When I saw today’s interviewee perform at a Sofar Sounds show a few months ago, I knew I had to get her on the blog. (Side note, if you’ve never done a Sofar Sounds, I highly recommend that you do one.) The crowd was cozied-up at a recording studio in Philadelphia, when Kate took the stage. It’s rare to see a musician captivate an audience so quickly and effortlessly, and that’s exactly what Kate did.
While reading this blog post, I suggest checking out Kate’s Spotify and playing her music as you read. Also, for my New York City readers, Kate has a show coming up at Rockwood Music Hall on September 19. And with that, let’s get into the interview with Kate…
So Kate, I saw you perform at a Sofar Sounds show in Philly and my friend and I still talk about your performance – you had the whole room mesmerized. You have such an incredible confidence and stage presence while performing – does that come naturally for you?
My folks always have said I was a bold kid. I’ve been performing on stages since I was in the 6th grade, but as I got older, I realized being on stage is never really about me, it’s about the energy in the room and bringing people together. I want to make everyone feel like they belong and like they have a seat at the table because these songs are about all of us. We all feel the same things, even if the details in our stories our different, the emotions are the same. Being on stage is me getting to do my favorite thing – getting a group of strangers to sing together, to shout things, to laugh together, cry together, to dance with each other, and to just feel like they have a place they can themselves and the most comfortable. So to answer your question – I am the most comfortable and the most myself when I get to help bring people together, whether that be on or off the stage!
Is there a particular song that you’ve written that you’re most proud of?
I love all my songs equally. They’re all my lil babies and they all speak to different experiences about my life. Being a songwriter is unique in that way. You have a living breathing journal of these moments you get to pen. It’s a pretty rad job.
Name a struggle you experience being a female musician – how do you overcome that struggle?
My mentors at a very young age sat me down and told me that my whole career as an artist, people would try to sway me and tell me what to do, because I am both young and a woman. They taught me to trust my gut, to always speak my mind, to go for it, to be bold, and to not apologize for who I am. For me, I am so grateful for the team of people I have around me that lift me up. We all lift each other up. That’s my biggest tip on how to overcome. Find your people. Find the people that make you the happiest, that make you feel powerful, that can hold you when you don’t feel you can stand. Find the people that can challenge you, and can be honest with you, and you can trust, and can make you belly laugh and have your face hurt because you’ve been smiling so much. Find your camp. Build its foundation. And create with those people.
Where can people find you?
Well you can follow me all over the internet, particularly on the Facebook and the sweet, sweet ‘gram. I’m everywhere your ears listen to music.
You just finished up a summer tour and have a show in NYC coming up. Any other live performances coming up soon?
Perhaps a tour in the fall that I have yet to announce 😉
Thank ya, thank ya Kate! Be sure to give Kate a follow on Spotify, Instagram, Facebook and Twitter.
Positive Publicity is committed to supporting female creatives, and I’m grateful for artists like Kate Yeager for speaking with me!
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