Katie Gregson-MacLeod- A Talented Musician and Compelling Student and Person
Katie Gregson-MacLeod is a nineteen year-old singer-songwriter from Inverness, Scotland. Although she would say her roots are acoustic pop-folk, she has branched out into a more indie-pop sound in the music she’s been releasing. Currently, she’s making music that she feels you can cry and dance to at the same time. By day she is also a history student at Edinburgh University.
Q. “When did music become an important part of your life? How did you know it was something more than just a hobby?”
A. “Music has always been one of the most important things in my life, I think. I’ve been singing and writing wee songs for as long as I can remember and started playing the piano and guitar at a young age too. I think I knew from childhood that I wanted a creative career, whether that be in music, film, or theatre but it wasn’t until early 2019 that I started to actively play gigs and immerse myself in the local music scene and beyond.”
Q. “What instruments do you play? What would you like to learn? What instrument is best to start out with if you’re planning on learning multiple?”
A. “I play the guitar, piano and clarinet but I would really like to improve my competency on all three. I play the guitar most often in my shows because it’s so portable, but it’s probably my weakest; piano is where my heart lies. I am desperate to learn the bass and the drums because I think they’re the coolest instruments on earth, but I’d also love to learn the violin, which would be very much out of my comfort zone but so worthwhile, especially spending as much time as I do with folk musicians in Scotland.
I think that different instruments suit different people; I am super restless and fidgety, so I feel the piano is a good match to keep my hands occupied. However, I do think that the piano is also a really good instrument for everyone to learn first because of the hand it gives with music theory. All the notes are right there, you can’t miss them.”
Q. “What age did you start performing? Did you have stage fright? If so, how did you overcome that? If not, what was the scariest part about entering the music industry?”
A. “I’ve performed in choirs and musical theatre since I was really wee and it’s always been second nature for me. I don’t remember ever really having stage fright when performing and actually find that I’ve become more prone to getting nervous now that I’m older and it feels more serious. Last year, for instance, I played a Sofar show, which is super intimate, and the crowd was dead silent. I don’t think I’ve ever been more nervous. In cases like that, I just try to tell myself that nothing is too big a deal and that all I can do is try to have fun with it. To be honest, the scariest part about entering the music industry for me is the idea that no one will like my writing or want to listen to my work, which has already been proven irrational I guess.”
Q. “What should a person know about being a musician? Is it a life of bliss like you’re told it is?”
A. “It’s a long game. I only properly started treating music as a career early last year and although I’ve come so far since then, it’s kind of a constant struggle to stay proactive. You always have to be thinking about the next step and there’s this pressure to always have something in the works, which is difficult, especially as I’m still trying to figure out who I am as an artist (cliché, right)? Another thing that isn’t talked about enough is that being creative is actually a rather small part of the career, and most of the job is marketing through social media and making connections. However, it is so rewarding, don’t get me wrong.”
Q. What are your next steps as an artist?
A. “I am exploring a range of sounds right now and working on an EP to release next year, which will have my debut single on it. The songs I’ve chosen to put on the EP were all written this year and I’m really excited to share them as a collective. They’re also quite pop-esque, and I’m really an acoustic artist at heart, so once I’ve finished the first EP, I’d like to release some really stripped back folky stuff.”
Q. “As a student at Uni, do you feel like your studies are intertwined with your musical life, or do you compartmentalize?”
A. “I definitely struggle to balance the two but when I do they can act as a nice relief from each other. I’m completing a history degree, and it’s a lot of reading, researching, writing and the lot, so it’s nice to have time set aside to be creative through music.”
Q. “Talk about your songs for me- your favorites, least favorites, and how you distinguish a good song from a bad one.”
A. “Oh man, this is a tough question! I couldn’t possibly choose a favourite; that feels too much like picking a favourite child. They all mean so much and are important to me for different reasons. However, I will say that my upcoming single is one of the best songs I’ve written, I think, based largely on the honesty of the lyrics and some catchy (I hope) melodic lines. I try to be super honest and raw in my music, and my least favourite songs are always the ones in which I feel I’ve embellished too much or tried too hard to make it poetic. If it’s forced, it’s usually not good. Another thing I’ve noticed as my competency as a producer has developed is that a song which might feel like nothing special in its raw acoustic form might feel like a hit once explored through production.”
Q. “What do you wish you had known starting out as a musician?”
A. “You are always making your own work and nothing just comes to you without putting yourself out there.”
Q. “What do you prefer to write about and why? Are social and political issues big topics for you or do you chose to omit them from your work? If so, why?”
A. “I write largely autobiographically as that is just what comes naturally, and as I said before, the songs in which I’m forcing anything just don’t turn out as well. I’m really interested in politics and social issues, but I don’t often incorporate them into my lyrics, which is something I’d like to work on for sure! It’s not a conscious omission though, and a lot of the artists I look up to the most have written pretty political songs, so I should really unleash that part of me more.”
Q. Is there anything that you want your followers to know? Any parting words?
A. As I said before, I’ve got an EP in the works all about heartbreak and fun things like that, so keep an eye out in the early months of 2021! The first single is called “Games I Play,” and I can’t wait to release it to the world.
Thanks again, Katie Gregson-MacLeod, for taking the time to talk about your current journey on your rise to fame. Before I continue, I just want to acknowledge how true your words are. As an artist myself, the way that you’ve contextualized what it means to be in a creative field is very thoughtful and obviously shows that you have an extensive understanding of the music industry, especially your comment about marketing. It’s one of the most important aspects of creating anything.
For anyone looking to listen to Katie’s work, click here to listen to her on her professional Instagram, where you’ll receive updates on her progress and latest covers/originals, and here to find insight into her life outside of the music industry. If you want to listen to her Spotify, click here.
Scroll down to see my top five favorite originals by her, and come back next time to explore the life of musicians from underrated to overrated from obscure to famous.
Best Originals
