Kate Leahy

Artist Information

Biography

On the back of her European tour promoting her first EP, Kate recently recorded her 2nd. It’s called ‘Reborn’, recorded in Sydney with renowned bassist and producer David Symes (Missy Higgins, Sarah Blasko), Hamish Stuart (Marcia Hines, Jackie Orszaczky), Stu Hunter (Katie Noonan, Wes Carr) and Ben Edgar (Megan Washington, Missy Higgins).

Kate is now set to head off on a tour of regional and metropolitan Australia. Alongside her venue gigs, she’s also connecting with fans in a different way with her ‘sofa sessions’ tour – going to the homes of her fans, sitting on their sofas and performing for them and their friends.

Kate grew up in Central QLD with lots of wide-open spaces. “When everything is quiet around you… that’s the best time to make noise. I used to spend whole days in our old dairy shed singing as loudly as I liked… rocking out in front of the cows! Funny!” She taught herself to play guitar and piano and recorded her first EP at the age of 18.

She has collaborated with some of the best musos from around the world. From one of Germany’s biggest names, Dieter Thomas Kuhn, to performing at the Jazz Open in Stuttgart alongside artists like Katie Melua, to working with producers like Jim Barr (Portishead).

Her successes include reaching #1 on Triple J unearthed with The Life Raft, supporting Matt Corby, being a 2012 MusicOz finalist, and having men’s underwear thrown at her on stage in Germany.

Kate’s songs always have a story. “Reborn - sounds like I’m talking about a lover… but actually it’s a song about going home. Other songs on the EP talk of the big changes we all have to make from time to time… and the fear we feel in taking the steps that we need to take.”

Kate is uniquely imaginative and down to earth, very much ‘the girl next door’. You only need to see her self made video clips to know that. Her first clip (an intense stop motion production) cost her $20 to make and took her to #9 on Youtube’s ‘most discussed music video’ chart.

She has an obsession with languages too, so depending which country she is performing in, you’ll catch her chatting away in either English, French or German in between songs.

It’s all about the love of music for Kate. She’s a fan of any artist who makes her groove, or feel something. Her influences are diverse… from the Police to Paul Kelly to KT Tunstall, but she claims her spot in the music scene with energy, honesty and her own unique way of connecting with the audience.

Instrumentation

Hamish Stuart - Drums
David Symes - Bass
Stu Hunter - Piano and Hammond B3 Organ
Ben Edgar - Guitar

Discography

'Reborn' EP released 2012
Radio play in Australia (ABC local radio QLD, 4RO Rockhampton, 88.6 PV-FM Melbourne, Home Brew Radio Sydney)

'The Life Raft' EP released 2009
Radio play in Australia (Bondi FM, Hope FM, ABC local radio, FBI Radio Sydney, Gulf FM South Australia, 88.6 PV-FM Melbourne, Home Brew Radio Sydney), Portugal (94.1 FM) , and Germany (Baden FM, Echo FM)

The Life Raft music video is also on rotation on RAGE.

Links

• Facebook
• Twitter
• Soundcloud
• Youtube

Audio

• Reborn
  Listen   Download
• Baby Steps
  Listen   Download
• Lie For You
  Listen   Download
• Birdy
  Listen   Download

Video

Photo Gallery

Press

• Kate Leahy at the Excelsior [+ Show ]
  

  "Kate is blessed with a soulful voice and a great rapport with the audience... at times she disapp...
  "Kate is blessed with a soulful voice and a great rapport with the audience... at times she disappeared into her songs to such an extent that she could've been on an island alone, or on stage in front of thousands, and wouldn't have known the difference... any lovers of folky pop or soulful singers will discover a rare gem in Kate Leahy." ?-
  
  Mathias Kuntz (Damoozic.com)
  
  

• Kate Leahy's Raft of successes [+ Show ]
  

  Between online marriage proposals and performing with German music idols, Coogee chanteuse Kate Leah...Between online marriage proposals and performing with German music idols, Coogee chanteuse Kate Leahy has finally found her feet in the music industry.
  
  However, it hasn’t been an easy path for the girl from a cattle farm in central Queensland.
  
  “It’s taken a lot of effort and you have to continuously keep at it,’’ Leahy said.
  
  “There are a lot of up-and-coming artists in Australia. You see that in any pub and any venue you walk into. There’s a hell of a lot of competition.”
  
  With the release of her debut EP, The Life Raft, last September, things are moving quickly for the acoustic pop singer. Her song The Life Raft reached No.1 on Triple J’s Unearthed and it has been getting air time in countries such as Portugal and Germany.
  
  A music video for the song, made on a budget of $20, has also had instant success online scoring No.9 on Youtube’s “most discussed music video” chart within the first few days.
  
  But popularity among Youtube fans has also spawned some unexpected online marriage proposals, something that Leahy laughed off and said she tried to ignore.
  
  “It’s great to see that people from across the world are clicking on my music. It’s only recently that everything’s started to pick up,’’ she said.
  
  On top of radio interviews and gigs, Leahy is now preparing for her world tour starting in Germany later this month.
  
  The country is familiar turf for the singer, who has experienced some memorable moments performing with one of Germany’s music sensations, Dieter Thomas Kuhn.
  
  The Life Raft is available for download on iTunes. For more information visit her website http://www.kateleahy.com.au/

Setlist

All originals. A mix of tracks from my first EP, my latest EP and a couple of unrecorded tracks.

1. Birdy
2. Baby Steps
3. The Life Raft
4. Lipstick
5. Something more
6. Impressed
7. Lie for you
8. Reborn

Basic Requirements

Calendar