The Sacredness of the World and the Power of Blues
A conversation with Indie-Folk artist Cat Clyde.
A few days ahead of the release of her brand-new album, and in the middle of her UK tour, I sat down with Cat to chat about her connection with nature, and how music has allowed her to find her place in the world and showed her the tools to show up as her true self in a male-dominated world.
With her latest release, Down Rounder, Cat Clyde is set to make a statement that will shake the indie-folk world to its core. Working alongside legendary producer Tony Berg, her latest album promises to be a dynamic and transformative journey that showcases the artist's growth and maturity. What sets Cat Clyde aside from her contemporaries is her unique ability to seamlessly blend the spiritual and the natural worlds in her music, creating truly immersive listening experiences.
In a world that has taught us to hide our emotions for the comfort of others, I felt deeply privileged to be able to exchange thoughts and energy with an artist like Cat. Without realizing it, she is creating a safe place for her listeners where they are not only allowed — but encouraged to take up space, show up as their true selves and engage with the sacredness of the Earth as much as with their own.
Image: Courtesy of the artist.
P: Are you excited about your new album release on Friday? Orador 3
CC: Yeah, I'm very excited. This record's been such a journey to make and to finally be releasing it, feels really exciting.
P: You take a lot of inspiration from nature, especially for this album. What is it about nature that inspires you the most and how do you translate it into your music?
CC: The natural world is so inspiring. There's just so much going on. There's so much connection and wisdom and it really speaks to me. If I just spend some time in nature I always find the answers I’m looking for. I feel more connected to the natural world than I do to the societal world. I can pick up a lot of information and inspiration from animals, plants, and the earth.
P: There is a mystic and holistic approach to your music. How does it translate from your day-to-day life?
CC: Music for me is very spiritual, it's about expressing things that are difficult to express. It's a way for me to understand my journey and myself in a deeper way. It’s pretty strange to be a human being existing on planet Earth, so we need to do whatever we can to try and make sense of it all. Music keeps me grounded and shows me that I’m supposed to be here and that I have a purpose.
P: Do you think your life purpose is making music or understanding yourself through music?
CC: Probably both. I'm always figuring it out and I think it's always changing too. One minute I feel like I know it all and then it tumbles back to nothing.
P: As human beings, we are in a constant state of evolution, whether we are aware of it or not. You started this album a while back, do you still relate to the person you were when you were writing the very first songs versus the one you are now, about to release it?
CC: Yeah, I do still relate. The beautiful thing about music is that it can have more than one meaning and meanings can change and shift. I can disconnect from certain things that I’ve written and connect with them again in the future in a different way. Maybe through a vibration. I’m very proud of the songs in this album, they feel like the most me that I’ve ever been. So it's inspiring and it feels like the beginning of it all. To be able to express myself in the most truthful way I’ve done is pretty exciting.
P: When you're writing music, what comes first the lyrics or the melody?
CC: I’m more lyric-driven. I write a lot but it’s always different, sometimes I sit down and write a whole song. Sometimes it’s just collecting bits and pieces until it all comes together, and it can take a while to find that missing piece that makes it all come together.
P: What drew you to blues and country music?
CC: I was 13 or 14 the first time I heard real Blues music. My grandfather played old-time fiddler music and I had two uncles that were really talented guitar players. I remember when I was younger that was kind of my first experience with live music and it was really powerful for me. But, nothing really moved me until I heard Blues music. One of the first songs I heard was Led Belly’s “Where did you sleep last night?”, and I remember feeling understood. I was so amazed that someone could write something like that 100 years ago and that it was still powerful and relevant. The spectrum of emotion contained in the single record was rally amazing for me and I started gravitating toward it, and it eventually led me to jazz, country, and folk music.
P: You’ve described yourself as an empath, how does it affect your creative process and live performances?
CC: Creatively, it’s really good because feeling a lot it gives you a lot of material to sift through, but It can be overwhelming sometimes. I mean, there are two sides to the coin with feeling very sensitive. Like seeing or experiencing things that many other people don’t feel on a really deep level. That can make you feel like an outsider and make it difficult to connect with others. And that actually pertains to playing live, it can be a really difficult journey, it can make me feel like an impostor like I’m not good enough. I also receive a lot of energy from people, and I’ve really come to a place where I need to have a lot of rituals that ground me. They keep me safe and confident, they make me feel like I do belong and I’m up there for a reason.
P: What kind of rituals do you do?
CC: I really love to meditate, and breath-work, and I’ve been doing a lot of shaking. That really helps me in a lot of situations. Moving my body and shaking out any anxiety or stress before I go on, gives me a clean plate.
P: How does your Métis heritage show in your music?
CC: My Métis heritage has a lot to do with my connection with the natural world. When I’m in nature it feels really easy to show up as my true self. It is very easy to see things and experience things on a much deeper and wider level. I feel very connected to animals like I can speak to them and I feel that has to do with my ancestry.
P: What’s your favorite song from the album?
CC: That’s a really good question, I feel like it’s always changing. Right now, it would be “Eternity”. It feels really good to play, and it's kind of a strange song. I’ve been playing it a little bit here and there and it’s been resonating with people. It’s one of my favorite songs that I’ve ever written, the chorus feels like home every time.
P: In your single “Papa Took My Totems”, you talk about living in a masculine-driven society. As a female artist and performer, how does it resonate with you?
CC: It’s kind of frustrating sometimes to be a woman living in a man’s world. The most frustrating part is feeling like it’s not a safe place to be myself, and I think a lot of women resonate with that. It’s kind of annoying that you can’t go riding your bike at 3 in the morning because of that feeling of safety.
As a woman is hard being able to feel the magic of the world and seeing it not being believed in, respected or treated as sacred. It is very difficult to deal with sometimes and it’s good to get those feelings out because they can resonate with a lot of other women.
P: You speak a lot about being your true self. For you, what does being your true self mean?
CC: No fear. Not thinking about the hour you expressing is affecting someone else or if you are offending someone else. Making someone feel uncomfortable or feeling like you are too much. As human beings, there is an enormous spectrum of emotion and expression and I think society has taught us to narrow it down to these acceptable cards that we must play. So for me being your true self is moving without fear.