“She always supported me in my dream of becoming a singer.
Though a consummate all-rounder, Kate’s favourite aspect of the job has always been the performing, “because then you see reactions from people, and you have contact with the fans.” She spends most of her time travelling, something that suits her fine as she has most of her ideas for new tracks in unusual places…
“Sometimes I’ll be in a plane or taxi or a train, or in bed, and I think about something; I always have a recorder with me so I can get it all down!” Indeed, this organic style is the only way Kate will write. “If you said I have to write a song right now, it’s an obligation – then I couldn’t do it!” Kate has blown away audiences everywhere with her emotive, catchy tracks, from small Spanish clubs, to huge festivals – singing in front of almost a million people in Berlin at an anniversary celebration of the fall of the Berlin wall is one of her most mind-blowing memories, and a far cry from the cafes where she started.
Funnily enough, because she’s always travelling at the weekends, Kate’s own big club night out is Monday, and whilst other celebrities lounge around in VIP members’ bars, she hits her local club. “ nice people, nice music. I always try to have Monday night and Tuesday off – Monday to go clubbing and Tuesday to sleep til noon! Belgium is known for its dance music, and has a lot of great clubs and artists. I know the girls, I know the boys, Ian Van Dahl, Lasgo, Milk Inc, they’re all very nice people with both feet on the ground. That’s what I like, normal people who like to party and who like to have fun.”
Belgium’s equivalent of Kylie, Kate is recognised all the time in Belgium but seems unfazed by the attention. “It’s part of the job, of course. People like to come up and say ‘Can I have an autograph?’, and ‘Aren’t you that singer?!’, and I’m always friendly because they’re always so nice. They’re always quite shy, and I really have respect for them. That’s one of the reason I love doing this so much, the respect of the fans is so special to me.”
It’s easy to believe Kate when she says that she’s still the same person as she was 5 years ago – “My life’s changed a lot but I’m still the same person, with the same friends”. In fact her only real indulgence has been an apartment, though she’s waiting for the builders to move out before she moves in. Her new album, ‘Stronger’, which includes the single ‘Only If I‘, indicates a new maturity and confidence both musically and personally. Her first release ‘Different’ represented her early forays into the industry, whilst she acknowledges that the new album is more individual. “I think this album is more mature than the last one, as am I. It’s been almost cathartic for me to explore the challenges I’ve faced through my lyrics. There are songs about love, of course, good love, bad love; it’s really about things that I’ve experienced myself. I have memories on every song.