Meet Katie Cole | Recording Artist/Touring Musician

We had the good fortune of connecting with Katie Cole and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Katie, how do you think about risk?
Risk-taking is a tough subject. Some people might think of taking a risk as gambling what you have or don’t have. But for me, it’s more about betting on yourself. Or more so, the thought process of questioning “if I’m not willing to bet on myself, why would others?”.

Many of my fans know part of my story of growing up playing 5,6,7 nights a week. 3-4 hour shows. I made a pretty good wage, but it wasn’t a good “living”. As in, I wasn’t really living. Playing live music is wonderful, there is nothing like entertaining an audience. But I’m a songwriter/creator and limiting myself to just fulfilling one aspect of my purpose was a bit soul-crushing. When I started to ask myself the bigger questions like “where do I really want to be?” and “what sort of music do I really want to make?”…. this is when I started forming a sort of trajectory of a career path. For a path, I didn’t have the concrete or even the right shoes ahhahah but I started to know WHERE I wanted to go and WHY.

The best and worst thing about being a creative type is once Pandora’s box is open, it’s pretty hard to shut. So once I had written and demoed my first batch of “worthy” songs, and had a producer (Howard Willing) who wanted to work me in Los Angeles…. this is where risk plays into it. After 2 trips to LA I knew it in my heart that I HAD to move there. So I weighed up the important stuff. What would happen if I stayed in Australia? The same. What would happen if I moved there?

That question, I did not have the answer to. But the fear of the unknown can also be a sign that it’s preparation for something different. We’ve heard the saying about being in the “comfort zone”, well I like to think about embracing the unknown or taking a chance as being in the “uncomfortable zone”. ahhah. So I took a chance to try something different and take a path I was unfamiliar with. To let go of the things I knew, and be humble about what I don’t know. I have never let go of that thought process. Risk is only risky if you are certain of the outcome and that it is not good for your career. I think people that haven’t failed at anything probably haven’t tried many new things. I’m not afraid of failing. It’s ok with me if I’ve tried my very best at something and it doesn’t work out. I’ll just try again or try something new… I’ll take a “risk”. ahhah

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
Can I just answer this with “yes”. ahahah. I think my sense of humor has been my biggest asset. My music, especially my last two EP’s “Things That Break Pt.1” and “Rivers & Roads” often take a dark or serious tone. I’m at ease with being vulnerable and I think it’s ok if songs show weakness in the protagonist. We are human. And the most humanizing factors like being afraid, or being heartbroken or feeling lost… these things often help us connect to one another. Love and compassion do the same thing, but there is healing that comes from knowing someone else has gone through the same struggle, trauma or problems as you have.

It took hundreds of songs and many re-writes on other songs to make me realize when I’m not cutting deep enough. If something is sad, it should hurt. If something is full of love, it should be dizzying. I think all the details matter. It took so many break ups and personal obstacles to overcome to realize that details matter. Details show a listener that you “get it”. and you’ve “been there”. I think the power of my songwriting is that if I think I’ve gone too far with a story, it’s probably perfect. Details that I add to songs come from having lived my life. Some details are borrowed from friends or family or watching people or listening to deeply. But details make or break a song.

I don’t think anything in my life has been particularly easy. I grew up in a pretty low income single-parent family. Christmas or Birthdays meant everything as you might get a gift or eat some cake. We didn’t have much “stuff”, but I guess that helped fuel my imagination further. Including the first hit song me, my older sister and her friend wrote around the age of 6 or 7 “Time Girl”. Where my sister’s friend wore a stop watch placed above her forehead. The lyrics were “Time Girl is coming to town”. An obvious masterpiece. ahhahahahh

But you can create when you have nothing, and you can create further based on what you learn. That’s where I think I thrive. Somewhere in the middle of what I know and what I dream. Speaking of dreaming, I am working on 2 new EP’s and can’t wait to invite my friends, family and fans to help me crowdfund it. It’s really the only way I can make world-class records. This sort of input and help means everything. It’s also a chance for me to ask ask and give fans what merch and creative items, music that they REALLY want.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
I travel so much it’s hard to limit myself to Nashville. I would probably take any out of state or out of country friends downtown to look at all the craziness of Broadway. All the rowdy honky Tonks and pedal-taverns. Bachelorette parties and overdressed tourists. It’s a whole lot to take in. But Nashville has other great spots, lakes, walking trails. We get a lot of deer in our area. So I’d try to make sure they see something outside of the city and all the bars. Nashville is a drinking town with a music problem after all.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?

Website: www.katiecoleofficial.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/katiecoleofficial

Twitter: https://twitter.com/katiecolemusic

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/katiecoleofficial

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/katiecoleofficial

Image Credits
Photos by Katie Cole, Jeff Fasano, Hans Nelson and Liz Anne Hill