Kaia Kater

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Kaia Kater
Kater in July 2018
Kater in July 2018
Background information
BornSeptember 1993 (age 30)
Montreal, Quebec, Canada
OriginGrenadian-Canadian
Genres
Instrument(s)voice, banjo, piano, guitar
LabelsSmithsonian Folkways Recordings (Outside Canada)
Websitekaiakater.com

Kaia Kater (born in Montreal, Quebec) is a Canadian singer-songwriter, guitar, piano and banjo player.

Background[edit]

Kater was born in Montreal, Quebec, where she spent her early childhood in Mile End.[1] She started playing the banjo at 12 years old.[2] She also lived in Wakefield, Ottawa and Winnipeg before attending Davis & Elkins college in Elkins, West Virginia on a banjo scholarship.[3][4] In Elkins, she also learned to flatfoot and deepened her knowledge of body percussion (hambone).[4] Kater spoke about her experience being a woman of color in West Virginia, and experiencing racism. "If 70 or 75 percent of the time it was a wonderful experience, there was also that other part of the experience where I did encounter some racism, or I witnessed racism. I felt the racial divide very strongly, more so than in Canada".[2] Her mother is from Quebec, and her father immigrated to Canada from Grenada as a teenager in 1986 as part of a young speakers program, after the U.S. invasion.[5]

She grew up spending significant time in the North American folk music community, attending festivals, camps and conferences frequently during her teen years.[6]

Musical career[edit]

At 17, she recorded her first EP recording titled "Rappin' Shady Grove" that she claims was inspired by Drake and his storytelling in his songs.[2]

She released her first EP Old Soul in 2012, and her first full-length album Sorrow Bound in 2014.[7]

In 2016, she won the "Pushing the Boundaries" award at the 12th Canadian Folk Music Awards for her third album, Nine Pin.[8] The Guardian reviewed it as "tremendous" with four stars out of five.[9] Rolling Stone noted Kater's mixture of traditional banjo playing and "sobering, honest lyrics exploring all-too-current themes including poverty and racism...a quiet, yet powerful storm", naming her a "need to know" artist of 2016.[10] NPR highlighted her single, "St. Elizabeth," for its rustic wisdom, comparing her vocalization to a "run-down preacher dispensing folk wisdom on the street."[11] Kater recorded the album in a single day in Toronto.[12]

In 2017 and 2018, Kater toured extensively, performing at venues and festivals throughout the United States, Canada, Europe and the United Kingdom, including a performance at the Kennedy Center, at the invitation of the Grammy Museum as part of a tribute to Pete Seeger.[13] She performed at the 2018 Newport Folk Festival, with Rolling Stone highlighting her performance as one of the '12 Best Things We Saw' [14] and Carnegie Hall announced her performance as part of Migrations: The Making of America in their 2018-2019 season.[15]

Kater's 2018 album, Grenades, explores her personal history, including the story of her father's childhood and journey to Canada.[16] Kater traveled to her father's homeland of Grenada to seek inspiration for the album. This was the first trip she had taken there as an adult.[5]

While influenced by folk music, Kater cites Nina Simone, Erykah Badu and Lauryn Hill as important voices in shaping the direction of her artistic, social and political expression.[17]

References[edit]

  1. ^ Amara Thomas (December 14, 2017), "Kaia Kater's music is beautiful proof that banjos aren't just for hillbillies and the Confederacy", The Fader
  2. ^ a b c "Different Strokes: Kaia Kater in Conversation with Nefesh Mountain". The Bluegrass Situation. 2016-07-20. Retrieved 2022-03-27.
  3. ^ "Ottawa acts vie for Canadian Folk Music Awards". Ottawa Citizen. 2016-09-22. Retrieved 2018-10-11.
  4. ^ a b Deutsch, Joni. "Kaia Kater: A Portrait of a Young Quebecalachian". Archived from the original on 2018-10-11. Retrieved 2018-10-11.
  5. ^ a b "Kaia Kater Explores Identity, Memory, and Roots on 'Grenades' out 10.26 Via Smithsonian Folkways Recordings". Docslib. Retrieved 2022-03-27.
  6. ^ "How the banjo helped Kaia Kater understand her Afro-Caribbean roots | CBC Radio". CBC. Retrieved 2018-10-11.
  7. ^ "Kaia Kater". kaiakater.com. Retrieved 2018-10-11.
  8. ^ 2016 Canadian Folk Music Awards recipients announced, Canadian Folk Music Awards, December 4, 2016
  9. ^ Neil Spencer (August 28, 2016), "Kaia Kater: Nine Pin review – where bluegrass meets Nina Simone", The Guardian, Manchester UK
  10. ^ Stephen L. Betts (May 4, 2016), "10 New Country Artists You Need to Know: May 2016", Rolling Stone
  11. ^ Boilen, Bob (24 July 2018). "Newport Folk 2018 Preview: Cheech And Chong, Kaia Kater, Glorietta, And More". NPR Music: All Songs Considered. Retrieved 23 March 2022.
  12. ^ "Kaia Kater". pinecone.org. Retrieved 23 March 2022.
  13. ^ "Kaia Kater To Perform In Pete Seeger Tribute At Kennedy Center". Quicksilver Productions. Archived from the original on 2018-10-11. Retrieved 2018-10-11.
  14. ^ Doyle, Jonathan Bernstein,Patrick (2018-07-30). "Newport Folk Festival 2018: 12 Best Things We Saw". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2018-10-11.{{cite magazine}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  15. ^ "Karine Polwart Kaia Kater - 3/23/2019 9 PM". www.carnegiehall.org. Retrieved 2018-10-11.
  16. ^ "Shifting gear, digging roots - SOCAN Words and Music". SOCAN Words and Music. 2018-09-26. Retrieved 2018-10-11.
  17. ^ "Kaia Kater Explores The Heavenly and The Sinister on "Saint Elizabeth"". Noisey. 2016-06-20. Retrieved 2018-10-11.

Further reading[edit]

External links[edit]

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