Katie Buchanan

I get a chance to listen to Katie Buchanan, a talented singer-songwriter and producer whose debut CD "Glow", was released at the end of 2015. I immediately added her music to the list of my favorite singers.

As Katie wears glasses, I recently contacted her for an interview and she agreed very kindly to discuss her sound, her musical inspirations, her upcoming album and the art of songwriting.

Her voice is really amazing, this is another singer to discover quickly. Coincidentally, this is the second interview with a singer from New-York.

Pending her next video, you'll find on the bottom of this page the wonderful song "Glow In The Dark" from the album "Glow".

I invite you to read this interesting interview with Katie. Please share and subscribe to: Youtube channel, Facebook, @Katie_Buchanan


Can you tell us about yourself, where were you born? Where did you grow up? Where do you live now?

I was born and grew up in Kansas, more specifically in a suburb of Kansas City, MO, in Kansas...confusing I know. Point being, it was a suburb of a city, not a farm. I've been in NYC for nearly 10 years now.


How did you discovered your nice voice?

Lots and lots of vocal lessons, with lots and lots of teachers until I found the one that got me. I don't have a naturally, technically "good" voice. But I was writing song after song and I needed to learn how to communicate them, which meant learning how to become a good singer. And that's all to do with finding what you do well, how to use it, and how not to hurt yourself in that whole process.


How did you get started with playing and creating music?

When I was four, my grandfather put a fiddle in my hands and taught me the basics. That led to my first "writing" of songs, then piano, drums, and finally guitar, which is just an extension of myself at this point.


What was the first tune(s) you learned?

Probably some little fiddle tune. Again, I was four so I really don't remember too well. But I know "MMMBop" was the first "riff" I learned on guitar, all on my own. I was really proud of that one.


Can you remember the first time you wrote a song?

There are videos of me as young as three, making up little tunes and songs. I think I recognized it as "writing" pretty early on, maybe five or six, well before I really had the tools to do it well. But that also meant I collected those tools as I grew up, alongside things like reading and writing. So songwriting to me is very much my natural state.


When did you decide to become a singer and songwriter?

I don't know that I ever decided, it's just what I was. My mother was super aware of that and made sure to get me in the right rooms with the right people--the right teachers, the right cheerleaders, and the right critics--so that I could hone my craft properly and early on.


Is your family members are musicians?

Yes. I have a huge extended family on my mother's side and nearly all of them play something. From my grandfather teaching me fiddle to my uncle showing me blues riffs by the campfire, it was a very musical upbringing.


You has released two EPs, Another Beat (2013) and Go (2014) and a debut album, Glow in 2015. Have you written all the songs?

All of them. I produced and recorded them as well, played all the parts. In fact, no one else touched those records until they got mixed.


You're currently working on a new album. Can you give us some details of this recording?

Similar to my first few releases, I recored and produced it all. But there were some major upgrades across the board so even on a technical level it's a better record. Also, as any artist should, I've been very careful to give myself the room to grow and experiment. I've done a bunch of side projects and things since the last record, so my skill as a producer has definitely evolved alongside the usual growth you go through as a writer and artist.


When does this album come out?

No idea, hopefully there will be a single or two by the end of the year.


Which song you have written is your favorite and why?

It changes, all the time. "Run" (from Glow) has really been speaking to me recently. Maybe that's because it's a direct foil to the record I just wrapped, which is very much about learning to stand still and just be.


Do you have favorite places or times where you like to write?

The closet thing I have to a routine are my notebooks. I've been writing in the same exact type of notebooks for years now (Moleskine Cahier, black, lined). They are just nice enough to feel real but not heavy enough to feel permanent. I just started number 24. Yes, I keep them in order. You never know when you might need to go back.


How would you describe your current sound?

Americana-influenced indie pop. I love a catchy melody, an accessible and cool production, but when it comes down to it, the song is the star. Always.


Which is your favorite instrument and why?

Guitar. It just makes sense. There's something so personal about literally touching the thing that's making the sound, while it's making the sound. A piano key hits a lever which hits another lever which hits a hammer which hits the string.

On guitar you, at worst, have a pick and maybe a slide (and usually not both at the same time) between you and the string. It's a thrilling level of control and expressiveness. There's a reason they haven't gotten close to a useable midi guitar.


What do you think about the internet as a tool for promoting yourself & your music?

It's not really even a "tool" anymore, it's just where music lives. The internet is the world.

Then there's the myth of the democratization of music. That the internet would free the music world from the gatekeepers. That's patently untrue. Nearly every "indie" or "undiscovered" act that's breaking through has a team behind them, carefully constructing the "they don't have a team" image. Sure people come from nowhere occasionally, but it's so, so rare. And that seems horrifically demoralizing, but it's also something incredibly important to recognize as a new artist. That even with the internet, talent does not immediately equal success. The old systems are still in place, they just look different, leaner, and move faster. So you have to learn to see them, learn to use them, and keep making the best music you can.


Do you have a web site to publicize your music? Can you give us the main links?

http://katiebuchanan.com will take you any where else you need to go.


Have you ever read my blog and if yes, have you discovered some singers?

I have! Actually that's were I first heard Magana, despite living in the same town, playing the same venues, and knowing a lot of the same people.


You recently got a pair of frames, why did you decide to change your appearance?

I've always gone between glasses and contacts. Oddly enough, my eyes have gotten significantly better over the last few years (my doctor's confused by it too) and I've just started preferring glasses. Plus, how often do you see black out Clubmasters? Had to wear them for at least one shoot.


In general, do you think the appearance is important for the music? (Knowing you never show up in your videos like "Run" or "Honey, don't" but that the work seems very important)

I don't know that appearance is the right word. I think it's more image, being consistent with your image and how that speaks to you as an artist and to the music. I'm actually in the "Go" music video (a singing corpse, obviously). But "Run" and "Honey, Don't" are both more about a feeling than a story and I wanted to do the opposite of "Go" for that album. So we went from hyper narrative 50's era murder story, to these lush visuals paralleling isolation and community.


Did you released yourself these beautiful videos?

All three of those videos were helmed but Nicolas Pesce, who's now off making Sundance-premiering horror films and the like. He's brilliant.


Do you plan to release a new music video soon?

As the music gets bigger and bigger, I'm simplifying the corresponding visuals. Contrast and balance. So there will be something but not what you're expecting and not yet.


Who are the biggest inspirations for your career?

There's a lot of artists with career blueprints I'd like to emulated. Most of them now indie (Matt Nathanson, Ingrid Michelson, Brandi Carlile) who have found a way to make honest music on their own terms with a lot of success. I think it mostly comes down to getting to a sustainable level that is solid, and that takes time. And a lot of other things...


What kind of music do you listen to today?

I've actually been on a musical theater kick as of late. Jason Robert Brown somedays, Sondheim others, Lin-Manuel Miranda (specifically Hamilton) always. They all play with words so wonderfully and intricately, and in ways that never sacrifice the song itself, only inform it.


Are there any artists you have, or are planning to collaborate with?

I've been doing a lot more production work for other artists these days. So not a straight ahead collaboration but very much a joint creative work. I'd give you names, but they haven't been announced yet. I did do a record for Adrienne Tooley (http://www.adriennetooley.com) last year that I absolutely adore.


What is important to you other than music?

Food and words. Words and food. I'm a total nerd for both.


Can you describe a typical week of work for you?

Emails, emails, emails. I usually say my job is a "creative handy person," so my weeks are, thankfully, rarely the same. But I'm mostly at my desk creating music and visuals, in sessions with other artists, or writing and rehearsing my own stuff.


Are there any plans for a tour? US, Europe? In case, alone with your guitar or with musicians?

Just the distant rumblings of a tour at this point. We've been revamping a lot of the live show, so how that will translate to any touring is a bit up in the air. But eventually, and probably soon, yes.


Few words to convince the reader to listen to your music?

You made it this far in this interview, don't let that be wasted time.


What are some of your personal and/or professional goals for the future?

Of course there's the standard, boring "reach a bigger audience" goal, and all the pieces that have to fall in place for that to happen. But when it comes right down to it, the only thing I can actually control is creating the best, most honest work I'm capable of. So as long as I can continue doing that, all the boring little pieces are worth tracking down.