Kate Yeager – Before the Lights Go Out

By starrymag | May 24, 2024

By: Gladys Luna

 

 

Q) How would you describe the sound to the music that you make?

A) I describe my music as a lot of light with a lot of bite. It’s singer-songwriter pop-py goodness. It’s like if HAIM, Kelly Clarkson and Kacey Musgraves had a baby– her name would be Kate Yeager.

Q) Who were some of the artists that influenced you when you were growing up?

A) Hands down, Bruce Springsteen and Sara Bareilles. Artists with such powerful story telling have always been my North Stars when it comes to making music.

Q) Your most recent single “Fat (Naked Version)”, a lovely song that encloses such a powerful message is a new version of the one released back in 2023 under the same name. What made you decide to bring this song back in 2024?

A) I posted a video of me singing this song acoustically and it went insanely viral. It was just me singing this song in a white bikini in the place I was the most self-conscious as a kid– pool parties. I thought, “Let’s take the recording back to that place too– just me and my guitar, exposed…naked if you will.” [winks]

Q) How would you describe the significance of this song for you? What does expressing yourself through this song mean to you?

A) This song really screams “OH I FIGURED THIS OUT IN THERAPY.” This song means the world to me. It means growth. Writing this song, I felt so unguarded. I just wanted to tell the story, beginning, middle and end, raw and real and unfiltered.

Q) What was the songwriting process for “Fat (Naked Version)?”

A) The process for writing fat took about a year and a half. I posted a snippet of this song on socials and asked basically should I finish it? One of my favorite writers in Nashville, Nell Maynard, commented…PLEASE. I asked her to finish it with me. It took less than two hours to write this song. All we did was honor the story, and the song wrote itself.

Q) As soon as the song “Fat (Naked Version)” was released, it went viral on social media. What does it mean for you as an artist to have this kind of reception from the audience?

A) It’s so strange and beautiful. All of my favorite songs by other artists are so deeply personal. But somehow, I feel seen in their stories. I think that though our details are different, the feelings are the same. And all of a sudden, a song about me becomes a song about us. I think that is the most beautiful thing in the world– to feel less alone.

Q) The official music video of this song is made out of a collection of video fragments of your fans singing along as a way to tell their stories. Why was that such an important way to express the story behind the song?

A) It is so powerful watching people tell their stories to this song. The official music video for the original version of the song was about me and my story. But, like I said, it became bigger than a me. This song is for us. and I wanted to reflect that in the video.

Q) Your upcoming EP Before the Lights Go Out came out this Spring. What will be some themes you will be exploring on this album? 

A) ALL THE GOOD THEMES. My best analogy for this record is moving out of a place you’ve lived. You pack up these boxes and label them. And you can’t change the contents of the boxes, but you can understand them better. I can’t change the cards I’ve been dealt but I can learn how to play them to the best of my ability.

Q) In order to bring this album to life, you partnered with producer Jared Anderson. How was the process of working with him and how his experience added up to this EP?

A) Working with Jared is THE BEST. Jared and I met when I was fourteen years old at a guitar camp. We took a songwriting class together and by the magic of Nashville and the power of the world being so small we reunited. I love making things with people I love and have grown with and he is the epitome of that. My biggest rule working with people is are you down to clown and Jared is always down to try some weird shit. It’s just cool we get to do that as adults together now,.

Q) What do you hope lingers with your audience when listening to your new EP Before the Lights Go Out?

A) While I expect that they’re gonna feel a lot of feels and honestly have a lot of these songs stuck in their head if I do say so myself. But, most importantly, I feel people are so judgmental of themselves and I hope this record allows people to understand that it’s not about changing the things we can’t, but it’s about understanding us more.

Q) Along with the release of your EP, you will also plan to start your 2024 tour. What can you tease about what we can expect fans will experience from a live Kate Yeager show?

A) Fans can expect the time of their lives. They can expect to sing and dance and cry and live and laugh and love. My most unhinged self happens during my live shows, and I can’t wait to share that with people.

Q) Who are some artists you would love to collaborate with on a song in the future?

A) Oh easy– Jack Antonoff, Bruce Springsteen, Sara Bareilles, Haim, MUNA, JP Saxe, Kacey Musgraves, Kelly Clarkson…all of the above.

Q) What would you like to say to all of the fans and supporters of your music out there?

A) I love you. thank you. I want “us” forever.