Who’s Katie Hargrove?
Katie Hargrove is a singer/songwriter first and foremost and spends the majority of her time performing around the DMV area. She says songwriting is in her blood, as her dad is a musician. She recalls, “He [her dad] played guitar and introduced me to songwriting. We used to sit and play for hours after dinner every night, and it just acquiesced into my identity over time.”
2017 has been a busy year for Katie, who signed Transoceanic Records and recorded her debut album this year. Katie’s self-titled debut album premiered on March 17, born of collaboration with multi-Grammy award winning producer Glenn Barratt (Elton John, Diana Ross, Shirley Caesar, Melody Gardot), and a team of renown musicians, including the strings from the Philly Pops; Matt Cappy (Grammy-winning trumpet player for Michael Jackson); Ron Jennings (guitarist for R&B legends the Sound of Philadelphia, Harold Melvin and the Blue Notes, Gladys Knight, Regina Bell); and Ross Bellenoit (touring guitarist for Elvis Costello and Amos Lee).
But any true love has it’s roller coaster moments. Katie says the hardest thing about being a musician is that she loves music so deeply that it’s hard to turn off. But on a tough day, she can still turn to those who she’s connected to through music in those very moments for a pick-me-up:
“Hearing that people enjoy and connect with my music and appreciate the craft. When people send me snaps of them dancing in the car listening to my album, or I get DMs on Instagram from people I’ve never met saying that my lyrics are helping them through a hard time.”
Katie’s Girl Gang Music Picks
“MUNA, Syd and Amelia Meath (Sylvan Esso)”
(Editors Note: I’ve featured both Syd and Sylvan Esso on the blog already (LOVE!) so here’s a performance from MUNA.)
Katie’s Golden Nugget of Girl Gang Music Advice:
“If you really want it, you’ll stick with it. The music industry is one of the most trying and difficult ventures, in my opinion. You have to give it everything you have and that makes it hard to feel normal half the time. The only saving grace is that music will give you everything you need if you give it everything you have. Music will be the friend you can cry to and the voice of reason. Remember why you got into the music industry and let that be the fuel to your fire on your dark days.”