We were lucky to catch up with Cat Ridgeway recently and have shared our conversation below.

Cat, appreciate you joining us today. Can you talk to us about a project that’s meant a lot to you?

The album I’m about to release, ‘Sprinter,’ is by far the most meaningful work I’ve ever created. I wrote the title track for a friend of mine who lost her battle with mental health. Before that song came out earlier this year, I’d never released anything that explored topics of that depth before… but doing so has completely changed my relationship to my art. The connection I’ve experienced talking to folks after shows has been the most incredible thing I think I’ve ever experienced as a songwriter. I’ve even had the honor of partnering up with a suicide prevention organization called Find Your Anchor because of this song as well, and I’ve already been able to tangibly see how it’s helping people. All of this has brought a whole new level of purpose to songwriting and storytelling for me.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

Howdy! My name is Cat, and I’m an indie singer/songwriter from Orlando, FL. I was always extremely enthusiastic about music and art as a kid, and I started learning various instruments around the time I was 8.

My older brother picked up the guitar when I was in kindergarten. I had always looked up to him and thought he was really cool, so I creeped on him in the corner during his lessons. Eventually, I told my parents I wanted to learn how to play, too. It didn’t take long to realize that I had a very short attention span and very small hands (LOL). So shortly after my first guitar lesson, I ended up behind a drum set because, while my hands might have been too small for a guitar neck, they were big enough to hold sticks. And that started me off on my journey from one instrument to the next for years to come.

I went to a small Catholic school growing up and was allowed to join the band a year early. When I tell you the school band was tiny, I mean it was TINY – like, we barely had enough musicians to cover all the parts of an arrangement tiny. So when my band instructor recognized my musical inclination and interest, he let me jump from instrument to instrument for different songs so I could help more parts of the piece be represented. Trumpet was my main instrument, but I’d also jump over to trombone, drums/percussion, keys, and vocals as needed. Playing compositions from those different angles helped me understand how parts of an arrangement all interact with each other, and I do believe that has greatly informed my writing/producing process.

However, because I was interested in so many different instruments, I never fully mastered any single one. When you don’t know how to play anything, you just start making things up. So, I made stuff up a LOT and then realized I had accidentally fallen into songwriting. It was a very natural progression now that I look back on it.

What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?

Something I think about often is innovation in music. What’s a sound we haven’t heard yet? Can I contribute to it being created? I’m extremely inspired by the possibility of creating something that can’t be compared to anything that’s come before.

How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?

Oh man. Last year, I took a huge leap and moved out to CO to play seasonal residency gigs at ski resorts. During my first winter, there were multiple nights where I realized I was the only person speaking English in the room – something like 90% of the visitors out here in the winter are from Mexico specifically. People seemed to like what I was playing, but they weren’t super engaged.

Luckily, most of the bar staff at my main gig were also from Spanish-speaking countries, so I had them all pass my phone around and contribute to an ever-growing playlist of the most popular songs from their respective countries. I ended up learning a handful of tunes in Spanish, and they opened up a whole new world performance and rhythmic diversity to me and made my shows infinitely more fun.

I have to say, I adore the Latin community because of how passionate they are when it comes to the connection music brings. We have a freaking party every night, and it’s not uncommon to see people dancing with their scarves and starting conga lines in ski boots. It’s truly enriched my cultural awareness musically and brought me great joy. I’m very grateful that I took Spanish classes all through school and can at least pronounce words (mostly) correctly, even if I’m not totally sure what I’m singing about.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.catridgeway.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/catridgewaymusic/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/catridgewaymusic
• Twitter: https://x.com/CatRidgeway
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCEo94KZPpWthTTHgN8RPZfA
• Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/cat-ridgeway
• Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@cattyridge

Image Credits

Gabe Lugo