We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Katherine Aly. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Katherine below.
Katherine, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today We’d love to hear about a project that you’ve worked on that’s meant a lot to you.
The process of writing my most recent EP, 222 was definitely a turning point in the way I approach my work as a musician. For 9 months, I took a break from social media and performing and focused solely on nurturing my creativity. Yes, it felt like a pregnancy leading inevitably to a delivery of a project that changed my life! While writing the new material, I also went to as many art exhibitions as I could, I saw ballet, I read books in threes (poetry, fiction and non-fiction), I took long walks in nature, I started dancing again, I was listening to podcasts every morning, did a lot of journaling and inner searching. One of the books I read during that time is called Your Brain On Art by Susan Magsamen and Ivy Ross and it was truly fascinating to learn about neuroarts at the same time as I was literally re-programming of my own creative process; this is why this period was so meaningful to me and a milestone in my artistic journey.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
I was that kid who chose to sit on the piano by herself rather than playing with the rest of the kids outside. My mum says I always came up with such sad melodies, nothing like the music I write today, although there always seem to be elements of cynicism in my lyrics and an inclination towards minor scales in my pop style. I’m 100% self-taught, unless you count the one year I took piano lessons as a 9-year old as music education! But that never stopped me; music has always been a natural path to walk down to, hardly a choice, more like destiny; and believe me when I say I’m stripping this away from any aspirations for stardom or a big life. I’ve always said if my team and I make a decent living from my music while I’m able to walk down the street with no issues, then I’d consider myself successful. Goal loading!
I identify as genre-agnostic pop girly; I like experimenting with many styles, from neo-classical pop to indie pop, from 80’s synth pop to broadly alternative pop these days. As a songwriter I very much enjoy writing for other artists too, and that covers K-pop, R&B, Cinematic pop, House and more; just get me in the studio! It’s my second favourite place to be, with first being the stage and vibing with people who get me and my music. Like most artists, I started performing solo and acoustically in small venues in Edinburgh, which became my creative home, having escaped Greece, my homeland that I love deeply but which is in complete cultural and social misalignment with my own temperament!
My mission is to showcase that pop girlies with dancers on stage instead of a lad band deserve a place in the spotlight! Don’t get me wrong, I think it’s great to write and perform music with your friends regardless of gender, however there’s still an absurd imbalance in female and non-binary representation in the music industry and it’s high time that changed. For good. To be more specific, just like there’s emerging talent when it comes to bands, there’s also emerging talent coming from pop artists, who don’t have to be 18-year old global celebrities to serve a creative purpose and share banging music with a wide audience. In addition to that, and unlike popular opinion, you can shake a$$ while singing to lyrics of great depth (think Apple by Charlie xcx, Escapism by Raye or Prioritise Pleasure by Self-Esteem). I love that BBC Introducing have described my lyrics as educational because this is what I want people to get from my music; a sense of either relatability or, on the flip side of the coin, understanding and, why not, respecting someone else’s experience.
My lyrics these days are very much about navigating relationships, mostly romantic but not exclusively; from mama’s boys, to narcissists, to friend-zoning and maybe even momentarily thinking you found your special person. And there’s a lot more coming, I’m currently buzzing with a new track I wrote about *drumroll for the exclusive* an avoidant! But more on that in 2026…
When I look back to how I started this job, it’s really hard to tell when it became… a job! I’ve always played music throughout my life until things got busy and then I started getting paid for my own catalogue and then things got busier, and then I did a 6-week residency in London and things are now kind of insane. But we move on, one step at a time, with LENA (Low Expectation, No Attachment) like my friend Charli says, while trying to stay present and appreciate every small win.
So you’d love a blend of Self Esteem’s theatricality, Billie Eilish’s vulnerability, Charlie xcx’s edge, Jade’s freshness and/or FKA Twigs’ experimental spirit, come to one of my shows, I’ve got stories to tell you, we’ve got dancing to do. Bonus if your favourite colour is orange!
What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?
I went to a music industry event in the summer and ended up getting a lot of attention after a track of mine called EDINBURGH [for the narcissist] was played. I got really positive feedback and as a result of that a bunch of artists came to me for a chat. A lovely woman approached me, she looked quite intimidated by the whole atmosphere (many music professionals around) and she said to me ”I don’t even know what I’m doing here, I’m 25 and I’m feeling so old!”. I looked at her as deeply in the eyes as possible and said ”I know we’ve just met but I want you to do me a favour; Never EVER say that again. You are here because you deserve to be and your age has nothing to do with it. I know those words just came out of your mouth but this isn’t your voice, it’s other people’s. Get rid of it”. We hugged it out.
We are breaking the rules as we speak; artists like Rosalia, Doechii, Victoria Monet and Chappelle Roan are living proof that a music career is a marathon, not a sprint. If I could speak to every woman in the industry and tell them the same thing I would. And it’s been a real journey for me to internalise this and not let sexism or its biggest branch, ageism, stop me from doing what I love to do. Change is coming and the struggle is real but we’re going to make it, we’re going to make the music industry a safe, equitable place for everyone who wants to be part of it.
What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?
The sense of community! I think we underestimate how much we humans are social beings; of course to the extent everyone wants to be, but no one can do or should do life alone. So when it comes to leading a creative life and turning this into your livelihood, sometimes it’s hard to be fully understood by people who don’t know what that lifestyle is like. It’s a common thing, just like with motherhood for example, you need to experience it to fully understand what having a child is like.
When it comes to non-creatives-for-a-living people (everyone is creative one way or another!), one of the most common things I find it’s not always understood, is that for singers, catching a cold would not be the case of calling in sick and staying in bed for a couple of days. It means we won’t be able to play a gig or do a filming or show up in the studio, which impacts financially and logistically not only ourselves but a large group of people that work with us. So when they are surprised, annoyed or even offended that we have to wear masks, keep a distance or kindly ask to avoid meeting up if they’re not in their best health like it’s 2020, it’s really hard not to feel like a weirdo!
Enter other creatives… that’s when you get your sanity back and realise you’re just doing your best for yourself and your team and there’s nothing wrong with it. And this is just one example. I’ve made some beautiful friendships as a result of going to music networking events, where I found a beautiful support system from people that lead similar lives to mine. We motivate, advise and show up for each other and this is really special. It keeps you grounded in the highs and lifts you up in the lows, which is essential for a 24/7, high risk/high reward job!
A strong sense of community also comes from our audience too, of course. When I see people relating to my lyrics it’s the most rewarding feeling in the world. I performed at a queer club night in London recently and sang a couple of my new tracks for the first time; I don’t know how people were singing along to them even though they are unreleased! I even had to chat to some of them in between songs asking them how they know the lyrics of songs I wrote only a month ago! Priceless.
Music brings us together and it always has; it’s primordial, instinctive and certainly one of the most rewarding aspects of being an artist.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://katherinealy.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/itskatherinealy/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/itskatherinealy
- Linkedin: http://www.linkedin.com/in/itskatherinealy
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/KatherineAly
- Soundcloud: httphttps://soundcloud.com/katherinealy
- Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@itskatherinealy
Image Credits
main photo (grey top/braids) and landscape with shade photo (purple) by Charli Morachnick