Feature Artist Interview with Kathryn Gallagher

Kathryn Gallagher grew up in NYC, and moved to LA in her early teens. While in LA she began singing and writing songs. She booked her first gig at 15 and has been performing ever since. Recently she was featured in Vanity Fair’s “Spotlight”! If are fortunate enough to be in LA during on of her shows, go see her rock in concert! You can also purchase her music on iTunes here. Read our interview with Kathryn below and be sure to like her on Facebook and follow her on Twitter!

How did you originally get into singing?

“Honestly I don’t remember a time when I didn’t sing. I was that obnoxious kid that wouldn’t shut up, I guess that’s how I started. But from the time I was like 2, my mom told me these stories, I obviously don’t remember, but she told me that we’d be in the car or something and I’d be just making up songs in the backseat. She’d be like ‘what’s that song you’re singing?’ and I’d be like ‘I made it up’ So then she would start pointing things out and say make up a song about that bus, and I would make up songs about it. I’d make up songs all the time and in preschool I’d stand on tables and sing songs from Annie and stuff. I kind of always did. I was probably really annoying to all the other kids in my classes, but I was kind of that kid. I totally was.”

Who are your musical influences?

“Ohh so so many. I love Bob Dylan, hes number one. Sheryl King and James Taylor and that whole trubore era, that is always number one. I also did musicals growing up and that’s had a big influence on me. Musical theater in general. It’s really whatever I’ve been listening to. Recently, I’ve been listening to a lot of , well I’m a die hard Taylor Swift fan, always will be, she’s my favorite ever. I’m a teenage girl so I guess that’s expected. I been listening to a lot of Fun. I think their last album is so good, Some Nights is amazing, and I’m a The Format fan too, so I’ve been following the lead singer for kind of a while in a non creepy way.”

Do you have a favorite musical?

“I love Hair and I love Spring Awakening, I just saw American Idiot, and I thought that was awesome. I think that’s pretty much it, oh and Hairspray, I love Hairspray.”

Did you ever feel pressured to become and actress instead of singing?

‘Not pressure, I grew up doing theater and I love doing theater and I love doing musicals. I studied acting in high school and obviously it’s something that I’ve grown up around. I wouldn’t say that I’ve felt pressured to do it, but it’s something that I love for sure. I’m game for it, I love it.

Do you have a favorite song to sing live?

“It changes. It’s kind of weird because it kind of depends on whose in the audience. One song is ‘Your Name’ of mine. I’m always stoked to play it. It starts with this really funky bass line, it always gets people going and it’s also kind of sassy. When the person that the song is about is in the audience, I get really stoked to play that song. I’m like waiting the whole set to play that song. It may sound weird or kind of creepy and I probably shouldn’t have admitted that but yeah, that’s that. I love that, because they never know…well they probably do actually.”

What was it like being featured in Vanity Fair?

“Oh my god, that was amazing. That was soo cool. Basically, I was at a dinner party one night, and there was a writer from Vanity Fair there, but I didn’t know. We went around and played music and she loved how I sounded and was like ‘We got to get you in Vanity Fair.’ I was like yeah, sure, but that’s never going to actually happen. I kind of brushed it off,and then I got an email from them and they were setting up an interview and photo-shoot. I didn’t believe it was real life until it came out in the magazine. Then I was still like OMG that’s not real. I still don’t think its real, I still think its fake. Everyone is tricking me.”

Did you buy every copy you saw?

“No I did. It came out on a Wednesday morning, and I skipped class and called the news stand and asked if they had the new issue of Vanity Fair yet. I had actually been calling for a few days now, so I think that time they were expecting my call. So they were like “uh yeah” so I said “Ok I’ll be there in like two minutes.” I got there super fast, and I ran there, and I only got like two copies, but my mom got one. There were enough copies. I have one in like every room of my house. It’s casually sitting next to my bed in my dorm. Like it’s just the magazine I read, but open to my page. I was so stoked. It was just so exciting and Vanity Fair is just an amazing magazine. It’s such a classy magazine I felt so honored to be a part of it.”

If you could collaborate with anyone, who would you want to work with?

“I’m right next to one of my friends Matias Mora, who is a fabulous musician right now. I would love to collaborate with him any day. I have to say that because he’s right next to me, but it’s true. But, John Mayer, I think that would be so cool, he’s such a good writer and hes super sexy too. John Mayer or I would love to write with Sheryl King. That would be kind of just an amazing experience just because I love and admire her so much as a writer. Those two are definitely high up on that list.”

What are you currently working on?

“Right now, oh so much. I’m always writing, so I’m writing a lot right now and this summer we’re going to be doing so more recording and hopefully getting together some sort of EP or album, we’ll see how ambitious we get. I would love to do a full length album. But I’m just writing. I’m so paranoid about getting the best song, so I’ll like finish a song and be like great I’m ready and then write a new one and write a new one and be like no, that one has to go on there, so we’ll be getting that done and recorded. I’m working on a music video right now for one of my songs ‘Damaged’ which is is really cool. I’m working with some USC film students. I’m also doing lots of shows. I’m going to be on the east cost for a little bit. I’m going to try to do a few shows there and definitely get some shows out this summer in July. I have a show a week from Friday on April 27th at…so I’m stoked about that. So lots of shows, some recording, and lots of writing.”

Do you have a favorite song to cover?

“Well you know what I’ve been doing recently which is kind fun and it kind of started as a joke an then we realized we had too much fun doing it? We’ve been doing a mashup of ‘Super Bass’ and ‘Teenage Dream’ and ‘Call Me Mayb’e. I’m such a pop junkie, I love pop music, and I know that’s like blah, but I’m obsessed! I love a catchy hook. All those songs are so fun to sing, so we were just messing around one day in our rehearsal and I started wrapping ‘Super Bass’ and then it went right into ‘Teenage Dream’ and then when ‘Call Me Maybe’ came out we were like lets add it on. It’s so fun. But I also always cover ‘Son of a Preacher Man’ which is one of my favorite songs ever and it’s just so funky and people love it. It’s so timeless.”

Do you have a favorite concert that you have performed so far?

“Well I opened up for Robby Kreiger and Raymond Manzarek of The Doors last summer. It was pretty much just the coolest thing that I think has ever happened. I played at Sunset Music Festival, so it was where they started, and just to see that was kind of amazing. Tha’ts where I played my first show. So the overall experience was pretty fantastic. I got to say opening up for Ray and Robbie of The Doors was pretty fantastic.”

Do you watch ‘Covert Affairs’?

“Of course I watch Covert Affairs. Actually I’ve only seen a few episodes, I’m pretty lame, no that’s not true I’ve seen a bunch of episodes. I think it’s awesome, I think it’s such a good show. I love the entire cast, and obviously that guy that plays Arthur Campbell, I mean I guess he’s alright. It’s such a good show. Chris Gorham is the greatest guy in the world. I got to mention that he’s just one of the best guys I know. He and my dad have become major buds. Chris is awesome and he’s a cool guy. He came to my show, so I like him the most. If you come to my show, you’ve got to know that you’re going to be on my good side forever. The whole cast is awesome, honestly they’re a really really good group of people. It’s so rare that you get to work with such an amazing group of people day in and day out so I’m glad my dad gets a really awesome group of people to work with and work on such an awesome show.”

What would your favorite concert line-up be either to see or be a part of?

‘This is fun, alright, speaking of fun, I would love to play a show with Fun. I saw The Format a while back, they had such a fantastic show, and I love their music. If I could put dead people in there, I’d wanna see Janis Jopplin, and Jimmy Hendrix with me. I’d like to be in that. Then throw in Fun. and The Beatles. Throw every rock song in there I know. I want Jim Morrison to be alive and I want to see them again that would be cool. Honestly, I would like to play with any person ever. As a total line up, just put me in Woodstock and I would be happy.”

Check Out Kathryn Gallagher’s Music:

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S_NIRE2Il5c]