katc 620x330 - Cover Story: Kat Dahlia @KatDahlia

Cover Story: Kat Dahlia @KatDahlia

YRB: With so much buzz around your upcoming release My Garden, is there any pressure to succeed?

Kat: Absolutely. I feel it in so many ways, but I try not to focus on it because at the end of the day I want it to be about the music. On the other hand this is a business, and although I’m new to it, I understand there is a business side to it.YRB: What’s one of the biggest lessons you’ve learned thus far? Kat: The biggest one I’ve learned yet I’m still learning is to stick to your guns for what you believe in. I know it sounds cliché but if you don’t stand for something you really will fall for anything.YRB: What is your biggest source of motivation?
Kat: My family motivates me the most. Love, music, and friendships mean so much to me. Life as a whole continually pushes me and makes me want to do something bigger than myself.
k3 - Cover Story: Kat Dahlia @KatDahlia

YRB: Rumor has it Sylvia Rhone signed you to Vested In Culture immediately after hearing you sing. What does having the support of such a veteran in the music industry mean to you?

Kat: Sylvia’s support means so much to me. I have leaned so much from her in such a short period of time. She’s passionate about her job and see- ing me succeed as an artist. It honesty is a blessing to have someone like her in your corner.

 

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YRB: Which song on My Garden means the most to you?
Kat: I would have to say “Gangsta” means the most to me. When I wrote the song I was going through so much shit. It is extremely personal and meaningful to me. Ironically there must be a lot of people that have gone through what I expressed in the song because it did extremely well. I would never have thought so many people would take to it in the way they did because it was just me in my own thoughts.

YRB: What exactly is it like inside your garden?
Kat: We are all complex beings in some form or another and I felt like a garden represents the combination of different emotions we all experi- ence. You have daisies, sunflowers, roses, and even weeds in the back. There are thorns in the garden that you have to watch out for because they will prick the shit out of you. I wanted to invite people into the diversity of my music and my personality for there are so many sides to it. This project is just a glimpse as to where I am in my life at this moment.

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YRB: “Gangsta” spoke of the harshness of a relationship you were in. Are you currently in a relationship?
Kat: I’m single. I don’t have time for a relationship at the moment. I’m focusing on myself and I’m happy that I’m fulfilling my own happiness.

YRB: Your sound has been compared to the likes of Rihanna and Nelly Furtado. How does that strike you?
Kat: I really don’t mind. People can get sensitive about things like that, but as long as I’m being compared to successful people and not some ran- dom girl down the block, I don’t mind it. If I can get half of the success these bitches get then I’m good.

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YRB: Who are some of your musical influences?
Kat: I always give it up to BB King, Frank Sinatra, Elvis, Jimmy Hendrix, Michael Jackson, the list just goes on and on.

 

YRB: Why the choice not to have any collaborations on
My Garden?
Kat: That was a conscious decision I chose to make. If you’re expecting features on the album sorry its going to just be me. You have to actually like me to hear the album because I didn’t want anyone else on this particular project.

YRB: From the first time I met you, I told you that you possess this keen sense of who you are and you don’t take crap from anyone. You are very laid back but can flip the script quickly. Would you say this is an accurate depiction of your character?

Kat: I truly believe so. I always try to stay chill and calm but if I’m out with my friends at a party, we plan to turn the fuck up. I really don’t take things too seriously in life because it’s so short and it’s meant to be lived and have fun and not stress about the little things. I’m constantly making fun of myself, laughing at my friends or they’re laughing at me. When I was younger I would always question the wonders of the world and why things are the way they are. I have since learned to just let life be. God is within all of us, we are all connected, and life is beautiful.

 

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YRB: Would you say we are forever students looking and learning how to find our own way?
Kat: Absolutely. I’m constantly writing about that. I remember being lost and trying to find my purpose. Whether you’re 5 years old on the play- ground or 82 years old, you are constantly learning. Life is one big lesson and I believe we come back if we have more lessons to learn until we ul- timately reach that point of unity. Being one with God and the Universe.

YRB: What would you like for people to walk away with after hearing My Garden?
Kat: That’s a tough one because it all depends on the person and what they are going through. I have happy, uplifting songs, as well as inspirational and really thought provoking options as well. I can’t say one specific thing I want them to take away because it really depends on where they are and what they will understand from it.

YRB: If I touched base with you one year from today where would you like to see yourself?
Kat: I want to see myself in the studio finishing up my second album and doing a tour?

YRB: Are you a workaholic?
Kat: I don’t think I am. I just love what I do. I don’t mind being in the studio everyday all day. It doesn’t feel like work at all. Being in the mo- ment to create a new piece of work is powerful and makes me feel good.

YRB: What advice would you give an aspiring artist reading
this interview?
Kat: I know it sounds cliché, but to honestly believe that you can do this and ultimately be happy with yourself. If you are loyal to the music it will always be loyal to you. Don’t become an artist for the vanity or celebrity aspect of it if you are really in it for the music. If you follow that you will be fulfilled.

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