Pop-Culturalist.com

From the pool to the stage, Kate Yeager is an up-and-rising NYC-based singer-songwriter who discovered her love for music after suffering a setback while training to become a Junior Olympic athlete. Since then, she studied at the Clive Davis Institute of Recorded Music and has continued to immerse herself in the industry. Her music today provides a space for listeners to be their authentic selves. Pop Culturalist spoke with Kate about her career, her upcoming show at the Knitting Factory, and what’s ahead.

PC: How did you discover your passion for music?
Kate: When I was around ten, I was training to be a Junior Olympic swimmer. I got hurt at a very young age. My body wasn’t what it needed to be to be an athlete. I couldn’t swim for months. You know, I was pretty good. I had qualifying times at age eleven/twelve. There were colleges that were looking at me. But I couldn’t do it. My body was like, “This isn’t for you.” I took a couple of months off to do physical therapy. But I was such an energetic kid. I was swimming hundreds and hundreds of meters a day. My mom was like, “You have to do something!” She was like, “I can’t deal with your level of energy anymore.” She was like, “You’re going to audition for this musical.” So I auditioned for my sixth grade musical. I wouldn’t say that I was a good singer when I was a kid; I would say that I had a lot of charisma. Ever since then, I haven’t been able to stop. I went back to swimming after I was healed. But I kept singing in the water. That’s pretty counterintuitive to what swimmers are supposed to do. Some people in musical theater are good at finding their stories, and others are good at finding other people’s stories. I’ve always loved it. I did it all throughout high school. But I also took up interest in writing my own stories. That’s where that love was born out of.

I bought myself a guitar out of a box when I was thirteen or fourteen. I brought it home, and I played it for two or three hours until my fingers started to bleed. My mom was like, “Okay. That’s enough. Not only does it not sound good, but you’re also bleeding.” [laughs] With all the love in the world of a Jewish mother. That was basically it for me. She was like, “If you’re really serious about this, we’ll look at getting you a better guitar.” It’s still the same guitar that I use on stage every day to this day.

PC: Who or what has had the biggest influence on your career?
Kate: I’ve been really, really fortunate to have been able to meet so many incredible people in my lifetime. I have the same mentors that I’ve had since I was twelve. I wrote this song when I was thirteen called “It Girl.” That really showed people that I had promise as a writer. They took me under their wing and guided me through the music industry.

Then, I got to college, and I met amazing mentors. I went to Clive Davis Institute of Recorded Music at NYU. I’m so grateful for the mentors that I met there. Marlon Saunders is my vocal mentor. He’s done the background arrangements for Sam Smith’s last tour. He was the vocal director for the Songs in the Key of Life Tour with Stevie Wonder. He’s amazing. JD Samson is one of my performance mentors. Mike Errico is one of my songwriting mentors.

If I’m being wholeheartedly honest, the past year of my life, the people that have had the most direct influence and impact on my musical life, is the community that I surround myself with in Brooklyn. I’m so unbelievably grateful for the family that has been cultivated and created here. All of us do different things. We all help each other. We all take off if someone has a show. We all go to each other’s stuff if we don’t have other gigs. That has been the most inspiring thing bar none. The two things go hand in hand. Without the guidance from the people that have helped me grow so much, I wouldn’t have been ready for this point where people are so willing, ready, and able to support each other. We all play in each other’s bands. We all show up at each other’s gigs. We write with each other. We smile with each other. We laugh together. It’s been the most heartwarming thing. It’s just so special.

PC: Speaking of shows, you have one coming up at the Knitting Factory on January 31. What can fans expect?
Kate: Fans can expect to shout a lot of things at me. Fans can expect a place where they can be themselves. We all share the same emotions. You and I both know what happiness is. We both know what sadness is. You and I both know what anger is. The beautiful thing about that is all of our stories are different. The one thing that you and I can relate to is that we’ve both been happy, we’ve both been sad, we’ve both been hurt, we’ve both been loved, and that’s something that people can find common ground at, at my shows. Everyone can experience the feeling of feeling less alone. There’s always a seat at the table for you here. If you come to my show, you will shout at a stranger that you love them. You will tell me what your favorite beer or wine is. You’ll tell me what your favorite season is. I have a song that’s like Mad Libs. We hold space for us all to feel things. That’s something that I’m really proud of. I just did a residency at Rockwood Music Hall. The last two shows we did in New York, they were both sold out. We laughed together, we cried together, we sang together, we shouted gloriously at each other. It’s just another experience in everyone’s life.

PC: You’ve dropped a few singles thus far. If you had to choose one that best encompasses you as an artist, what would it be and why?
Kate: I have a new single coming out on January 30. But you’re talking about my released stuff right? Can I say all of them? [laughs] The songs that I released this past year are the children of all children. They represent such a wide variety. I would say the most popular one right now is “Kiss Me Like You Mean It.” That’s the one that everyone sings at the end. I don’t end any show without me singing it. The shows are never about me. The last words said at the show are the audience’s. “Kiss Me Like You Mean It” is a good one. “Keep My Distance,” “Troubled,” “Falling,” “Impulse”—I just listed everything that I wrote in the past year. [laughs] It’s because I love them all so much. I think it’s important to make things you love. Whenever people ask which is my favorite, I tell them, “You can’t tell the other songs that I said this.” [laughs]

PC: Tell us about the single you have coming out on January 30th.
Kate: The new single is called “Slip.” This song is my “It Ain’t Me Babe” by Bob Dylan. I thought my partner was going to break up with me. We didn’t break up that time. [laughs] This was my first really big relationship. I thought about goodbyes and every goodbye possible, like when you have to say goodbye to a friend, when you have to say goodbye to someone who is toxic in your life, when you have to say goodbye to someone that isn’t right for you in that moment. I was thinking about goodbyes in general. I wrote this song from the perspective of my partner breaking up with me and all the things that I wish they would say to me in that moment. The song is the gentle goodbye that we all deserve.

PC: As we look ahead to the future, what do the next couple of years look like for you?
Kate: New music! I’m in the studio right now. I’m finishing up another batch of songs. People can expect more shows. People can expect me to be on the road more. People can expect more music videos and quirky merch. People can expect the same thing that they always expect from me: a place where people can feel all their feels.

I didn’t have a lot of friends growing up. Middle school wasn’t a good time for me. I was really, really bullied. The records that I ran to were Tracy Chapman, Janis Joplin, Melissa Etheridge, Carole King, and Joni Mitchell. I felt like those people were my best friends. They got me. They understood me. They were there through it all. I think what people can expect and what I hope to deliver is being that for people. That’s all I really want.

To keep up with Kate, follow her on Twitter and Instagram. Pick up tickets to her show at the Knitting Factory here or enter for your chance to win below!

Want to see Kate live? We’re giving away 3 pairs of tickets to her upcoming show at the Knitting Factory. Enter below for your chance to win!

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