Pop chick, Katie Mac hits YMC with an exclusive Quarantine Q+A. She chats songwriting, the creative process and her new EP “Self Sabotage”!
Like everyone else, we’ve been bored in our homes for months, how have you been curing your boredom in quarantine? Have you taken up any new hobbies?
Yes actually! I’ve been learning how to produce and make my own visuals. It ended up being really helpful for creating this EP because I was able to be very involved in things I normally rely on other people for. I made my own music video, promo content, and I even got to cut/ comp a lot of my own vocals which was really cool.
You're based in Nashville - tell us your favorite thing about the city and any local spots you want to recommend?
I think my favorite thing about living in Nashville is the community feel. Personally, I feel really grateful for the community of pop writers/artists here. As far as local spots, I am a huge Taquaria Del Sol fan (12th South) and I spent a lot of time at Shakti Yoga. Both have been staple places for me since I moved here!
How do you think your music and/or writing has grown since you’ve started music?
One of the coolest parts of being an artist is that my art is kind of like a personal photo album or story that narrates my life and growth. The more music I make, the more I’ve learned how important honesty and self-reflection is. I currently feel like I’m the most in tune with myself and my art that I’ve ever been, and so releasing an EP that is so introspective reflects that. Sonically, I feel like I’ve been getting more “in my lane” with every release, and I’m just excited to keep growing and learning!
Where do you draw inspiration for your songs? What is your favorite part of the creative process of writing music?
When I’m writing for myself, my songs are almost always about my real life. Lucky for me, I happen to lead kind of a chaotic life so there’s a lot of content. My favorite part of the process varies by song but usually, it’s when I hear the track back and it “clicks” for the first time – meaning that it feels like it’s telling the story I want to tell.
Do you have a meaningful or fun story that you can remember from any of your writing sessions?
Yes! On this EP, we have a song called, “Worried About Me” which I wrote with two of my best friends, Will McBeath and danny G. The song was written for the people I love in my life and it was really special to bring that to fruition with two people who are so close to me personally. That session was really meaningful.
I know everyone always asks this question, but who would you want to collaborate if you could collaborate with any artist dead or alive, and why?
Honestly I love this question but my answer might be a little cliché… I was inspired to write songs when I first listened to T-Swift and I honestly still love her so much and would die to work with her.
What do you hope your audience will get out of your EP Self Sabotage? What message do you want to convey with your music?
I hope that people can listen to this project and feel the honesty. It was a really cathartic process for me because I was discovering a lot of things within myself while we were making it. I consider my music to be really relatable and I just hope that people can find something in it that resonates and makes them feel less alone in their experiences.
I know all of your songs hold a special place in your heart and a lot of artists compare trying to pick a favorite one of their songs to a mom trying to pick her favorite child, but what song off of Self Sabotage do you resonate the most with?
LOL- that is such a good comparison. I think my favorite on this record is the title track. It really felt true to me when I was writing it and I absolutely loved the way the track came out. It represents a shift in my artistry and I’m super grateful that people seem to enjoy it too!
