Cat Burns Is A Brilliant Songstress Delivering Cathartic Chords & Choruses [Interview]

If you were to hold a mirror up to the most pleasing and defining aspects of Gen Z and amalgamate them into one picture perfect pop star, it’s unlikely you’d get a closer reflection of their fluid intersections than Cat Burns. Cat is a 21-year-old singer songwriter from Streatham, South London. Her artistry is defined by elegant, frank, conversational lyrics and melodies so instantly familiar they feel like they’ve been plucked from the sky. Her sound is thoughtful, authentic and frequently bittersweet.

The development of her artistry has seen her delve further into both her introspective and contemplative nature with this new EP, as she really grew to explore the true essence of herself whilst still staying true to the innovative melodies and gripping song-writing that led to her rapid ascent to stardom. We were lucky enough to ask her a few questions about the project.

Have you felt a difference in your creative approach to this EP in comparison to “Adolescent” and “Naive”? A massive difference! I wrote Adolescent when I was 15 and had no real clue what I was doing. I threw ideas at the wall and just wanted to see what stuck! Naive is an EP I like to view as a lost soul, It’s definitely massively different to anything I’d ever make now, hence why I don’t ever really mention it. This EP deals with elements such as reclusiveness and being emotionally guarded. How have you been able to deal with these things in your own life? I think growing up I was always guarded and reserved with my emotions and as I’ve gotten older and gone through life a bit more especially being in a relationship now I’ve learnt how not useful it is to growth and wellbeing! I’ve dealt with it by just biting the bullet and trusting people more, and try to rationalise my thoughts throughout. Which song on “Emotionally Unavailable” was your favourite to write and why? Definitely ‘we’re not kids anymore’ i remember leaving the session feeling like a massive weight had been lifted off my shoulders. I love the lyrics so much and I feel like I encapsulated the feeling of a friendship breakup really well.

What would you want the overall takeaway from this project to be? A reminder to people that they’re not alone, and that it’s okay to be going through what they’re going through and that hopefully the songs can help them get through it. Do you feel your songwriting has an overall cathartic effect on you and if so how? Definitely! I listen to my unreleased stuff everyday! especially when I’m writing something that’s coming from a personal place, I’ve written that for myself to help me get through whatever it is. Do you have a favourite moment from the recording sessions of this EP and if so what was it? Just meeting all the producers and writers that helped get the songs to where they are now. They all really respected my process and only ever wanted to aid what I was already doing. How have you felt about the amazing achievement of your single “Go” on the charts and the accompanying increase in exposure?

I’ve felt overwhelmed and beside myself, I don’t really know how to react! It’s crazy, completely unplanned and surreal, I didn’t expect the song to blow up the way It has and of course i’m so happy! It was such a random resurgence as well!

In the process of creating your songs what comes to you first, the guitar chords or the words? And how does this influence the overall formation of your songs? Both the chords and words come at the same time, but the concept comes first and I’ve found that that system has always worked for me! Helps the process of writing the song become a lot quicker which is great for my ADHD brain! What are you able to tell us about your track “ghostin”?

‘ghostin' is about taking a mental health break, and being a ghost whilst you deal with your emotions alone. Introverts re-charge alone and people who’s needs were never met as a child, develop a tendency to turn into a recluse when their mental health is bad or going through something, so I wanted to make a song for anyone going through that currently to remind them they aren’t alone.

What are you looking forward to most about your shows at Omeara London and The Deaf Institute? I’m so excited to just see the crowd and sing to them for an hour. I can’t wait for them to hear the new music and be excited for what’s to come! I also can’t wait to meet everyone! Which song are you most excited to perform live? I can’t wait to perform ‘Go' of course, but I also have a song called 'people pleaser' and I can’t WAIT for the day I can perform it live!