We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Katie Ferrara. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Katie below.

Katie , thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Can you share a story about the kindest thing someone has done for you and why it mattered so much or was so meaningful to you?

There have been so many instances of kind acts done for me over the course of my singing career. I can pinpoint the most memorable acts in this response, but I also want to highlight everyday acts that make a difference to me as an indie artist. I’m so grateful to QSC for sponsoring me with my Touchmix and K8.2 speakers. In the past, I’ve used small amps for busking in Santa Monica, Burbank and at farmer’s markets. It meant a lot to be gifted these speakers because musical equipment isn’t cheap, and as an artist, it can be challenging to find the funding to invest in myself. The new speakers have given me more opportunities to perform solo and with a band over the past couple of years.

I’m always grateful to my fans who help share my music online, volunteer to help sell merch at my shows or moderate my live streams. I’m grateful to the fans that come help be audience support at my busking sets at Universal Citywalk and to other musicians and booking agents who recommend me for gigs! Most importantly I’m thankful to fans who have given me generous tips and donations towards my original music and to the songwriter’s and lyricists who have helped me write songs over the years. Thank you all so much!

Very recently, my blue Amazon wagon broke during a gig. One of the wheels had gotten punctured and the other one completely broke off. Some of my fans from my TikTok channel banded together to pitch in money for a new cart. I received it in the mail and I am so thankful for the gift! I use my wagon to transport all my equipment to and from my car when I’m playing in restaurants, hotels, resorts and private parties. It’s an important part of my setup as a musician. Receiving the new cart was so meaningful to me because often I’ve felt like a lone-wolf at my gigs. I play solo much of the time and don’t have many people to rely on when it comes to setting up and breaking down my gear . It is nice to know that I have community on my side who can literally “carry some of the load” in one form or another whether even if they can’t be there in person to help. me.

The most memorable act of kindness was in 2017 when I was busking in downtown Burbank. I often used to street perform on the corner of San Fernando and Palm Avenue. One day, I came out to play and a street artist named George Shallhoob had painted a black and white image of my face on a utility box on that street corner. You can find the mural of me on Google Maps by typing in my first and last name in the search engine. That moment was very meaningful because I felt seen, valued and appreciated for my talent. It’s very easy to give up your dreams in the music industry when faced with challenges and it was such a kind gesture and reminder to keep doing what I’m doing, and that my music makes an impact on people even if I can’t see it in the moment. You never know who is listening or watching when performing live.

The other memorable act of kindness was on my 33rd birthday. I hosted and organized a songwriter event at Lyd and Mo Photography studio in Pasadena. I invited several performers to play and held an open mic for anyone new to the studio. Lyd and Mo surprised me with a cake at the end of the night. All of my friends sang to me while I blew out the candles. I was gifted a beautiful turquoise self-portrait by a local artist I met while busking at Echo Park Lake earlier that year. His name is Miguel Alberto. That moment was a reminder to me of how much music brings people together. In my opinion, often times as artists we think that success is being on TV and getting signed to a major label. Part of success, at least to me, is being able to inspire people and help others shine. Miguel said that he was so inspired by my busking in Echo Park and it helped him stay motivated to continue painting.

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?

I am a full-time working musician and award-winning folk/pop singer songwriter from Los Angeles. I not only write my own songs, but I am a live-entertainer providing music to hotels, resorts, restaurants, private parties, weddings, and corporate events. My repertoire covers folk and pop music from the 60’s to present and my songwriting can best be described as “honest and “authentic music” with at times an “ethereal flair”.

I started singing when I was a teenager in my high school choir and learned guitar while studying psychology in college. In 2014, I decided to do music full time after I had some success “busking” or street performing in various locations around Los Angeles. At first, I didn’t plan on making music my career-it was a hobby I simply enjoyed in my free time. However, after a few years of street performing, I was offered paid gigs in venues around town and began to gig 4-5 nights a week. Over the years, I’ve had some great success in as a winner in several global online music competitions such as the 2015 Toyota Feeling the Street Competition, the 2019 Musicash Competition and the 2022 Buskers World Cup in Gwangju. Through these competitions, I’ve had the honor and privilege of being able to travel around the world performing my original music at festivals in New Zealand, South Korea, the UK, and Europe.

I believe what sets me apart from other musicians in my industry is my voice, messages in my original music, my work ethic, and wide range of music I cover on acoustic guitar. My original music is often said to be “uplifting, spiritual, calming and motivational” . My songwriting covers topics such as love, friendship, personal power and belief in oneself to social issues such as homelessness, war, and the need for clean water. I like to align my music with charities, events and causes which help people overcome some of these issues.

What also sets me apart from other musicians is my performer setup. My equipment is all self-contained and I do not have to rely on a venue to provide me power. I can set up just about anywhere within a 6X6 foot space and run my speakers on battery power. It all collapses and fits into my highly portable wagon which I use to transport my equipment.

Having the freedom to setup and play just about anywhere is important to me as a brand!I have the flexibility to be very minimal or complex in terms of use of the performance space. For some events, I prefer to use a small Bose S1 speaker and for others with attendees of up to 400+ I prefer to use my QSC system.

When I sing, I try to use the music as a vessel for my emotions. I’m not so much a technical singer who specializes in runs and belting. While I can at times do this, I believe what sets my voice apart from others is the belief in the messages behind my songs, my tone, and vocal warmth. Every song I sing is an opportunity for me to transform any emotions bottled up inside of me into art. It is an expression of freedom and my true self. I sing from my heart and soul and prioritize a deep connection to the music and lyrics whether it be a cover song or original. In my opinion, this authenticity is what keeps audiences coming back to my live performances.

My cover repertoire consists of almost 800 songs I’ve learned over the years. I’m not the type of cover artist that tries to sing a song exactly like the original. I like to put my own spin on covers in my setlist, especially since I play the majority of my gigs solo with an acoustic guitar. I believe that creating my own unique arrangements of songs helps create a refreshing yet recognizable setlist that has the ability to entertain just about anyone at a party or event. I like knowing a range of songs from different eras at my gigs so that people from just about any generation can feel nostalgic. At times I consider myself to be an acoustic DJ!

We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?

For a large portion of my career I learned that hard-work is what makes an artist successful. I was told by industry professionals that hard work over talent is what creates success for the indie artist in the long-run. I’ve often been told by friends and fans that “I’m that hardest working woman in show business”.

While I can appreciate the compliment, I’ve come to believe that hard-work is only one aspect of the equation. While it is true that it is necessary to work hard for your dreams, what is not true is that sometimes you just can’t do everything yourself. Sometimes in order to grow, you have to take a step back and realize what your weaknesses are, then seek out mentors and other professionals to help in those areas. Sometimes you can’t do the same thing in order to get the desired outcome. You have to change with the times and that requires self-reflection.

Asking for help in my opinion, is what makes other creatives feel seen and valued in the artistic community. Everyone has their own experiences and levels of expertise. It’s important to give as much as you take. Being a hard-worker is a great quality to have, but that energy needs to be directed to the right places in order to make progress.

As I reach the end of a cycle in my career I often feel as though I’m reinventing myself and fixing my foundations. Sometimes I feel that going back to square one and rediscovering why I gravitated to singing. I’m seeking out higher knowledge. I’m working on my professional communication, vocal and guitar technique. I’m diving deeper into self-recording and production. I’m simplifying and planning sets rather than constantly learning new material. I’m looking for ways to reinvent the material I already have without constantly looking for external inspiration. It’s a challenge, but I definitely think that this is an important learning experience in shifting energy focus to where it needs to be before I set foot onto a plane and travel the world again.

How did you build your audience on social media?

In 2014, when I decided to start doing music full-time, I relied heavily on Instagram and Facebook. I posted pictures of everything I was doing-whether it was supporting another artist at a venue such as the Hotel Cafe, to posting pictures of people I was co-writing with. I used to post pictures of where I was performing, whether it was a bar, or a busking set out in Santa Monica or Burbank. My posts were personal and relatable and my followers were mostly other artists, close friends and family. As I made more money from live performances, the quality of my content improved and I was able to utilize my fanbase that I made online to help fund some of my albums.

In 2016 I started a Periscope account and live streamed to connect with fans all over the world. I would stream my gigs and show people my hobbies such as cooking, and doing tarot cards. Streaming was also a great way to connect with people based in Europe as well as different parts of America and Asia. It’s been such a pleasure to meet some of these fans in real life while touring!

Over time, as social media changed, I had to adapt to these changes, especially when TikTok became popular. Video content became a priority over pictures. One way I managed to build my TikTok account was live streaming my gigs and posting snippets of cover songs from the gig to my feed.

I would say that if you are just starting to build a social media presence as a creative, always stick to your core values when posting. Consistency and authenticity is key. While there are strategies involved in going viral and retaining viewership, in my opinion, simply relying on strategies will only create short term growth. In the long run, it’s better to have more quality connections that thousands of views on a post. Choose to share meaningful and engaging content over a trend because every couple of years a new app becomes popular. What matters is how we connect and get to know people. Social media is only a tool we can use as creatives to help add to what we already do for a living. I believe there is a healthy balance between real world connections and being connected on the internet.

Contact Info:

• Website: http://www.katieferrara.com
• Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/katieferraraofficial
• Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/katieferraramusic
• Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/kfofficialmusic
• Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/katiekatify
• Other: http://www.tiktok.com/katieferraraofficial

Image Credits
Lyd and Mo Photography (Couch and Floor Photos) Justin Higuchi (Welcome Photo) Peter Zuehlke (CityWalk photos)