a chat with caity krone
- eva
- Dec 11, 2020
- 5 min read
Caity Krone is a Los Angeles based singer/songwriter, who recently released her debut EP " Work Of Art", Caity and I chatted about her inspirations, her writing process and more.
Hi Caity! Thank you so much for letting me interview you again, how are you?
Hello!!! Thank you so much for taking the time once again! I’m alright, no complaints. October has felt stagnant, almost like a stalemate, or like the entire country is holding its breath. I’m trying to maintain whatever sense of control I have by really laying down some strict routines in regards to physical health and self care.
You’ve recently released your debut Ep “Work of Art”, how does that feel?!
So good. It was the first real step into being a serious artist, at least “officially”. I learned so much making it; and gained a lot of confidence in myself that’s helped me fight back against some of my self sabotaging tendencies.
At the start of the shutdown in March, I started writing with my friend Amina over FaceTime, and we’ve written some songs we’re both really proud of. The feeling of knowing I have more to say as a writer made me feel a lot more ready to release Work of Art.
You described “Work Of Art” as ‘an unrequited crush record, that loneliness when you don’t quite get enough of that someone’, and I really believe the EP embodies this. Are songs you write mostly about interpersonal relationships, or was it just these songs?
I’m starting to explore writing more about my relationship with myself and my past, but I think this one relationship, or really the feeling of longing and feeling shut out in general, was an easy place to dip into for writing. Sometimes I’ll write the same song three or four times because I just spin in the same circles. So the challenge for me lately has been to write about different relationships that might not revolve around heartbreak, and also to be introspective about my faults and problems, and then write about those.
My favorite thing about your lyrics is your story telling, but also how honest you are. Do you think as a songwriter that’s important when developing a song?
Thank you so much for saying that. I think introspection is really important. I suppose, if you have a knack for telling stories, maybe you could get away without being honest in your writing. But for me it’s the only space where I get to say everything that’s weighing on me to get it all down and not have to carry it around.
What was your creative process like for “Work of Art”?
Work of Art was the product of a couple years of writing and trying to discover a little bit of who I am as a writer. I was listening to so much Fleetwood Mac, and a lot of the first demos was me trying to write like Stevie and Christine (and of course massively failing). The songs that ended up on the EP came in the moments where I just let the story spill out without worrying about what, or who, it might sound like.
One of my favorite songs is “Hotel on A Mountain”, how did this track come about? And what is the inspiration behind it?
I had some of the lyrics ready in my journal and I had the melody for “but you live in a hotel on a mountain, thanks for gracing us with your time!”, and I brought them to my friend Eian and sort was like “kind of guitar pluck-y okay?” And he started playing the riff and I just started singing over it. The whole song spilled out in a couple hours, probably because the feeling was so crystalline - I knew exactly the attitude I wanted the song to have.
One of the worst, and strongest to me, feelings about longing for someone is you often feel locked out of some other ideal life. The song is very much about feeling like you don’t fit into someone’s world, and if you are to try and make a relationship work or enter their life in some way, it will be on their terms and at your own expense and peril… like staying in their very expensive hotel.
“I’ve Been Lonely” is on the EP, and feels so personal, but so relatable. Can you walk us through the process of how it was created?
That song was really special to us from the very first demo. We kept the original vocals and harmonies on the final version. I just listened back to it and thought, this is how I want to feel listening to music.
I thought I was fooling everyone by making it seem like the song was about a relationship and not the idea of one, but a year and a half later I brought the demo into [producer] Will Van Boldrik and he said “This song needs a bridge and you have to admit that this is about holding out for love, not having it”. And we wrote the bridge and finished the song. It was one of the most cathartic moments of making the EP.
You are also a very good photographer! Would you ever incorporate that with your music somehow?
Thank you so much! I try to be really intentional with the visuals I attach to my music, which can sometimes be challenging with such a small budget. What I learned through photography is that visual elements are a really special opportunity to continue to build the world of your music as an artist.
You’ve been writing songs since you were 15, do you think that your writing process, and lyricism has changed since then?
I’ve always been more comfortable writing lyrics, so taking guitar lessons consistently this year helped me get more comfortable with exploring and writing melodies. I’ve always had trouble with self sabotaging while writing; not liking something and completely shutting down, feeling like I need to rely on others because I tell myself I’m not strong enough to self edit, things like that. I used to write songs so slowly, or barely write at all, because I was afraid. The time I spent at home during the pandemic really helped shake me out of that, the guitar lessons provided a lot of inspiration and music sort of just poured out… then the confidence made it easier to keep writing.
I read a quote once about how when you’re starting out, the struggle is really building the quality of your work to match your taste as a fan or consumer, and that’s stuck with me throughout the years. I just want to make music I like listening to, really.
With the current circumstances in the world, has it sparked any inspiration for you with your songwriting?
Yes! One of my best friends and I started writing together over FaceTime and have formed this really special collaborative bond that really is one of the highlights of my year.
In terms of writing about the times, sickness and fire and loneliness, the challenge is to really make it personal, to talk about our own individual experiences without preaching or making grand statements or aggressive opinions. I just try to observe the state of things and how it makes me feel.
Who have you been listening to lately that you think our readers should check out?
I have a companion playlist for Work of Art that has some of my favorite classics as well as new artists I really love!
Words by Melody
Keep up with Caity
Listen to "Work Of Art" here
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