watched Cabaret?” This prompted the creation of “Joyride,” a track detailing the complexity of being a ‘lovergirl’ in a casual dating climate. Reflecting on the energy of the song, “I was so scared, because I really built my career off of breakup songs and dragging people to hell and back. It was the first time that I’d let myself fall in love.” She considers her sentence, then reiterates, “I actually didn’t let myself fall at all, that was completely out of my control. I really was fighting against it.”
The lyrics are reflective of lesbian relationships, commonly characterized in popular media as being increasingly intense and cause a different kind of heartbreak when they end — therefore there is a hesitation before getting into a new relationship. “It is laughable, though, that we all just do it. I make a joke out of it, but I think being a lesbian and a feminist is so terrible. It’s so terrible for me. Women never do bad things, then when they do, I’m like, well…”
I wondered whether she finds it more obvious to make a decision once she has written about it, or whether it brings forth more overthinking, to which she replied, “When I’ve written about something, I know how I feel about it. I struggle to write about something if I’m confused about it, which is why I used to have a writing process of not being able to write about what was happening to me at the time. I would have to wait two years and then be like, ‘I now understand that situation and I can write about it,’ whereas now I go into the studio and I’m like, “This is what’s happening to me today.” It’s a really interesting place to write from, because I don’t really have the time to overthink. Then I get on stage and I’m like, ‘Oh, my heart’s on my sleeve, brilliant. And everyone can see that.’”
The dramatic instruments used in her production are reminiscent of the soundtrack of a horror movie, which CATTY appreciates the comparison to. “This is the nicest thing you could have said to me.” If she could have her music featured on a horror film or TV show, it would be American Horror Story. “I grew up watching it and obviously because they had Stevie Nicks in like two episodes, sold, signed, sealed, delivered.”
Her newest single “Make You Love Me” has the nostalgic sound of the 80s, the kind of hooks that will persist throughout time. When reminded of the music making process, CATTY reminisced, “I went in with every producer’s worst nightmare. I was like, ‘Guys, I want to write an 80s power ballad.’ And they were like, “Fuck’s sake.’ It was more of a fun thing that I wanted to do; I wasn’t really thinking about the EP when I wrote it. I was in the shower, and I got out of the shower with shampoo in my hair, and I sang the “I speak this language…” into my phone. Then I took it into the studio.”
“4am (Back in His Bed)” raises the question of a common lesbian experience, notably being in a secretive relationship, often while portraying a heterosexual front. When it comes to the lived experience that inspired the track, she reveals, “For me, it was definitely one of those feelings where… I didn’t really know a lot of gay people growing up, it was crazy to me that this person would like me because no one was gay around me. I think I got a little kick out of it, which I hate, but now I look back at it and I’m like, god, I was so insecure.”
CATTY opened up about her process with figuring out her sexuality, and the conversation around people not wanting to be an experiment. “That’s so valid, but also to understand yourself, you do have to experiment. That’s something that we’ve all had to do. My god, I was so stuck in that closet. I know that I’ve hurt people during that moment in my life, and people have hurt me, and it’s such a process. You can’t really judge anybody for that, but it doesn’t really make it hurt any less.”
When it comes to the title track, “Bracing for Impact,” she says, “That one became the title because we knew that we were going to end the EP with a song called “Man on the Run,” and the first single was “Joyride,” so I was like, I have a lot of songs about transport for someone who does not have a driving license. We knew that we were going to follow that vibe. [“Bracing for Impact”] it made sense, because the entire EP is me being terrified of being hurt and falling in love again.”
The artist owes the cohesive story and sound to her team. “I’m really lucky. The entire project is made with just me and my best friends. My stylist is Garnett, who’s a great friend of mine. The creative direction is done with B, he’s a great friend of mine. My hair is done by my best friend. Amy was in the music video, one of my favorite people on Earth. My manager is my best friend. It’s really a little passion project. I just got very lucky.”
The project ends with “Man on the Run,” a stripped back track that allows us to catch our breath after the journey Bracing for Impact took us through. “That was me completely catastrophizing, to be completely honest,” CATTY opens up, “I was so scared of falling in love again, because I didn’t have another heartbreak in me. I was like, I really can’t. I cannot do that again. I won’t be doing that again. It was me being like, “If you break my heart, I am the man on the run.” I’m changing my name, I’m out of here.”
The process while writing the song didn’t go as smoothly, as CATTY recounts. “I just hit a wall. I was in the studio with Nathan and Julia, I was singing things into my phone, and I just got to a point where I was like, ‘Everything that is coming out of my mouth is really, really bad.’ It’s the only time where I’ve ever walked out of the studio and been like, I am not writing anything good today. I need to take care of myself, sleep, go home and come back tomorrow. They were like, “That’s a real shame, because I don’t think you know what’s going on right now.” That night, they sent me a voice note from the day, and it was the verse, the pre and the chorus of “Man on the Run.” I was like, “That’s my favorite song, actually. I don’t know anything, that’s literally my favorite song now.”
She highlights the importance of taking care of yourself. “I was making terrible decisions on that day because I was tired and I wasn’t eating. That’s now my favorite song on the EP, and I thought it was the worst thing that I’d ever written that day.”
When questioned about what lesbian artist she would love to collaborate with, she replied, “Oh, that is such a good question. I love St. Vincent so much. I went to see her at the Royal Albert Hall with a full orchestra a couple of weeks ago, and I lost my mind. I thought it was the most incredible thing that I’d ever seen. She’s such an incredible guitarist, and I really want those riffs on my tracks so bad, so if anyone could help me and call her.”
She reiterates her love for Stevie Nicks, “If I don’t mention her in every interview ever, I somehow have to. Not a sapphic artist, but every single lesbian just loves her.”
Her music has a distinct color, and that color is red. “Every single one of my projects is red, white and black, but if I had to use one, I would probably say red. There’s something quite ‘depths of hell’ about the way that I write my songs. Also, the intensity and the honesty, I feel like it represents it so well. It’s such a weird thing, the people that listen to my music always say this because my name is in capitals. Me as a person, I’m so sensitive. I’m such a baby. Then my music is like, ‘I wish I gave you hell.’ As a person, I would be yellow, but my music is red.”
Her recommendation for the Karma! playlist is none other than… ““Joyride.” I feel like there’s something in that song. It doesn’t matter what genre you like because the song has a section. Of every one, you’re gonna like about 10 seconds.”
If she could describe Bracing for Impact to a potential listener, she would say, “It’s really in your face. And I think that’s very much me as an artist as well, and not me as a person at all. It’s in your face, very raw and honest. I think they’re good pop songs. I really hope there’s something in there for everybody, because it does have a pop song, a rock song, an 80s power ballad, an axe ballad, so if you’re not gonna like all of it, hopefully you like at least one of them.”
CATTY’s Bracing for Impact releases on October 24
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