Stereoboard Talk To YouTube Sensation Kate McGill About Her New Album & Rise To Fame (Interview)
Monday, 10 October 2011
Written by James Ball
I am sat downstairs at the High Street Caffe Nero in Oxford. It is October 1st and 29C outside. While the café is lovely and air-conditioned, the stifling heat outside is something I’ve never experienced in an October in my lifetime. I get a text message from Kates manager telling me that the Oxford traffic is a nightmare (which is never a surprising text message to read, as Oxfords traffic is never exactly the stuff dreams are made of), and they’ll be a few minutes late. I’m slightly thankful for this as it gives me a few more minutes to grab a second coffee.
I return to my seat and check my questions to find, a minute later, Kate McGill walking down the stairs, on the hottest October day of all time, wearing a woolly hat, and a massive smile. Regarding the hat, clearly, she’s nuts. More importantly regarding the smile, she’s also having the time of her life as 'Replaced', her debut album was released just five days prior on iTunes and in Caffe Nero stores, and she’s relishing the incredible journey she’s embarking on. As a point of interest, the smile barely fades at any point during either the interview, nor during the short live set she performed shortly afterwards.
Hi Kate
Hello
So, you started out just posting videos on YouTube. How did you get to this point here?
I uploaded my first video to YouTube in 2007, and it was pretty much just me playing on my keyboard to show my friends really. Nothing much more than that. Then, I started to learn some covers, write some more original songs and gradually I just started to gain a following, so it all really started from there.
You’ve done a lot of covers, and have written a wealth of your own material then, but who inspired you to carry on with this?
I’ve always known that I had it within myself to write stuff and get it up there, so I wouldn’t say that I was specially inspired by one person. However a lot of my original work has been about my ex-boyfriend over the last few years, and that’s where a lot of the inspiration behind the songs has come from. I find it’s really important, therefore to write music from the heart.
I have to agree. A lot of the best and most powerful music comes from your own experiences.
Exactly.
So we’ll chat about the album in a second, but just to finish on the covers, what has been your favourite to learn, practice, record and get out there?
Ahh. This is an interesting one because it’s not a song that’s on my main (YouTube) channel. It’s an amazing song called 'Flaws' by Bastille, and I just love it so much. I love singing it, I loved learning it, and I just think it’s one of the best songs ever written.
Cool. Now onto this tour. Why have you chosen to arrange a large tour in Caffe Nero venues across the UK as opposed to the more usual clubs and music venues?
Well, basically, my manager just knows someone who knows someone and they just came up with this idea to play Caffe Nero venues. When the idea was put to me, I just jumped on it. Everything I’ve done so far has been a little quirky and unusual, and thus I thought “What better stage to do this on than this?” As you said, many people tour other types of venue, but I just liked to try this since it’s something complete new and innovative. So yeah, I just jumped on it really. And they’re selling my album in the venues too which just feels insane.
And of course you have easy access to coffee!
Ha! Yeah, although I love Hot Chocolate.
I happen to love a good mocha (I point at my own coffee). Chocolate and coffee: The two things that make the world go around!
Exactly!
On this tour then, with a few exceptions (including two Irish dates and one in Berlin), you’re playing forty coffee shop gigs in about a month, with many days playing two shows. How do you prepare yourself physically and mentally for that type of challenge?
You know what? I haven’t prepared myself at all! I think I’m gradually feeling some of the effects of such a big tour in such a short time, but I haven’t prepared physically, mentally or vocally. I just jumped in the car and set off. I think it could well hit me during the second or third week, but despite all this I’m loving it right now! It all still feels really good.
Plus, playing in so many places, you get to experience the traffic jams of every city in Britain!
Yes. And who doesn’t want to do that?
We’ve gone over a little bit of your history with your YouTube following, but how did that become the debut album, 'Replaced'?
Well, around 2008, I met my manager Charlie, and he contacted me a number of times with different ideas and things, and I didn’t really know what was going to happen so I kinda ignored a lot of it, but then we just started doing some stuff together. After a little while, I quit my university course in Plymouth, and focused more on the music. I then started writing with a guy called Pilot who was the guy who ended up producing the album. In the meantime I’ve been co-writing other stuff with lots of other people and building up a selection of songs to use. I mostly still write my own because I don’t really like co-writing that much. Yeah, mostly I’ve just been writing, writing and more writing for three years and this year I just decided I wanted to just do something and get my stuff out there. I just went for it. I stayed in Thornbury, just outside Bristol, for a month with Pilot and we just kinda hammered through it. We had a lot of sound changes and different ideas for songs, and lots of other stuff but eventually we got it finished and we’re both really happy with what’s come from it.
Judging from what I’ve heard from it, the album seems to sound very “big” and airy. Each song doesn’t sound constrained by walls, more so open and free, and it’s quite a unique sound, which is tricky to pull off these days.
Yeah. Thank you.
So, why have you called the album 'Replaced'?
Well, not only is it the first song on the album, but it’s a little theory I’ve got about my life. Again, going back to the ex-boyfriend. We suddenly found there was no love anymore, and that feeling was thus replaced with something else. There’s loads of things in my life like that, things you have or experience that get replaced with others, and it’s pretty much a reference to that.
And at one point, your album had hit the top 50 in the iTunes chart. What has the overall reaction been like from people, fans and otherwise, who have listened to the songs?
I was utterly overwhelmed by it. The number of tweets and Facebook posts and other types of reaction I’ve had from it has been insane! I really wasn’t expecting it at all, so I think that the reaction to the album has been incredibly positive, and I’m really proud of it.
Well, for someone who was writing for three years to eventually get this album out, surely you must have some kind of stories or embarrassing incidents to share with us…
Well, just a few days ago, I was doing something for BBC Bristol, and I was approached by the assistant for the show. The assistant was a bit ahead of the presenter, and I extended my arm for a handshake and the assistant shook it, and that was all very nice and all of that. The presenter, who was just a little bit behind her was looking straight at me and I thought we were going to shake my hand too. I’d just released my hand from the assistant just before. So I prepared again, but she ended up just walking past. I was there with my hand out thinking “Hello, I’m here, please love me!” and she suddenly looked down and realised what I was doing and she kinda half-turned and shook my hand from, like, a really weird angle. The whole thing was so embarrassing and a little awkward, but the show we did was fine.
So, you’re in a position now where you’re just starting to break out. New album, new tour, and all that, but back on the internet there’s hundreds or thousands of people just like you with their guitars out and putting stuff online like you did. Do you have any advice for people who want to follow in your footsteps from there?
Well, if you were to go down the YouTube route which, by the way, I highly recommend. It’s just such an amazing platform, then you should just be yourself. There’s loads of people out there doing the same songs and the only thing that can set you apart from all the others is you. Be chatty. Talk to them, introduce yourself. These are other people you’re performing for so give them a little piece of you. Just to make your songs original and a little different because no-one really wants to hear the same stuff again and again. Other than that, just keep on writing, keep being creative and just keep going really.
I did a little research in one of the tabloids earlier this week and I discovered that you’ve now got more YouTube subscribers than Coldplay and Radiohead! What does that feel like?
I literally have no words. How does anyone comprehend being among that? I’m obviously very, very grateful to each of those people though!
Now then. The online world has become quite the platform for music distribution as you well know, but what about the actual state of the music industry with regards to retail. With Zavvi and Woolworths closing down and shifting to online only, and hmv posting profit warnings, where do you see music distribution going and how do you fit in to that?
I think the online world has progressed so far now that it seems difficult to say that the same thing isn’t going to keep happening. More and more people are switching to buying online and downloading both legally and illegally. Online piracy is obviously a really bad thing too, but no-one will ever be able to totally stop it. I think that it’s just going to keep evolving to the point where people will keep buying fewer and fewer CDs in shops and buying everything online, because that’s what more and more people have already started to do. I used to love going into shops and buying CDs too when I was a bit younger, but now I buy online too. I guess I kinda fit in that way since I’m online based too!
Imagine you had a TARDIS and could, Dr Who-style go back to five years ago and meet yourself from before you uploaded that first YouTube video. What would you say to her, other than “There’s a storm coming, kiddo!”?
Ha! I’m not really sure. I mean, everything that’s happened these last few years, I wouldn’t change any of it. From a music standpoint, everything’s been handled really well and everything’s going well. I think at that age I wasn’t ready to do any of the things I’m doing now, so maybe I’d get her to start writing more songs a little earlier, learning to play more piano and learning covers that could incorporate different instruments.
Ok. Well, there’s a question I like to ask everyone I interview, and it’s just for a bit of fun, really. Imagine there’s a cocktail called the Kate McGill. What would be in it?
Ooh. Pepsi Max! I’m addicted to Pepsi Max, The ingredients of a Woo Woo (vodka, peach schnapps and cranberry juice), apple juice, maybe a splash of lemonade, and a little whipped cream on top. Who wouldn’t want to drink that? I would!
I would too. That sounds awesome. I think my diabetic friend might have a problem with it though!
I may have to make one later.
And finally. Do you have a final message for the people reading this on Stereoboard?
Hi! Thanks for reading this! Please love me! Also: be nice to people.
Well, thanks for talking to me.
No. Thank you.
With that, a fan who had clearly been waiting for me to finish the interview turned up the second Kate stood up and they had a brief chat. Kate’s smiled beamed brightly as this young girl told her how much she loved the CD and I took a photo on her camera for her. Kate, despite not being at the stage in her career where she’s selling out major venues looks incredibly comfortable with the people who buy her music and follow her to gigs. Soon, she went upstairs to prepare for her performance. Heading to the counter to purchase my third coffee in the space of an hour, I sat among the reasonably sized crowd and waited while she and her small team of guitarist and tour manager set up a small PA system, wires, computer and instruments.
She played an incredibly relaxed, chilled out acoustic set drawing from Replaced throughout, belting out some impressive vocals as each song progressed. She surveyed the crowd during the songs, and saw a reasonable number of fixated eyes looking back at her. She didn’t move from her stool at all during the set as she concentrated hard on putting on the best performance she can and, when the microphone appeared to die part way through the third song of the set, she didn’t falter or become distracted by it, she kept on singing until someone gave the wire a little tweak and all was well again. The fact is, she truly loves the position she’s in and what she’s doing and clearly doesn’t want to let it go, a fact solidified when she met and chatted with every single person who approached her after the set, getting the Sharpie out to sign whatever they’d brought with them, before packing up and leaving for Birmingham, 70 miles from here, to do the whole thing all over again. For someone so young, she’s incredibly mature and may she continue to rise through the ranks.
Check out the video for Kate's cover of Adele’s 'Someone Like You', the most popular video on her YouTube channel with over 2 million views.
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