We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Katie Donnelly. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Katie below.
Alright, Katie thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Do you wish you had waited to pursue your creative career or do you wish you had started sooner?
I think about this question a lot – it’s something I write about in my first EP. Being almost 30 in LA in the music industry has given me a lot of perspectives; it has made me feel behind in many senses, but also, with reflection, has taught me that I got here exactly when I was ready. I started writing music from a young age but always thought of them more as poems. I never really considered myself a ‘songwriter’ till I got to college. I was shy, and never wanted anyone (including my mom) to hear me sing. Writing songs felt like you were opening up my brain and spilling out all my thoughts – and at the time, it felt terrifying to share that with people. I wasn’t comfortable with myself, how I looked, my body, and who I was as a person; I felt very lost for the first part of my teens. Once I got to college, I started opening up a lot more, sharing my music, becoming who I am now, and moving through my twenties have been some of the hardest but also most beautiful times in my life. I feel like I have stepped into who I am, who I want to be, and am constantly working towards being that version of myself and more. Each year in my twenties has felt like 10, filled with lessons, breakups, friendships, and big changes, and I couldn’t be more grateful for all of it.
If I have learned anything over the years, timing is everything. When I think back on being 23 and wanting to move out here, I wouldn’t have been ready. I had so much growing to do. I’m happy I was on the East Coast to do that – it was what I needed at the time. Although it can be hard sometimes to be pushing for this career path later in life, I really have more of a grasp on who I am and want to be as an artist.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
My name is katie, for my artist name I go by ‘kate the dreamer’. The name was something I struggled with for months, playing around with alternate spellings of Katie; at one point, I was thinking about the name ‘lily of the valley,’ but it was taken. After going back and forth, I ended up going with my first choice, kate the dreamer. It stemmed from a couple of different meanings, one being sad and one being happy. My college music professor always said to me after every class, ‘keep dreaming kate’ as I would leave class. It always stuck with me. The other context was being asked by someone very close to me ‘why do you have to be such a dreamer?’ It used to make me question why I couldn’t just let music go, why I had to choose something so off the beaten path. Where I grew up it was encouraged to go to high school, then college, get the 9-5, move to Boston, have the apartment, the golden retriever, and the husband by 28 – and that does work for some people. In fact, it’s the perfect life for most people, but it never really suited me. I have always dreamt of writing, performing, and sharing music with people. I wasn’t sure exactly how I would do it – if someone had told me I would be in LA, writing songs most days, I wouldn’t have believed it.
I started writing poems when I was young. They then turned into out-of-tune guitar strums and shy hidden bedroom songs. I wouldn’t even let my mom listen. It wasn’t until the end of my senior year of high school I started hanging out with a different group, and my friend Shayna encouraged me to record. I played one of my songs at a sleepover one night, and the next day she had me set up with a local producer to get it recorded. If it wasn’t for her, I’m not sure I ever would have had the courage to play. Then when I got to college, I ended up performing more comfortably in front of an audience. I wrote more songs and soon found a band that I ended up playing in through senior year. Once that band broke up, my boyfriend at the time and I created a duo. We wrote, produced, and recorded songs for a couple of years, but nothing ever really came of it. We then broke up, and I was completely heartbroken. I wanted nothing to do with music, so I quit – for about four months. I visited LA and knew I had to move. I knew it was the only way I would be able to pursue music in any way that felt authentic to who I wanted to be. After getting here and writing songs for other people – I realized some of the songs I was writing weren’t for anyone else. I knew then I had to create my own artist project. With the help and support of some amazing writers, producers, and friends, I felt confident enough to release an EP called ‘where’d all my wild things go?’ at the beginning of this year and have plans to release much more starting at the end of this month. I am so grateful for the people around me who have pushed me this far; without their help, I would never have had the confidence to step into the role of an artist.
What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?
Being able to wake up and create music I see as a true gift. It’s something that allows me to get my emotions out, it guides me in fully facing how I am feeling, and creates an environment that really feels welcoming to share things that might otherwise feel like an overshare. Having the ability to create art that resonates with even just one person means so much. I love when people can interpret my songs in a way that it resonates with them. Each song I have written holds a different moment for me in my life, but it plays an even bigger role in how it affects the people around me and their lives – and that to me is so beautiful.
How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?
I always dreamt of the idea of California, but never quite knew how to get myself here. It wasn’t until my breakup trip out to LA I knew as soon as I got off the plane this was a place I wanted to live. It felt comfortable, it felt like I was supposed to be here. Everything back home was playing against me, I had started a new job I hated, moved into an apartment in a town where all my friends were around my ex, I wasn’t enjoying my everyday life, and I knew I wasn’t going to go anywhere by staying there. After I got back from my trip I decided to find a subtle, which only took one day, quit my job, move home, and save money for a few months before I could make my big move. It was the best thing I ever did for myself mentally.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.katethedreamermusic.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/katethedreamermusic/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/katethedreamermusic/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/ktdmusic?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCIacf_xiqowNLUv_V47azuQ
- Other: https://open.spotify.com/artist/40ibIOBa1cL6bAVKDZMf3F?si=tnUg7LgiSKamRx3qw1wKmw
Image Credits
whitey otte lauren nieves