We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Kat Hamilton. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Kat below.
Hi Kat, thanks for joining us today. I’m sure there have been days where the challenges of being an artist or creative force you to think about what it would be like to just have a regular job. When’s the last time you felt that way? Did you have any insights from the experience?
I wonder about it multiple times a day! I have this fantasy that a regular job would be enough for me. I imagine i’m this girl who works at a desk from 9 to 4 and then spends the rest of her time hanging out with friends. Every cent that I make goes back into my art. The other day my mom asked me when was the last time I went on a vacation outside of a music opportunity and I couldn’t even think of one. I’m always working even when it doesn’t look like I am. The hustle is 24/7 and I spend way more money than I make from it. Unfortunately it doesn’t matter if i’m happy or not. The music finds me wherever I am. It wakes me up in the morning. I even tried to quit it after I went to rehab, but there I was writing more songs. I try to savor the moments when it’s worth it. I just had my E.P release show last month and I felt so validated standing on stage in front of all of my amazing friends. I tried to drink it all in because I know that thing’s are hard more often than they are great. I’m also setting an intention for the fall to spend more time experiencing life outside of my career aspirations. Small things like going to the beach or laying in bed all day. Who knows, maybe I will take that vacation!
As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?
My name is Kat Hamilton and i’m a singer, songwriter, recording artist, poet and curator in Los Angeles, CA! I have a pretty diverse portfolio at this point. I am a solo artist and i’m part of a musical duo called Guyville with my bestie, Emily Hulslander. I also work as a studio vocalist for commercials and sync projects. When i’m not doing that I teach music lessons and write poetry. I also work for a songwriter night here in LA called “The Writers ‘Round La”. So i’m a pretty busy girly! I got into music because it was always in me. I started singing at around five or six years old and just never stopped. Everything else extended off that initial love like branches on a tree. Over the years my vision for how I want my life to look keeps changing. I used to be more focused on “making it” as a full time touring artist, but it’s shifted into a more diversified approach. I really love the freedom passive income, such as commercial singing, gives me. I can spend more time with my family and my partner. I can have more roots without worrying. I’m so proud of the woman i’m becoming. I’m always striving to find balance, but i’m proud that I have live a life filled with opportunity and creativity. I want people to connect to me and my music because they feel like they are getting an honest experience. I know that we are all slightly unreliable narrarator’s, but I try my best to be my most candid in my music. I imagine it’s a conversation with the audience. My favorite artists are the one’s that achieve this feeling that they’re in the room with me or in the car with me while i’m driving. I want people to feel like i’m letting them in. I consider my job to be the container for others emotions (and mine) to sit inside. When I’m on stage or putting out music I want others to have the permission to feel.
We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.
Totally! I’ve shared this story a lot but I still get messages about how it impacts others. I had a alcohol related mental breakdown in 2017 and ended up in rehab. After I spend a lot of time focusing on my sobriety and service. It was really hard to accept that my brain wasn’t going to be like before the breakdown. I lost a ton of weight because I wasn’t eating and my hair thinned as well. I struggled with new mental health issues I hadn’t had before. I ended pouring that struggle into songwriting and eventually put out an album about it entitled “Recovery Songs”. I wrote a over 30 songs for the project and whittled it down to nine. I’ve heard so many stories of resilience since starting my sobriety journey. It’s hard for me to even validate my own. But I am super proud of how it’s inspired others. I have focused on other stories since including my newest E.P “I wish this was a love story”. It’s been nice to pivit from the heaviness of that time in my life. The more I live, the more I think resilience is just showing up to the world even though you want to lock yourself in a dark room forever. I’m not always going to be steady. I’m not always going to be able to show up in the same way. I think resilience might be accepting that it looks different day to day.
In your view, what can society to do to best support artists, creatives and a thriving creative ecosystem?
I mean go stream my songs at low volume on loop on Spotify! Share my new music to your IG stories or in a TikTok. Social media is a huge part of being a creator these days. To be honest, I think it’s really hard on all of us. I spend almost all of my time around other artists and it’s a constant topic of conversation. Another way you can support us is to buy our merch and concert tickets. Especially concert tickets because a lot of venues has high ticket minimums that we have to reach, Even if you can’t go, it still helps a lot to buy one if you can afford to. I really wish we lived in a society that gave stipends to creatives so we could focus more on the art, but I am so grateful that I don’t spend my time looking for my next meal or a bed to sleep in. I think it’s about showing up for the artists who get you through your day. Sometimes this looks like giving money, but if you don’t have the money to spend, you can stream and share. If everyone showed up for their artist friends, it would have a huge ripple effect.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://kathamiltonofficial.squarespace.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kathamiltonofficial/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kathamiltonofficial
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kat-hamilton-15293994/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCwM6nPUzxd7MdrdmTMHqzXg
- Other: All links: https://linktr.ee/kathamilton Tik Tok: https://tr.ee/JNUaQMnwAF
Image Credits
all images @ Jacqui Otley IG @ jacqui_o2