Kate Voegele

Not Just a Pretty Girl
Singer-songwriter Kate Voegele toughens up on Gravity Happens

By Jeff Niesel

You might not know it, but 24-year-old singer-songwriter Kate Voegele has paid her dues. The Bay Village, Ohio native spent the latter part of her teens playing regional clubs and showcasing to half empty bars at industry events like South by Southwest. But she stuck with it and in 2007 got a gig on the teen TV show One Tree Hill. The show not only provided a showcase for Voegele’s music, but it also gave Voegele the opportunity to develop some acting skills. Now, with her third studio album, Gravity Happens, Voegele shows signs of musical maturity as she embraces a rootsy sound that’s more Sheryl Crow than Colbie Caillat. Phoning in from Los Angeles, where she recently moved, Voegele spoke about her new disc.

I’m not sure everyone knows that your career is nearly a decade long. Can you talk a little about what got you started at such a young age?

I started in Cleveland when I was 15. My dad taught me to play guitar my freshman year of high school, and it was a way to make sense of my world and figure out the basics of life as a 15-year-old. I never knew it would turn into something. My dad is not a musician by trade but he’s an amazing musician. He was so excited I started to play. So he snuck into my room and stole my demo and started playing it for people who were booking shows at places like the [now-closed] Odeon in Cleveland and at big pavilions in Pittsburgh, where I started playing the side stage for when guys like John Mayer came into town. It kind of freaked me out because I hadn’t planned on that. The scene there was so good to me. People were so welcoming and there was a great local music scene in the Midwest.

You played industry showcases, too.

Yeah, I played SXSW a couple of years; I think I did it once when I was in high school. Then, I started evolving and doing stuff like Farm Aid and freaking out as I was standing backstage with Neil Young. I got signed via MySpace when it was in its heyday and had a record label. It was a wild evolution of events that led to me being in L.A. now.

The MySpace label eventually became part of Interscope, right?

It was an upstream thing. My last two records were put out with them. It was great and a good experience. I’m doing this album with ATO because Interscope wanted me to make a dance record. Gaga is great and Gaga is good, but I like my guitar better.

I guess post-Gaga, that’s what they are looking for.

Yes, and I get that. It’s like a relationship with a guy. You are good for a couple of years and then you realize you want different things. I’m thrilled to be with ATO and I’m so happy that I made the record I wanted to make. I made something organic and raw and rootsy and true to my roots.

Landing the gig on One Tree Hill in 2007 has certainly been great not only for providing an outlet for your music but also for developing your acting skills. Talk about what the show has meant to you.

That’s been a really cool component of my career. It was very unexpected. I went to an audition after the first MySpace record. I know they were looking for an actress who was a musician and I knew it would give me an opportunity to play my music on national TV. I went out for it not expecting to have a shot at all. In the middle of my audition, the creator of the show interrupted me and said that he knew that I was a fantastic musician but told me I could do the acting, too. It turned out to be an incredible platform for my music, which first and foremost is my passion. It’s my first language. It did kind of evolve into something that I really enjoy.

Gravity Happens is already being called the album that showcases your maturity. Talk about the songwriting process and take us back to the album’s origins.

It’s definitely an evolution for me. It’s not going to shock my fans from my last two records in that it’s not a dance record. It’s a logical evolution, though, and the songwriting process was interesting because I actually had a year to write an album. With this record, I moved to California and was inspired by pushing myself out of my comfort zone. It helped me to grow up. It’s called Gravity Happens because the songwriting is centered on a theme that I keep seeing, which is that growing up isn’t easy. It’s complicated no matter who you are or where you’re from. The world is a crazy place. I spent some time in Nicaragua and met kids there and that totally rocked me. Seeing friends and families go through challenges was really scary, too.

Did you try to go for a slightly tougher sound in songs like “Hundred Million Dollar Soul” or “Impatient Girl”?

Definitely. I wanted this record to be not very eloquent. I wanted it to be ballsier than my other stuff. I wanted it to be a little bit less reserved and I wanted it to be raw and honest. I’m an artist who keeps things close to the vest. I’ve learned as I’ve evolved as a writer that being vulnerable is important. There’s no point in telling people how you feel if you’re not going to go for it one hundred percent.

And yet there are still beautiful ballads like “Sunshine in My Sky” on the record.

Absolutely. I’m trying to show a couple of sides of my personality. Since I’ve started in this business, I’ve felt so much that everyone wants you to fit into a box. I have a sound or brand. But there’s variety to my music.

I like the fact that songs such as “Sandcastles” have a roots rock vibe. Talk generally about your musical inspirations.

My parents raised me on Clapton and James Taylor and Carole King and the rootsy stuff that was around. That definitely comes from me being a big fan of Sheryl Crow and Shania and Joni Mitchell and some of these women who made impacts on the business in different ways. It’s like this heartland rock that’s not country or twangy.

Were you channeling the frustration of a real-life relationship into the songs here?

Some of them, yeah. There are certain songs like “Impatient Girl” that sounds like it’s about a relationship, but I wrote that song about getting frustrated with my old label. They would say, “We want you to go into the studio and do what you want” and then they’d be like, “We want you to make an urban record.” I was like, “Man, I can’t handle it.” Some of my friends think the song is about some guy and wanting to get engaged.

Any tour plans?

Yeah, we’re heading out with Natasha Bedingfield on June 5 and I’m just thrilled. She’s an amazing girl and her new record is amazing. I’m so excited to take the music to the fans.