Becoming a mum inspires Kate to release first single
JONATHAN GEDDES
An up-and-coming Rutherglen singer is feeling luminous with the release of her first single.
Kate McPhail unveiled the emotive piano pop of Neon Lights last week, ahead of her EP Roam, which will be out later in the summer.
The 36-year-old has been keen to release her own tunes for a while, and was finally inspired to go for it after becoming a mum last year.
She explained: “Having my wee girl Mara gave me a bit more focus.
“I want it to be normal for her to feel nervous or scared, but to do the thing she wants to do anyway.
“And to be honest, the sheer frustration of not releasing the music ultimately overtook the fear of it.”
A classically trained pianist, Kate studied at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland and the Royal Irish Academy of Music, before working on her Masters degree in Paris.
She currently works with the Sistema Scotland charity, helping children fulfil their potential and gain opportunities through music.
However, it took her years to realise that she could sing as well as play instruments.
Kate explained: “I remember in primary school working on a ‘who do you want to be when you grow up’ activity.
“To the amusement of my teacher, I chose Justine [Frischmann) from Elastica.
“But classical music sort of took over, which was also great, and when I went to music college I followed that path hell for leather for a while.
“At one point, I hurt my arm, and it forced me to take stock. I found out I could sing, having genuinely not realised for most of my life, and it felt more like home to me in some ways.”
Released under the stage name of kate.e.lake, the singer, who now lives in Glasgow, is delighted her music is out there.
She first began working on ideas for songs three years ago, while building up the courage to release them.
Kate continued: “I definitely feel more vulnerable putting my own songs out there, but it’s also very freeing in so many other ways.
“In terms of the songs themselves, the lyrics came first and then I spent quite a long time trying to figure out how I wanted it to sound.
“I’ve not been as immersed in the songwriting world, so in a way knowing less probably helped me get over that initial hurdle.
“I like big washes of sound, and getting into a sort of atmospheric bubble with music was the intention here.”
The singer’s style is influenced by the likes of ambient Danish songbird Agnes Obel, folk band Lau and minimalist electro songwriter James Blake.
“Their music feels interesting, unexpected and energetic, but still beautiful and atmospheric in some way.
“Nils Frahm also falls into that camp for me. It stems from being totally obsessed with playing Debussy for a long time I think. I love music that balances something ethereal with a sense of vitality or drive.”
Neon Lights is currently available via Soundcloud at www.soundcloud.com/ kateelake and via other streaming services.
Visit www.facebook.com/kateelake.music or www.kateelake.com/ for more on Kate’s music.