Today we’d like to introduce you to Katie Pederson.
Hi Katie, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
International award winning songwriter Katie Pederson is a pop-piano songstress with Michigan roots. Having toured the country with her lyrical and vulnerable songwriting on display, she has shared the stage with artists such as Ben Folds, Mason Jennings, and Will Dailey. Inspired by pop piano icons, Katie’s latest full length project “Limitless,” released in the spring of 2022 captured the hearts of fans of Carol King and Elton John. The album was nominated for the Indie Acoustic Project’s Record of the Year, with several tracks receiving recognition from the John Lennon and International Songwriting Competitions. Shortly after the release of Limitless, she began a new endeavor with an Americana Trio, The Rebel Eves, with award-winning songwriters Jilian Linklater and Grace Theisen, gaining critical acclaim in the Michigan music circuit. In celebration of a decade of artistry in the music industry, Pederson’s latest singles are raw and reflective arrangements, paying homage to her younger self and celebrating perseverance in an ever changing music industry. Most recently, she made her songwriter debut at Nashville’s one and only Bluebird Cafe. While her journey has been years in the making, her story it seems, is just beginning.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
The music industry is a beast of a business. But music has brought me back time and again. I think the biggest struggle beyond all of the obvious ones related to finances with streaming being the way it is, touring being nearly impossible to make a living, and songwriters having trouble getting paid, is more just the tenacity to continue showing up as your true artist self and trusting that the net will appear. It’s working so far, and I’m grateful for that.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I am a songwriter that specializes in writing reflectively and honestly and sometimes uncomfortably. I really feel that art has the power to make us see ourselves in ways we haven’t before, and whenever I show up at the piano or the guitar, and just tap into that honesty, the songs will flow. I am an award winning solo artist under my own name, and also am a part of the trio The Rebel Eves. We’ve been touring as a band for the last two and a half years and it’s been a real joy to be able to create community from Michigan to Oregon through our songs and shows. It’s been a wild experience. I also co-write a lot in town & just generally love collaborating with other creatives who are willing and open to try out new things & new ideas. Through music, I am also really passionate about advocacy for others. My band The Rebel Eves chooses an organization to support each tour run we do so we’ve been able to put our money where our mouth is by donating to the ACLU, The TN Equality Project, and local food banks in the cities that we tour in, which has been really meaningful.
We’d love to hear about how you think about risk taking?
Risks are imperative for growth! I don’t feel like risks are the most fun to make at the time, but I do feel they are the most rewarding. When I first moved to Nashville, I didn’t have a job or a place to live yet, but I knew I needed to end up there. And so I shipped my stuff down and followed shortly after, and it was a huge risk. But I just hit 6 years here and it was the best risky decision I ever made. I also feel like risks are so necessary in songwriting. If you really want a song to hit people where they can reach it, you have to take the risk of exposing yourself in ways that can sometimes be just really vulnerable. I read an interview with Brandi Carlile where she had gone back and forth about putting one of those songs on her record up until the day it went to print, and it’s my favorite song on the record (Anniversary). Risks are worth it in life when you follow your heart, and songs are the same way I think.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://katiepederson.com
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/katiepedersonmusic
- Facebook: https://facebook.com/katiepedersonmusic
- Youtube: https://youtube.com/@katiepedersonmusic
