Leah Kate’s Debut EP ‘What Just Happened?’ Comes Wrapped in Attitude, Empowerment and Grit

American artist Leah Kate. Photo: Elinor Kry

The last time we caught up with American singer-songwriter Leah Kate was this past May when we spoke to her about her saccharine and groovy track “Boy Next Door.” Since then, Kate has put all her focus into fine-tuning her live show while simultaneously finishing up her just released seven-track debut EP What Just Happened? She says, “It’s taken so many revisions and a lot of work and has just been nonstop, but it’s been really fun. I’d rather be busy than not.”

For the new record, Kate has embraced musical styles that include pop-rock, guitar-driven elements, Seventies disco vibes and more while retaining her in-your-face lyricism and delivery. When it came to writing the EP, the artist tells us that the process flowed easily. “It all came from a true place and really true emotions and from the heart.”

What Just Happened? opens with the angsty and distortion-heavy “F U Anthem.” Kate says, “I was pissed at someone one day and I wanted an anthem that screams ‘fuck you.’ Then I wrote it.” The record then moves to the more upbeat “Shit Show” before we hear Kate’s quirky lyrics and eccentric melodies on “Veronica” as she leans towards a funk-bass-infused beat and production style. Mid record songs include the alt-pop offering “Calabasas” with its punk-esque chorus and the artist’s viral hit “Fuck Up The Friendship.” The EP closes with the dynamic “Told You So” and the eccentric “Cry Baby.”

Kate worked with her go-to producer, Australia-based Louis Schoorl, remotely on the EP while Canadian producer Mike Wise stepped in for “F U Anthem.” After releasing a slew of singles, ask Kate what it feels like to have put out a cohesive body of work? She says, “Really exciting. I’m just so excited about it. I’m so happy with the songs and I feel they really reflect my artistry right now and the progress I’ve made. So, it feels amazing.”

The singer-songwriter recently played a festival set in Ohio where she tells us that she almost didn’t go on due to a faulty stage. Kate says, “But then it got fixed and it was the best.” Last weekend, Kate also performed in Nashville before she heads off for another gig in New York this week. “It’s going to be a blast,” she says.

While Kate takes her music seriously, she’s also known for holding her own when it comes to the visual aesthetic to go with her tunes. With music videos out in some form or the other already for a majority of the songs on the EP, there’s still more to come with clips for “F U Anthem” and “Told You So” on the way.

On the release front, the musician has been as consistent as they come by putting out at least one song a month leading up to the record. “My strategy pretty much was just to be blasting out music back to back with no time to waste and just trying to build a monthly audience and connect with people,” says Kate. She adds, “If people like them, they like them. If not, they don’t, but I’m just going to be throwing lots of music out there.”

With her utmost attention now solely towards marketing the EP and pushing it out to as many ears, Kate tells us that there won’t be any new music from her for a little while at least. “I’m going to be putting my all into now the promotion of this, which is obviously just as much work as the creation of it.”

What Kate really hopes for people who discover her music is to feel empowered and not be afraid to go after what they want. “I spent so much time being insecure and years not putting out music and caring what people think. I’ve been there for a majority of my life, but I just feel like I made a turn around where I’m just a very different person now and I go after anything with zero fear,” says Kate. The artist adds, “So I feel that’s really reflected in my songs and hope people listen to that.”

Stream ‘What Just Happened?’ on Spotify below and on other platforms.