CATLEA
Q: Your track “Why Them” really does go deep into self-discovery. What compelled you to investigate vulnerability and emotional pain in your music?
A: I’ve always used my music as a way to process and express what I’m going through. With “Why Them?” more specifically, the title is a real text message I was sent and the lyrics explore my response.
Q: There’s a thread that runs through “Why Them” about being misunderstood. Have you ever been in situations where you were overlooked or misjudged?
A: Oh definitely, I mean, who hasn’t? With this song I wanted to focus on the particular feeling of not knowing who to trust because sometimes even the people we’re closest to don’t have our best interest at heart, and that comes with a lot of misunderstanding and miscommunication.
Q: Your music seems to blend different genres like indie pop, R&B, and rock. How does blending sounds help you express yourself and your message more effectively?
A: The more genres you know, the more creative freedom you have! All of my favorite music I’ve ever listened to has been a blend of more than one genre, one style, one artist’s influence – that’s how new ideas are created across all forms of art. With my music specifically, I never go into the creation of a song thinking it has to be a specific genre. I just write the song with the intention of making it the best possible version of itself, regardless of what category it ends up getting put in. I feel like my sound is still pretty limited compared to what I want to create eventually, though.
Q: The song’s lyrics describe loneliness, especially feeling alone or not being chosen. Why do you think this theme resonates with your audience?
A: My lyrics aren’t anything unheard of, they’re just a different combination of words to express something we’ve all been through. Everyone’s had a point in their life where they were rejected or a relationship turned sour. It’s ironically a very common and uniting topic.
Q: On the song, you wonder whether other people can feel or see the same emotional pain that you can. Do you ever think about this when you are around other people in everyday life?
A: I definitely used to. When I wrote the song, I was in a very difficult place mentally and emotionally. It was hard for me to connect with others. I wrote “Why Them?” and all the other songs on the album to try and get what I was feeling internally across to everyone else. The unexpected consequence of it all is now that I’ve played these songs for people countless times, I don’t feel that isolation anymore. Not only do I feel seen and heard, I feel like I can understand others better as well.
Q: “Why Them” is also about loneliness and wanting to be connected. How do you balance the feeling of loneliness with the desire to be connected to others in your own life?
A: Through music, art, and healthy communication. I spent the vast majority of my life feeling isolated, like I could see everyone I knew and cared about in a room through a window, but I didn’t have the key to open the door. But between playing my songs for others, drawing the art to go along with the music, and being unapologetically, stubbornly and completely honest about my feelings, I feel like I’ve finally found the key.
Q: “It’s getting kinda tricky to convince myself that I’m not better off with someone else” is a reference to insecurity and self-esteem. How do you handle self-doubt in everyday life?
A: I handle it the best I can! Most days I would say my self-worth and self-esteem are pretty healthy, but there are definitely certain days or situations where that’s not the case. When I wrote that lyric, I was not-so-gently poking fun at the way I don’t always trust myself or know what I deserve. The truth is, though, we only get chances at what we think we deserve. Life will balance out the rest.
Q: “Why Them” is a process of self-empowerment, it seems. How has your own personal growth affected your music since the early years?
A: My music has consistently shifted with me as I’ve grown up, naturally, but I think my inspiration has stayed the same at its core. It’s pretty clear that my sound has changed over time, but that comes from a shift in my environment more than anything else. When I first started making “songs,” I was only 3 or 4. I would wander around the house singing a narration of my day. Now, I write songs based on my real life experiences and make albums that tell a full story if you listen to them from start to finish. The topics may be different, the music may be slightly more sophisticated than when I was 3, but fundamentally I’m still just wandering around, narrating my life.
Q: “Why Them” appears to be questioning not just relationships, but identity. How does music enable you to question your own identity in a way that other mediums do not?
A: Music helps us all to convey or experience emotions we don’t quite have words for. This lines up perfectly with identity and self-image. But honestly, I would say that my ability to really question and display my identity comes from not just the music, but the art I create around it as well. It’s cathartic to complete a song, but it’s a whole other level of satisfaction when I finish drawing the cover art and suddenly I don’t just have a song to share, I have the way that it looks inside my head, too.
Q: You address a tremendous amount of emotional and existential stuff in “Why Them.” Is there ever some relief that follows after you have written a song like that, or is this more of a cathartic feeling as you go about it?
A: I think it’s a bit of both, actually. I know what I’ve written is good if it gives me that sense of catharsis. If I finish an entire song and I don’t feel that whole weight off my chest, I know something is still missing. Writing about your emotions is a double-edged sword like that. On one hand, it’s a great way to get your feelings out and create more deeply impactful songs. On the other hand, if you don’t get it out the way you were needing or hoping for, it kinda drives you crazy until you do.
Q: What’s next for you as an artist? Are there themes or messages you’re excited to be exploring in your future work?
A: I can’t say too much yet, but I’ve already got some new music I’m working on to continue the story I’ve started to tell.
Q: Now that “Why Them” is featured on your album “Language Barrier”, how does this track fit into the broader context of the album’s themes of self-discovery and personal empowerment?
A: “Why Them?” is a crucial piece of context for the bigger story of the album. It’s the first moment after the initial anger of “Welcome to the Show” where I start to let myself question the situation I’m in. It starts with me criticizing myself, but then I turn the spotlight on the others involved, realizing that I’m not the only one at fault here. It inevitably ends with me realizing I don’t actually have an answer for the person asking or myself, and sets the stage for the next song, “Selfish,” where I start to address the people involved more directly.
Q: Finally, what do you want people to get out of “Why Them”? Is there something that you would like them to get from listening to the song?
A: If you listen to the song and you relate to it, I hope you find the courage to leave and find better people. You deserve more than you think and far more than you’re being given.
