Katherine Aly
RECOMMENDED: Katherine Aly 📷by Kristof Tury
Katherine Aly new single Glow & Ignite is Single of the Week on BBC Radio Scotland’s The Afternoon Show the single has been shown lots of ❤️on BBC Introducing by Phoebe I-H and Shereen Cutkelvin AND has been featured by the BBC Rapal team too!
We first encountered the wonderful Katherine Aly last year when she was our Artist of the Week in Scotland On Sunday. Despite being a relative newcomer, Katherine Aly is beginning to generate a significant industry buzz. If you ask us her new single Glow & Ignite is a hit. Phoebe I-H and Shereen Cutkelvin have played it a few times on their BBC Introducing show, the duo said
““..that hook is SO catchy, we’ll be singing it for sure. Katherine is definitely reeling us in with those ear worms..I love it, love it”
Katherine Aly has also been championed by Vogue Italia, Amazing Radio, The Skinny, Tenement TV, she’s performed at Edinburgh Festival Fringe, Hidden Door, Tenement Trail, Kelburn Garden Party, legendary venues like London’s The Dublin Castle and Glasgow’s King Tuts Wah Wah Hut and her music has been played on radio stations across the US, Canada, France, Spain and as far afield as Australia
READ all about who Katherine Aly is, her struggles during the pandemic and what we think is going to be her BIGGEST year yet we had a blether read it below ⬇️
Full info https://katherinealy.com | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Spotify | Apple Music | SoundCloud | YouTube
INTERVIEW: New Found Sound spoke to the singer see below ⬇️ for her new single
-Tell us a bit about yourself, how did you get started in music?
I started songwriting when I was 12 and joined my first band when I was 16, still living in Greece and trying to figure out myself artistically. I bet you can hear some Eastern European influences in my sound, which I very much enjoy! When I moved to Scotland I started collaborating with some truly talented artists and that's how I ended up performing live in the UK and had my first collaborative releases. My first song as a solo artist was released in 2019 and it has been quite a journey ever since; I've experimented with many styles, from neoclassical to synth-pop and that's why I identify as genre-agnostic, which will be even more obvious from my upcoming releases...
-It’s looking good for live music returning, how have you found pandemic life? Anything positive or all negative?
It certainly has been a very challenging year but I think I've managed to stay as creative and active as I could. Last year had 3 releases, I got invited to perform online a few times and I got nominated for Best Female Artist on the Online Radio Award 2020. I also wrote all the songs I'm going to release this year, which I'm very much looking forward to. To be honest, I'm still trying to recover from the impact this pandemic had on my mental health but I know it's the same for everyone so I'm taking it one step at a time, staying positive without getting too excited or overwhelmed about when things will get back to normal in the music industry.
-What is Glow & Ignite about and generally speaking with lyrics, do you take inspiration from what's happening in the world or focus on more personal elements?
Glow & Ignite is literally a call to dance anxiety away; the lyrics are about how lonely it gets when dealing with a mental health issue while trying to keep your life on track. I wrote it when I hit another low in my mental health last summer, while having to deal with quite big changes in my personal and professional life, all the result of the pandemic. Songwriting really soothes me and at that point I really need something to cheer me up so I came up with the bass synth and drum parts while using the lyrics and vocal melody I literally came up with as a joke. It worked out quite well and the entire song was arranged and recorded quite effortlessly. Glow & Ignite is for anyone who’s feeling overwhelmed while seeking a way out of trouble and trying to reclaim some sort of balance. My music's motto is 'dance with your shadow', embrace the dark side, let it ignite your creativity, accept it as part of your healing, be ok with not being ok - it's only human. This is what I try to do anyway and I hope people will find that helpful in their own lives and struggles.
-How does your songwriting / recording process work?
Usually I come up with a vocal melody first, around which I write lyrics that I try to make work both in terms of delivering what the song is about and my singing technique. I have a notebook full of poems and lyric ideas that I write down whenever I get inspired and then use in my actual songs. The first draft of a song is either an acoustic version or a demo that I take to the studio and build from the ground up. My producer, Marty Hailey, and I have great chemistry and it's been a pleasure being able to experiment in a space where I have top notch equipment to use for my recordings. The final stage is taking my songs to rehearsals with my band, when I work on re-arrangements to see what sounds right and feels better for the live version of my songs. I've been very lucky to have Joe Djaelani (guitar), Dimitris Skouras (drums) and Alex Shedlock (keys/bass guitar) playing live with me and giving my songs a heavier, more upbeat style when on stage.
-What’s your plan for 2021 and into next year?
From summer onwards I'm scheduled to do quite a few live shows and festivals and it's as exciting as it's hard to believe! Most of the shows are in Scotland, some of them in England and there might be a European surprise too... I'll be releasing a lot more music as well, I've got songs ready to go for the next few months leading up to a bigger release in the autumn. It feels great having prepared material way in advance and now waiting to just start sharing them with the world!
-What do your career highlights look like?
I have very fond memories of big support slots, singalongs, national press and airplay, working with important people in the industry. However, if I'm being honest, at this point the mere fact that I managed to keep my fanbase growing and reach people all over the world through my music in the middle of a pandemic is a big achievement and I try to give myself as much credit for that as I can. It's really soul-crushing not knowing if you'll be able to continue doing what you love, especially having all these highlights from the past pretty much haunting you in this whole uncertainty. That's why I feel proud that I managed to stay productive and have more people to connect with from now on.
-Tell us something most people won’t know about you?
I've been in therapy since May 2020 and it's one of the best and bravest decisions I've ever made in my life. It would be great if we start normalising getting help when things get too difficult - or even better, before they do. I know it's not easy to admit that you're not as strong as you used to be and it's even harder opening up and being exposed to things you didn't even know you carry, but eventually there comes a time when you start seeing it was totally worth it.