[KATIE](https://instagram.com/katieeesh?igshid=1xc45d1pwpovc) might seem like an overnight success, but under the surface is years of planning and careful preparation. The countless hours spent honing her vocal skills paid off big when KATIE made her debut with “Remember” in the summer of 2018. The music video took off, surpassing millions of views on YouTube within weeks, virtually unheard of for a brand new artist. Taking the spotlight as one of the summer’s most exciting new voices, KATIE offered up a magnetic debut EP, _LOG_, that left mountains of gems to be discovered and admired.
But aside from the cinematic single and video, “Echo,” earlier this year, the R&B-laced pop artist has been relatively quiet. Like many artists, KATIE had to confront this chaotic year head on and rely on music as her solitude. Her contemplations turned into a 6-track EP, _Our Time Is Blue._ Out now, the follow-up project carries familiar pop sensibilities but shines sublimely for its melancholic nuances.
Released during an unprecedented time, the project was finished during quarantine, with recordings sometimes completed in KATIE’s parents’ car. This isolation and longing for connection is captured throughout the project, especially on songs like “Our Time” and “Blue.” The latter is a duet with Dutch-born, California-based R&B artist Leven Kali.
Speaking on “Blue,” KATIE shares, “It’s a song I cherish so much. From the intro, when the guitar starts arpeggiating, I already want to cry. I recorded the track in May or June of last year. It was still chilly, not summer yet in LA. The studio where I recorded was a 45 minute walk from where I lived. We’d end the sessions at night and I’d want to walk back home so I could listen to the song I’d recorded. Listen, think and walk. Perhaps I was thoughtless, but I was definitely in my own zone. It felt like the song was hugging me. This was during one of the loneliest times for me, I was in a new city without my close circle. I felt alone and the song really helped me adapt and grow.”
_Our Time Is Blue_ finds KATIE stepping into a creative zone where she always imagined herself: combining heartfelt vocals with deeply relatable lyrics to connect with listeners on a different level. As KATIE continues on this journey, her latest effort proves she’s on her way to making those “classic” records she always dreamed of.
