The best songwriters craft lyrics that feel at once universal and personal, getting to the heart of the human experience over the course of a single turn of phrase; the best performers deliver these lyrics with well-honed musicianship and the kind of honesty that makes a stranger feel like a friend.
When singer-songwriter Katie Cole croons, "Didn't anybody tell you that's more than I could take/Didn't anybody mention that hearts don't bend, they break," or "Penelope, Penelope, you’re everything I’d ever need/So hold me if you can, but I’m like water in your hands," she delivers just this visceral experience to her audiences.
Indeed, Cole is particularly deft at packaging intricate stories and resonant messages in catchy, country- and pop-infused songs. The transcendent results are evident on her latest album, Lay It All Down, funded in part through Kickstarter and featuring guest vocals by Kris Kristofferson. We were honored to have Cole swing by Oakland, California for a private, exclusive performance as part of Ravishly's "Songs in the Key of She" series.
Watch her perform songs off her new album, with a little help from singer-songwriter Conne Lim, below—then read on to hear Cole reflect on moving from her native Australia to the U.S., how her songwriting process continues to evolve . . . and why French fries really are the best.
Why'd you move to the states from Australia?
People told me the French fries were better here, and they were right! Also, I always knew I'd end up in California one day. Most of my favorite albums have been made in studios like Sunset Sound, Sound Factory, Henson . . . places I can now say I've worked in. My record producer actually reached out to me and asked if I'd consider going over to the U.S. before. I said yes—and the rest is history. As are the fries. They never stay on the plate very long.
You oscillate between Nashville and L.A. when performing and writing music. How do these music scenes differ? Do you have a preference between the two?
L.A. and Nashville are very different cities . . . they may as well be different planets. The music scene in L.A. is very eclectic and is definitely the hub for all things "indie." There are flavors of pop, rock, EDM, indie and, of course, singing-songwriting. In Nashville, it's pretty hard to miss the country music—and if you did, you must have had earbuds in and an iPod playing . . . and if that's the case, you probably just walked passed a country legend and didn't know it! Honestly, I've been traveling to Nashville on and off for a few years now and it's really getting diverse now. I've seen pop/rap bands, and Americana lives in Nashville, too, along with a good dose of blues and rock. I love both cities for their own reasons.
In my career in the U.S., I've really only recorded in L.A., but that is very much due to the fact that my producer is based there. As for performing . . . both. I enjoy both equally.
Kris Kristofferson appeared on your latest album . . . which is pretty much the coolest. How did this come about, and exactly how excited were you?
I know! When I tell people, I feel like "that" person—you know, the one that drops names all over the place. But having Kristofferson on my record is, yes, "pretty much the coolest." It was a crazy situation I suppose, how it all came together. I had written the song, called "Penelope," for basically an artist like him: well-traveled, lots of life lived and lots of stories. And at the time I wrote it, I didn't know anyone; I didn't yet have a connection to a Kristofferson or Willie Nelson. So I ended up biting the bullet and recording my own version, as I just loved the song. I suppose I'm not the rugged, burly character I wrote about, but I am a storyteller—and I think with any good story, an audience will draw something out of it to relate to.
In any case, my producer, Howard Willing, was engineering a record for Kris Kristofferson with Don Was at the helm as producer. The idea was thrown out there as Kris being a guest vocalist, and it pretty much just happened then and there. Ermergerd!
And yes, I'm still excited about it.
Tell us about your latest album, Lay It All Down. What was the recording/production process like? 
The recording process is always a little longer than anticipated. But Howard and I did a lot of pre-production beforehand. Meaning we could just go in with already mapped out songs, rough tracks and the like. I wanted this album to be a lot more organic and fluid than my last recordings. In all fairness, though, my other albums were recorded with me traveling back and forth from Melbourne, Australia to Los Angeles. This album was more thought-through and planned.
The only thing I didn't plan for was that it was a full LP. The original plan, and what I was budgeting for through Kickstarter, was an EP of five or six songs. But I had more great songs and studio time, so those extra few just sort of fell into the mix.
What's the most personal song on the album?
They are all personal and not personal, too. I don't think any of my songs are completely autobiographical. I tell stories and draw pictures for the audience to put them in the picture too. I suppose "Candlelight" [refrain: "It's a long way through the night/Let me be your candlelight/show you everything will be alright/It's so dark outside/I will be your candlelight and everything will be alright"] is very emotional.
I also adore "Hearts Don't Bend." How did this song come together? What inspired it?
This will be my next single coming out shortly. Glad you like it. I know I came up with the title and hook first—"Hearts don't bend, they break." I knew that was something before I even had anything else. I've had my share of crap relationships, and I think as I get older, I've worked out a fair deal of what I "don't" want. When I was 15, I had ideals and thought everyone was perfect. Then you have relationships and get hurt and go, "huh, maybe I should set some boundaries and stop jumping off cliffs."
No one event inspired this song; it was just a compilation of encounters and my heart definitely knows what it wants now. A nice, smart guy who'll bring me fries when I need them!
Both your mom and dad are musicians. How do the influences of your parents come through in your songs?
Growing up with music, I still never knew it's what I was going to do for a career. It really only hit me when I had to contemplate doing something else. I think the music they introduced me to and the values they instilled about music—those things stuck. I truly learned how to listen to music; to learn about it, appreciate it and let it grow with me.
How has your songwriting process evolved over the years?
I am going through a big stage of adding "whoas" to songs. So I feel in some way I'm un-evolving! My favorite classic songs by different artists all have a catchy, singable quality. And they sound effortless. I have a tendency to over-complicate things like chords and lyrics. And there is a huge difference between working on a song and complicating it. I'm more than happy to sit in a room and work on the correct "na na" part for an hour. But when I find I'm laboring over a part or lyric and I'm trying to be too clever . . . that's when I try to step back a bit and let the song tell me what's right. I think I'm more up for changing things, or seeking out a better hook in the chorus than l used to be.
What musician, living or dead, would you most want to share a beer and conversation about music with?
I think I'd like to talk to Sheryl Crow or maybe Carole King. Both are women in music that have had long diverse careers. I think they'd have some great stories to tell!
