Prolific singer-songwriter Katie Nicholas has just released her beautiful new single, The Wheel, so we caught up to see how her music career is progressing.
When did you start playing music?
I started pretty young, I had a very musical family so we grew up playing music and performing quite a few times a week.
It was a great place to start and it all felt very supportive and second nature in the end too.
Who were your earliest musical inspirations?
Some of my inspirations feel too embarrassing to share, especially the earliest – I used to sit there with a pen and paper as a kid watching MTV and noting down all the lyrics I liked.
I was addicted to keeping up with the latest music of any genre.
Truly, though, as a teen I was inspired by the subtle yet powerful sounds of Eva Cassidy and Ray La Montagne. They really informed my style and writing.
There is also an under-the-radar artist from Nashville called Mindy Smith who really put me down the alt-Americana path for a long while.
Have those influences changed with time?
Yes! Very much.
Later I found myself in love with the music of Paul Simon (and Art Garfunkel too), Joni Mitchell, Glen Campbell, Carole King, The Beatles and many more 60s/70s singer-songwriters.
Another obscure 70s gem I love is Judee Sill who had the most tragic but incredible life story and very mystical and unique poetry/lyrics.
She wouldn’t be everyone’s cup of tea but her words really caught me.
Since playing at the Philharmonic, what have you been working on?
I’ve had many plates spinning at once and I’m trying to be more methodical with making sure they all come out in this lifetime!
In 2021 I filmed the 50-song video series ‘Songwriter Diaries‘ and this year has required a bit more discipline to make sure it’s all out of my system, to make room for the rest.
I post a new episode every Wednesday at 7pm and the series will conclude in October with episode 50.
It’s basically a personal process of sharing a decade of unheard songs that never saw the light of day, whether due to personal or industry setbacks, and it shows how I’ve become the artist I am today.
It is definitely a project of metamorphosis, genre-hopping and a total exposure of my early life – which at times has naturally been an uncomfortable process, especially as someone who feels they’ve changed a lot since recording the series in 2021.
But I felt extremely compelled to give a voice to the girl who always wanted her music out but struggled to release it at that time.
What can we expect from the new EP?
The new EP will revisit my earliest country songs and old-time favourites, celebrating and re-imagining them 10 years on with an incredible bunch of musicians.
These are the songs that shaped much of my career and style and I wanted to show where I am now 10 years on, honouring the past before I ahead.
The EP will be arriving in Autumn 2024.
You can follow Katie Nicholas here and listen to The Wheel here.
Mersey Music 