By: Shelby Lum
Many musicians break into a record deal through networking, knowing the right people, or knocking on a lot of doors. Kate Earl found it by nearly getting hit by a car–which she luckily dodged.
“I almost got hit by a car,” Kate said. “The driver of that car was my neighbor.” So after her crisis was averted, the singer asked for a ride to work from her neighbor.
“I sang for him because his radio was broken,” she said, and sure enough one of his best friends worked at a record company.
From then on, Kate was making and sharing music with fans. “I have really embraced being a soulful writer,” she said.
Since her move to LA, the singer has been making waves within the music industry. The Alaska native has opened for Maroon 5, Andrew McMahon, and has scored a summer tour slot with Matchbox 20 and the Goo Goo Dolls.
“It is my first nationwide amphitheater tour,” Kate said. “It’s really exciting to have the opportunity to be in front of a lot of people again.”
Kate also has a melting pot of experiences and diversity in her background. Coming from Filipino Welsh, and Dutch ancestry, she is diversity unto herself, but more importantly as a singer she takes that range of influences to create a more full-bodied tone and style to her music. “I want to stand out as myself more than anything,” Kate said.
Her defining factor though, she is a story teller.
Like many successful musicians, Kate draws in experiences from her own life and melds them into her music. From her life as a single mother, to growing up in a small town in Alaska, to any other day to day struggles.
With her newest album, Stronger, she said she was striving to create a record that could be identifiable to anyone in all walks of life. “I have always been a huge fan for writing for everyone,” Kate said.
While the single, “One Woman Army” was inspired by her being a single mother, she said it can also be interpreted to many other situations. Stronger is also a semi-ode to the 70s and the music of that era.
“I wanted to identify with the music from the 70s and very much not backing away from the truth,” Kate said. “I feel that that is the essence of the record.”
Kate Earl will be opening for Andrew McMahon on Sunday, April 21st at The Loft.
