Hello!
It has been approximately 15 years since I wrote a blog so I thought I would sit down and write one. It honestly feel so foreign to me now that I haven’t done it for a minute, so excuse me while I brush off this rust.
In January, fuk can you believe it is basically june?! SHit 2014! U flyin by faster than any of the other years.
Ok so in January I came to LA, my music manager, bunch of my close friends n stufffff live out here, acting has become a new thing, america has been a supportive, inviting place over the last 2 years, career wise and emotionally. So I thought ok I’m gonna give this a try until coachella, see how it goes, what I can come up with. Well it turns out a few months is an awful amount of time to give yourself to achieve stuff in a new city. It’s kind of like you just get going and settled and into your nook but haven’t quite found your feet and then you see your first bathroom cockroach and you haven’t actually done anything so you get really anxious and put pressure on yourself and then you’d be jumping on a plane home again. It just didn’t make sense to not stay longer. SOO ENGLAND BRACE YOURSELVES. I singed a lease on a house out here for a year. I have moved to LA. Cunted. That’s the word you would use to describe how you’re feeling right now. I know. I can’t believe it either. I honestly used to write people off for even saying they liked LA. But ok England here me out.
The past 5 months have not been the smoothest, are they ever when it comes to me? Let’s face it. Wait have I ever even had a smooth 2 months? I would say I’ve had a smooth month before. Or probably at least a smooth 3 weeks. two. Anyway. On a personal level I had a big ole rug swept from beneath my feet as usual and this one was quite shocker lemme tell you. Except u know not really gonna tell u cause I don’t air dirty laundry. My mama and destiny’s child taught me better than that. What’s sacred is sacred. etc. But what I will say is my personal life was planned out one way in my head and then taken away pretty fast and it shocked me, threw me off course and it huRRRRrt. I was certain at one point that I was just gonna pack my bags, get on a plane and fly home to cry to my mum and hug my bunny who fuckkk i miss so fucking much.
But I went on tour instead. Thank you universe for throwing me the greatest timing of my life. I met with my girl gang in St.louis, there were 3 tornados and I had gone mad and dyed my hair pink. As I do in times of crises. Emma thought I was wearing a wig. Helen thought I needed medication. Paula and Linda loved it! Kris was like “nice hair mumma”. And Alicia barely recognised me on the plane until I fell over her to get to my seat because we hardly knew each other. SUCCESS! oh and i’m sure lance thought it was cool.
Tour as usual saved my life. Tour is the best thing a human can do in the world. Especially me because I have the best fans in the world and the best touring party in the whole world. Like the sweetest, funnest, cutest people in my crowd to look in the eye and jump around like a mad woman to and the funnest, maddest, greatest freaks I’ve ever met to ride around in a van and share hotel rooms with. It helped get my head back to focusing on what I wanted to do. Sometimes in a crises I get so wrapped up in my head in all the bullshit and cause I’m a cancer I think everything is a sign. I also feel things really heavily and cling on to whatever it is i’m feeling to the point where I can forget myself. Well tour is good for knocking yourself out of that. I imagine any kind of road trip with friends is good for that.
Coachella was a pretty special moment where it felt like all the hard work we’ve all done over the past 2 years, and I say we intentionally because I mean you guys as well, but anyway it all kind of built up to this exciting moment where I felt a change. Hard to explain but I just felt a shift. Like the next phase is swooping in. Since getting back from coachella I have been working on a lot of new material. Personal new record stuff and Musical stuff. In like a week the director of Only Gold is coming out here and we will finalise the show! There’s a few things that I wanna announce to you guys over the internet via a blog over the next few weeks and I wanted to get started on doing that and reconnecting with you. Step one had to be me explaining I am a brit living in america right now.
Living in a new city is by no means easy, I have a lot of moments where I really do wanna fly back home to my family. And I mean let’s face it, it’s far too hot for a vampire like me out here, my skin is basically see through. I’m terrible at sorting out real people things like getting your water turned on and paying bills n stuff. So 5 days of my water being turned off and it being 100 degrees outside was, u know, fun. HELP ME DAD. I thought there was someone on my roof at 3 am one time and had to call my landlord to come and check it out…at 3am, poor guy. But like it’s america and the criminals here have guns!! HELP ME DAD. Turned out it was racoons and now i have a baseball bat by the side of my bed incase of emergencies. I will now bat the guns out of the criminals hands I guess.
I still get lonely and attract stray animals and put them in my car and have to find them homes even though I just want to keep them all.
And honestly probably the most annoying thing about living in LA is is that there are basically no newsagents. You mostly can’t just nip round the corner and get a newspaper, can of beans, some kitchen roll and a smirnoff ice. Doing little things like that seem to take forever cause you just have to drive everywhere and then park. BUT WHATAAA there are TONS of amazing things about being here too and I have come to love the city. Living near the beach, mountains, the desert and the city all at the same time is pretty cool. I have some good eggs out here, there are some great weirdos in LA to be friends with. My favourite food the avocado tastes way better out here. And my house is super cute and it’s red and I have a porch and now I’m used to the racoons, I totally love it. I invested in setting up my own first ever home recording studio and learnt to use logic and now I am writing a bunch of new songs. And honestly there are a lot of crazy good career opportunities out here for me that there just aren’t in England right now. And it’s an exciting, almost starting from scratch point of my career, but as a grown up. I’m older and wiser and I know what I want now. So I’m sticking it out. I’m giving it a go. London know that I love you and I will be back and like for reals if UKIP become a genuine threat to us I will get on a muthafuckin plane and protest the shit outta those bastards in a second. But I just wanted to update you on what I’m up to right now. Starting from scratch and living in Los Angeles.
32 Comments
woo! i wished i lived in LA. all the best kate, can’t wait to hear the new stuff 🙂
EvilKate,
I’m looking forward to your radio show. Suppose your near a television on Hallow’s Eve, Ghost a.k.a. “The Ghost” will be performing their hit song, on the Stephen Cobert Show. October 30 at 11:35 eastern time. I think he is NBC
Evilcharlz
KATE!!! i think it’s absolutely fabulous that you’re writing a blog and you’ve explained your reasons for staying in america very well and i’m sure all of your fans here will miss you very much but knowing you’re having such a fantastic time makes it alot easier. I came to see your gig ages ages yonks and yonks ago in narberth and danced up on stage with you and honestly it was the most perfect moment of my life, i felt beyond exhilarated and overjoyed and like i was riding on the back of a sparkly unicorn wearing a big princess crown, just being a part of your little world was insanely beautiful. So i’m proposing to you that if you ever need a helping hand out there in the big USA please get in contact with me, i would love to be apart of your girl group and feel as happy as i was then more of the time. good luck with everything buttercup may the world bring you more and more joy and may you be ever the more happy and keep growing as a star xxxxxxxxxxx
I’m glad you are liking it here in America. I like that you’ve decided to write a blog to update the girlgang. I wish you the best of luck in all that you plan to do. You are truly a great role model.
Good luck in the sun Kate!
Reading the part about criminal remind me of a Masked Intruder song 😛
<3
Hey babe girl!
You’re looking gorgeous with your pinky hair! I loved it!
I’m glad you are having great opportunities in the US! Hope there are still space for a South America Tour!
Wow. It’s so good to read something long from you cos it’s feels more like a full on personal conversation. Which is very WOW. I hope you do more blog writing. Xx . Mate your life is more a crooked line than a straight one and I hate hearing about rugs being pulled from underneath you cos noone has any fun at all in those circumstances and being in a new city cannot be easy either (even though it’s a good move by the sounds of things for you). Also missing family is just not nice. Specially mums. Noone can replace em. I’m just really pleased that you’ve got good mates and good opportunities in LA and LA is closer to the South Pacific than UK so in some ways it’s good for your fans in this part of world! X xx I also just want to say I really love your voice, songs, stance and writing talent, I think your music is smart and clever and sharper (yip, n blunter) than most artists in the music industry who are possessed and compromised by commercial fluff. I’m often underwhelmed by what’s really headlining music and I feel sad sometimes that you don’t get ENOUGH of the recognition you DESERVE. But I think sometimes great edgey art isn’t really seen by people looking for junk food (which is what lots of people are fed and bred on thru a caged factory model music industry). Thanks for being so socially aware and socially caring for women in particular – that voice is SO IMPORTANT you’re so so so ahead of game there (and the stray dogs and bunnies are happy too with yr mission). Your music will have been more relevant and truthful and direct to the social change we need than most musicians music will EVER DREAM of being – they just don’t have it in em. Thats why I love ya. Stay safe and happy and may all yr dreams come true in LA. I always write really long long tweets and emails like there’s no tomorrow haha. Xxx
Hi Kate! First of all I want to say that I love your brand new pink hair, seriously, you look gorgeus. I’m so happy to hear from you, I’ve missed reading your blog.
I think that it’s such a brave decision to live so far away from home for a long time. I’m sure you’re a brave woman capable of doing it and everything it’s going to be alright. I want to send you the best wishes for this especial moment you are living right now 🙂
I’ve never was in L.A. but it seems to be a very nice place. Anyway, you know the most important thing is being surrounded by good and kind people and friends. Nothing can go wrong when they are near you. So enjoy your time there, take photos and have lots of fun.
I hope you understand my writing, it’s been a long time since I went to my last English class.
Kisses and hugs from the South! (Buenos Aires, Argentina).
P.S. We live in the same continent now 😉
We will miss you so much Kate but you have to listen to your heart and that quiet voice inside. The next phase is going to be awesome I can feel it!
Omg Kate this is amazing you are amazing etc (Gonna skip that bc you’ve obviously heard it all before) but I’m so proud of you, at one point I was worried that you were stopping music, but girl talk(best album… so far) was made in the USA and that was immense. Obviously you will come back to tour etc, and I hope you keep using social media. I love this blog too, pls keep it up. Thanks for everything queen xxxxx
Oh Kate, I love you like so much I can’t explain. I totally know how you feel about some stuff, dunno, I’,m not a cancer but anyway, it’s hard for everyone.
Hope you achieve even more than you have so far, you totally deserve it. And come back to Argentina soon cuz we miss you a lot! (plus, last time you came here I couldn’t make it to the show, so…please?)
I LOVE YOU! GIRRRL POWER ♥
love you so much kate, hope you find happiness and contentess on the west coast. I love you, goodluck.
Life is about keeping things in motion so I’m glad you’re doing this.
I wish you the best of luck
<3
@viiikkkiii
KAAAATTTTTTTTEEEEEEEE !! That’s so exciting m’dear ! 😀 Enjoy LA you lucky cow and come back to Europe soooon ! Dublin misses you babe ! xxx
I’m sorry to hear that the last few months have been rough, but I’m so happy you’re in the States. It will mean a fresh start for you, and more chances that you’ll visit Chicago and give more awesome concerts. Your November 1st show seems so long away. Congrats, Kate!
As usual, your sincerity always comes through. When you came to Chicago to play @ the Double Door, (because it has two entrances on two streets), My daughter and I walked in through the wrong door, ( the line was on the other side). To my surprise, you were standing there smiling.. You came up to us and took pictures, gave us a hug, and chatted with us a little.. I still think about how nice you were to us that day. I believe in kharma so I have no doubt you will continue to have success. One thing for sure is you will always have @ least one fan. Every time you come to Chicago I will be in the audience. Also, u r not the only one with a silly bat next to their bed. 🙂
It’s exciting to hear from you again. So, you’re in LA, you love crazy fans, you like to get on with weirdos.. I was going to say “take your time to visit Latin America this time, remember we’re still waiting it” but hell no, do it when you feel it, as you always do, and that’s what we like about you. There’s no such feeling as hearing good news from the person you love. Good vibes Kate!
Aw…Kate I miss you, please come back to the UK at some point… :'(
Welcome to the west coast! 🙂 If you ever trot up to Seattle for an adventure, look me up – I’ll show you everything! xo
I think it’s great Kate, that you get to start from scratch , and live the the American dream lol. Hope you have a great time in the west coast. But use sunscreen for you won’t get dark. Hope you like living in LA!! Love Ya☺️
LA!? OMYGOD you come all the way to the US, and you go to LA? …Okay, probably good for a rock star, but still. I think life must be better here on the East Coast as a Villen. Go by bike, do everything in one shot, no parking. Meh. But hey, there’s a girl gang out there rockin the house, btw, the Ovarian Psychos. http://ovarianpsycos.com/ Love em. Of course you’ll have to drop the four stroke to get in. Heh.
So this one time my neighbor woke up and had a bat in her bedroom. No like with wings nstuff. It was like 3 in the morning too, but she came to me…. The landlord’s a twat. Pff. Anyway, so I climbed out of bed and had her grab me a nice big pot and a flattened cereal box out of the recycling bin. Thankfully little batty was sleeping on the wall in her room so I just popped the pot over its little body and slid the cereal box against the wall to scoop it off gently. I brought it out of the house to the sound of my neighbors frightened peeps -poor girl, anyway, I just let it out gently and it stayed a while but eventually flew off. I guess it just wanted a nap!
Anyway, here in the ‘ville we don’t have to keep bats near our beds …in most cases …y’know the roundy ones made of wood.
I hope you come see us on the East coast sooooooooon! I saw that festival bit in Montreal, but to be honest I don’t want to see the other bands much. <3 <3 <3
JUST LIKE THE REST OF THE WORLD I LOVE YOU
It’s been a pleasure reading this blog post, I am already excited to read the next one. Coachella looked unreal, and your new red front porched house sounds adorable. So happy things are falling into place. Don’t forget about your UK girlgang, you know we will follow you wherever the heck you are!
Good luck.
Peace xo
So proud of you kate. You’ve grown into such an amazing artist. Take time to make mistakes. You inspire so many people on a daily basis, you deserve some time to be creative.
Hey, Kate. Quite a decision but a good one. You need some solid ground so it will make your creativity fly. When my life was turning to rat shit I came to see you at Tooting Tram and Social. Oh man, what a night! It was mad! It was fun! You lifted the spirit of an old fart like me – I was young again and having a great time. Lucky LA to have you around to brighten the scene.
glad you’re hete, ms. Kate. keep up the beautiful work. you’re rockin my world!
Can I trade with you and move to England, born and raised and HATE LA with a passion. I guess it makes it worst that I’m non ghetto light skin black woman and have no desire to be an actress or singer. Can’t stand how hot the weather has turned, it was always sunny but now it’s wayyy to hot and crowded. So please take my place as I have no desire to return ,maybe to visit family. If your a black woman with manners, articulation and culture than LA is not the place for you. They make you feel bad because you know what a ‘samosa’ is and everyone’s asumptions about you as black person as you must have grown up in south central or inner city of such. No raised in Santa Monica Thank you. Very phonny people that jugde you in so many ways. Yuk!
Whoooohooo! Who got a great award then?.. And well deserved!
Hey,Kate!I’m really happy with your new phase.You changed so much since the very first time I saw you on the tv!Good luck on your new home,my dear!I love you and admire you because you are not just an amazing singer,you are an amazing person.Always being bloody funny and really lovely with your fans.I’m writing about you on a online newspaper,it would mean the world to me with you could read it(I’m brazilian but I could translate for u). Kisses from Rio
Hello, Kate,
Happy to read this!
Your honesty is one of the main reasons I love you so much. Not only have you decided to tell the world about this decision and the whole LA thing, but you’ve also showed that this decision wasn’t the easiest.
Anyways, it’s been bugging me for a lot time… why do some many musicians move to LA? Is it really super convenient and everything? Or is it just a nice opportunity?
P.S. Just followed @girlgangyeah on Twitter, they do cool shit and change the world 🙂
Hello, Kate,
Happy to read this!
Your honesty is one of the main reasons I love you so much. Not only have you decided to tell the world about this decision and the whole LA thing, but you’ve also showed that this decision wasn’t the easiest.
Anyways, it’s been bugging me for a long time… why do some many musicians move to LA? Is it really super convenient and everything? Or is it just a nice opportunity?
P.S. Just followed @girlgangyeah on Twitter, they do cool shit and change the world
Cool