AN INSTANT HIT!
Coffee shop worker records online song before bed... then becomes pop sensation overnight (and gets a record deal to boot!)
AFTER finishing her shift at a coffee shop, aspiring musician Katie Gregson-MacLeod went home and recorded a short video of one of her songs and posted it on TikTok.
By the following morning the 21-year-old Scot was astonished to discover she had become, literally, an overnight sensation.
The clip of her playing piano and singing had gone viral with even internationally famous artists joining the bandwagon.
To her amazement, she soon had record company executives knocking on the door of the Perk cafe in Inverness while she was busy serving lattes and doughnuts.
Now, just weeks later, her video has been viewed seven million times and Katie has signed a recording deal. The speed of her rise to stardom is breathtaking and she admits it is hard to take it all in.
Katie said: ‘It’s been wild even if a bit overwhelming. It’s surreal. A few weeks ago I wrote the song. I didn’t even have a title. I recorded a wee clip of the chorus and put it on TikTok and went to bed.
‘I woke up to absolute pandemonium. Lots of artists I loved were sharing it. But I still couldn’t have foreseen the circus that ensued.’
Born and raised in Inverness, Katie, whose mother taught the school choir, is about to enter her final year studying history at the University of Edinburgh.
During the holidays, though, she works at Perk Coffee & Doughnuts. A guitarist and pianist, she has been writing songs for years and had recently started doing some
‘Staff from three major labels were at the tables’
gigs including appearing at the Belladrum music festival in her home town.
However, her spectacular rise to fame began unexpectedly on August 5, when she uploaded the 45-second clip of the unfinished piano ballad, now called Complex, on TikTok before going to bed.
In the morning she found 100,000 people had viewed it including Cuban-American pop star Camila Cabello and Brit-award winning singersongwriter Tom Walker.
Cabello even recorded a cover of the song. She said: ‘I love the original so much I was inspired on the plane and wrote my own version.’
Music label bigwigs took note and booked flights to Inverness in a bid to sign the breakthrough artist.
Several turned up at Perk Coffee & Doughnuts, all on the same day.
Katie, who continued to clear tables during negotiations, said: ‘I walked in and staff from three major labels were at the tables.
‘It was bizarre. These industry giants sitting at their own wee tables in wee Perk. I even cleared one of their tables as I felt bad for the staff. I found it hard to choose as everyone was really passionate and lovely. I went with my gut.’
She picked Columbia Records – home to acts such as Bob Dylan, Beyonce and Harry Styles. Katie added: ‘My A&R man handles George Ezra and the label has Harry Styles and an extensive roster. I’m going to be in good hands.’
Columbia Records rush-released the demo version of Complex on Friday. It has already begun to rocket up the charts. Katie says she might take a break from university to pursue her music career although she is still working at Perk until term starts next month.
She said: ‘It’s a small team and we’re a bit of a family. The staff are buzzing and said if I need time off I can have it as this is my moment. I need to think about whether to take a year out from my studies.’
Ferdy Unger-Hamilton, president of Columbia Records, said: ‘Katie is an amazing talent. We all fell in love with Complex on TikTok but couldn’t believe how good she was when we met her. We are incredibly lucky to be working with her.’