A-Levels are hard. Balancing A-Levels and a blossoming music career at the same time is nigh-on impossible, but Katie Kittermaster is doing it. We caught up with the bright young talent, currently on tour with X Factor sensation Lucy Spraggan, to get the low-down…
Hi Katie! How is touring life treating you?
I love being on tour. My first tour with Brian Macfadden and Keith Duffy; they were so friendly and I got to sing with them every night on stage which was a huge honor. I didn’t know what to expect but it was all positive. I am lucky to be on the road with my manager, Kevin, who is amazing and my guitarist, ben, who is not only a great musician but also a friend. We have found a routine that works for us all. The tour with Lucy is pretty intense with 37 gigs over 55 nights. Some days are quite long due to radio schedules and long distances – but at least I am not doing the driving! Honestly, it can be a little lonely at times. I am on such a high after a gig that it can take a while to relax and get off to sleep. Playing to packed crowds and enthusiastic audiences is great; I think there’s a really good fit with Lucy’s fans and they seem to appreciate my music!
How does it feel to have finished school? And how did your A Levels/the balancing act go? We’re very impressed!
It’s a strange feeling, leaving school. Mixed emotions I guess; part of you wants to leave and part of you wants to stay! I met up with some friends recently and we all agreed that the school days are the best – you just don’t know it at the time!
The A-Levels actually turned out well – 3 B’s!!!!! It was a very busy time as I had quite a few performances at UK festivals during the time of my exams. Strangely my songwriting was prolific during revision – I found it the best way to de-stress. We started recording the EP pretty much as soon as school was out so I needed to rehearse prior to recording. The schedule was pretty busy and it took some balancing but thankfully the exams worked out well and I’m very happy with the EP. Coming Home at Dawn has 2 songs on it that I wrote when I was 15 so I was keen to have some new tracks on there too – one was literally written the day before we recorded it!
You’ve been described as “the female Ed Sheeran”. How does this make you feel?
Well, it’s a very generous comment and Keith Duffy was very kind in saying this. But let’s be honest Ed Sheeran is a god of songwriting and I am just starting out. Of course, it is a huge compliment and I am humbled to think that anyone would think this, let alone say it!!
I write all my songs now and one thing I am looking forward to is collaborating as I am under no illusion that working with a seasoned write can only improve my tracks. I am heading to LA in January for some writing sessions and I’m hoping this will be really productive.
Ed Sheeran continues to be a huge inspiration for me.
