Katie Burden Discusses Her New Video And Debut Album "Strange Moon"
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Katie Burden is a LA based psych pop chanteuse who has been hyped by the likes of Noisey, Flaunt, AllMusic, All Things Go and USA Today for her debut release "Strange Moon". Katie's latest visual for the second song on the album, "Run For Your Life", is a weird spectacle, one which is a must see video for several reasons, one being its highly aesthetic value.
We connected with Katie to discuss her new visual, directed by Ryan Valdez & Devin Schiro, to find out what she's most proud of with her debut album, what she looks forward to musically in 2017, and much more. After reading our exclusive Q&A with Katie, be sure to stream/download "Strange Moon".
How would you describe your sound and who are some of your greatest musical influences?
I like to make music that has lots of drama and emotion. When you listen to “Strange Moon” I want you to feel like you’re listening to the score of an offbeat dark comedy musical. My musical inspirations are always changing but there are a few recording artists that I am always listening to: Kate Bush, Nina Simone, Beth Gibbons, Nina Hagen, PJ Harvey and Fiona Apple to name a few.
What are you most proud of with this new project? Tough question, but do you have a favorite song on it?
Norm Block (“Strange Moon” drummer and producer) and I have a running joke about this because people will listen to this Katie Burden record and the first thing they will comment on is how great the production is. In all seriousness though, I think the warmth and depth of sound Norm was able to capture is what sets the record apart.
I don’t have a favorite song but I do have a favorite moment in every song whether it be an instrumental line, a lyrical phrase or a whole section.
How did you come to discover that you had a talent for singing and performing?
I always wanted to be an artist and performance art was what I was drawn to first. It wasn’t until my mid 20’s that I got the guts to try music seriously.
We're really big fans of your visual for "Run For Your Life"; how did the video come about and what was your inspiration for it?
A lot of the songs I write turn out to be very abstract lyrically but what is unusual about this is that I really connect with lyrics that are more confessional or have strong imagery but for some reason it is not natural for me to write that way. “Run For Your Life” was an experiment in trying to write a straight forward description of a movie which in this case was “Run Lola Run”. For the video I new that we had the option of making something that was either totally out of left field or making something that would literally interpret the lyrics. I think it is pretty clear which path we chose and I'm glad that we did!
What do you look forward to the most regarding your musical career in 2017?
I want to keep introducing people to this music! I'm also looking forward to writing more material with our live band.
Describe your creative process for us when it comes to song creation.
It usually starts with a melody that I’ve pulled out of the ether and then I get on the bass and find interesting chords to put underneath the melody. Rarely have lyrics come first but I’ve been experimenting with switching up my mode of operation. I also really enjoy finding new song ideas through jamming with Norm on drums or any musician for that matter.