Kate Cameron Visits Section 36!

Section 36 Music has another visitor! Kate Cameron is a talented singer, and I was so glad she was willing to visit with us and discuss her music, her future goals, and more. I’m sure you’ll love everything she has to say.

So, let's see what happens when Kate Cameron visits Section 36!

Your recent single “Beauty Shots” is simply wonderful. What can you tell me about it?

Thank you so much! Beauty Shots is definitely a left of center song but that’s why I love it so much. I actually created a whole other song 5 years ago with the hook that you can probably find somewhere on Soundcloud. But a couple of years ago I started working with Peter Shurkin who has really been a cool champion of my music. We were searching for an artist song for me that would stand out and the old demo of that song was enough to push forward with the rewrite and production process. I co-wrote and produced the song with Alden Witt and Peter who truly took the time to help me really input my ideas of production and lyrics. The song is cool to me because it displays a lot of different emotions and represents resilience. Even today I hear the song and create new meaning about it. Generally, the song is about trying to fit into a mold to impress someone, or at the least, be accepted. That connects into the music industry, relationships, and just overall life in general. 

 

Do you see more studio work in your future?

Absolutely! I LOVE to sing and do studio work. Balancing time

and money is key because being an independent musician is not cheap! I am always trying to connect with songwriters and producers who understand my sound and who I can work well with. With that said, I’m currently working on a cover project to showcase my voice on another level that I have not done before with my original music. I am also working on a couple singles of original music with different producers trying to find what works best for me! 

 

I really enjoyed the music video for your previous single “Backseat of a Taxi”. What was it like to put that together?

Thank you so much! I really love that video too. I was 24 when I filmed it and that was a really important year for me. I learned a lot about my sound, my personal strengths, and my emotional intelligence while going in and out of a few career changes and relationships at the time. Believe it or not, I edited it all on my own. I actually almost went to college for video production and I still love to dabble in it to this day. My best friend, (and awesome singer) Britt Hill, helped me film it. We used my jeep headlights and flashlights to create lighting and just made sure we caught the sunset. It was actually filmed outside of my apartment in East Nashville at the time as well as the pedestrian bridge at night! I’ve always loved city lights, and sunsets and I think it was really cool how the video came together with those images. 

 

You’re a graduate of Berklee College of Music. What’s the most important thing that did for your career?

Berklee solidified my persona in so many ways. I graduated over 5 years ago but yet there are so many lessons I learned from my teachers and classmates that I still think about and ponder over today. The level of creativity at that school is insane. To be honest I really did not fit in… at all... and it felt like a lot of my peers took advantage of that which was hard at times. While I was there, I often questioned if I should have just gone to a normal college and got the chance to go to sporting events and campus parties because that’s definitely something I never got to do. With that said, I matured so much at Berklee as a singer, songwriter, and overall musician. I could talk for days on end about my time there but the one thing that stands out the most to me to this day was a lesson I got from Livingston Taylor’s (James Taylor’s brother) performance class. He took me aside after class one day and let me know that he sees my talent in ways my classmates don’t. He told me that's what makes me unique. It really helped me with my confidence at a time when I really needed it. Adding a bit of tough love, he also told me I was going to have to get used to not fitting in because I never would. To this day, he was right.

 

Other than COVID, what would you say is your biggest career challenge?

Definitely getting people to take me seriously as a musician and songwriter has always been a challenge. I don’t exactly know why but I do know people don’t expect me to sound like I do. I see people struggling to pinpoint who to compare me to when they hear my music. I’m 5’9, I’m blonde, I’m from a beach town outside Boston and my hobbies outside of music are just like any other twenty-something girl who you would never know was into music. My favorite artists are John Mayer and Bruno Mars (but also Eric Church & Miranda Lambert). Explaining that to a country music industry person is tricky, lol. But when people see me play out at a cover gig they usually get it because I just love music. I sing what I feel and sometimes that feeling changes depending on the day!

 

What are your immediate career goals?

Right now I would love to write music that is truly me. I still love to co-write for others but there is nothing like having a collection of songs that you know are yours and not a lot of other people could cut. I feel like if anything, that’s something I can do well. On a marketing level, I would love to connect with more content creators such as yourself on a personal level. I want to try and get a bit old school with my marketing techniques and really connect with local radio DJs, concert promoters, and industry folks. Social media can feel a bit like an assembly line these days so if I can find a way to break that mold that would be really cool. 

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Those sound like great goals. I hope she reaches them!

As always, I want to thank Kate for visiting, and for sending along the pictures to accompany the interview.

I know you’ll all want to follow along with Kate to see what she's up to. The best way is to follow her online on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook. They’re great ways to make sure you don't miss a thing!

You can also visit her Section 36 Music page. There you'll find more links, music samples, and pictures. It's a great way to enjoy everything Kate has to offer all in one place.

Thanks again Kate, and good luck reaching your goals!