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Cincinnati-born, London-based alt-pop artist Catlea has been steadily carving out a space that blends emotional honesty with expansive sonic landscapes. With over 6 million Spotify streams, a sold-out UK touring history (including two runs supporting pop legend Betty Boo), consistent radio support, and a growing international following, Catlea continues to invite listeners into stories of self-destruction, transformation, and healing.<\/p>\n
In this conversation for KJAG Radio\u2019s The Mic, Catlea opens up about the move from Ohio to the UK, the creative process behind their most recent work recorded at Barcelona\u2019s Room To Studios, the themes that keep pulling them back to the page, and what listeners can expect next \u2014 including the tracks \u201cConvince Me To Stay\u201d and \u201cSomeone\u2019s Got To.\u201d<\/p>\n
Here\u2019s the full interview.<\/p>\n
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You were born in Cincinnati, Ohio and are now based in London. What was the turning point that led you to leave the U.S. and build your career in the UK?<\/strong><\/p>\n I was already planning to come to London for my album release show, and I\u2019ve wanted to live abroad for a very long time. As we were planning the show, the idea kept bouncing around in my head, \u201cwhat if I just\u2026 didn\u2019t come back?\u201d Then the 2024 election happened and, well, that was the catalyst. London is also a fantastic place to make connections and be a part of the music scene, but it would be dishonest of me to say that was my main motivation.<\/p>\n How has living in London shaped your sound and perspective compared to your early years in Cincinnati?<\/strong><\/p>\n I think it\u2019s given me a whole new sense of agency and freedom with my music. Between the friends I\u2019ve made and the opportunities I\u2019ve had since I moved, it\u2019s just been easier than ever to let my music grow and expand into what I\u2019ve always wanted it to be. I\u2019ve had a lot of fun recently with mixing elements from all my favorite genres and taking my music to a place it\u2019s always been inside my head. That\u2019ll make more sense in a few months, I suppose.<\/p>\n Sound & Influences<\/strong><\/p>\n Your music is often described as fusing emotional honesty with striking sonic landscapes. Artists like PVRIS, Mothica, and Half\u2022Alive are name-checked as inspirations \u2014 what specifically draws you to those artists, and how do you feel their influence shows up in your work?<\/strong><\/p>\n I\u2019m drawn to the creativity in the lyricism, the way they blend different instruments and styles, and the intensity of the actual music. I particularly like feeling as if I\u2019m absolutely surrounded by sound, like I\u2019m sitting in a globe with music coming at me from every angle. I\u2019ve been trying recently to really hone in on that in my music.<\/p>\n You talk about balancing vulnerability and strength in your music. How do you intentionally create that tension in a song?<\/strong><\/p>\n In all honesty, I don\u2019t do it intentionally. I take my feelings and try my best to create the sounds that match them. Sometimes it flows naturally, sometimes it\u2019s more trial and error. I wish I could give better advice than that, but sometimes it\u2019s just about matching one sense to another.<\/p>\n Creative Process & Latest Project<\/strong><\/p>\n Your most recent project was recorded in Barcelona at Room To Studios with producers Jason Boshoff and Oscar Garcia-Bragado. What made that particular studio and those collaborators the right fit for this body of work?<\/strong><\/p>\n I\u2019ve worked with Room To, and Jason and Oscar specifically, for several years. They helped me to create my album Language Barrier<\/em>, and at this point I consider them family. They understand me and my music in a way that not everyone does. I\u2019m eternally grateful for them and everything they do.<\/p>\n The project is described as a reflection on overcoming personal darkness through connection and introspection. Was there a specific period or experience that acted as the catalyst for this material?<\/strong><\/p>\n I went through a period of what I can only describe as grief. Not over a death or the end of a relationship, but for the version of myself that I thought I had to be. I spent a very long time trying to be perfect and relying on external validation, carrying the weight of the world on my shoulders. I didn\u2019t cope with it very well either. This entire project is the process of me grieving the image of my ideal former self, so I can finally be and accept who I truly am.<\/p>\n When you\u2019re in the studio, do you tend to start with melody, lyrics, or atmosphere first \u2014 and has that process changed as you\u2019ve grown as an artist?<\/strong><\/p>\n Each song is a little different, but generally speaking, melody and lyrics almost always arrive together when I write. Maybe a word or a note will change here and there, but the basic ideas come together whole and the actual atmosphere of the song is created afterwards to fit the story I\u2019m trying to tell. The fundamental way I write has stayed the same over time, the only real change I\u2019ve made is remembering to always record my ideas so they don\u2019t get lost to the ether.<\/p>\n Themes<\/strong><\/p>\n Self-destruction, transformation, and healing run through a lot of your work. Why do those themes keep calling to you, and how has your relationship with them evolved over the years?<\/strong><\/p>\n I think I probably could have been Nietzsche\u2019s ideal case study, had we ever met. I have an extremely high drive to better myself and overcome the challenges I face in my life. It\u2019s my primary motivation for nearly everything I do, almost to a compulsive degree. It used to come from a place of wanting to \u201cfix\u201d the parts of me I didn\u2019t like, convinced that if I accepted myself for who I was then I might stagnate, but now I can see that self-improvement doesn\u2019t mean the rejection of self-acceptance. I can love who I am and continue to get better in tandem.<\/p>\n Your songs are said to invite listeners to look inward, heal, and embrace change. What do you hope someone who\u2019s in a dark place takes away after sitting with your music?<\/strong><\/p>\n I hope they let themselves have the strength to keep going and ask for help when they need it. I spent a long time feeling like nothing would ever get better and nobody could help me, and I was fantastic at convincing myself that this was an undeniable truth. I couldn\u2019t have been more wrong.<\/p>\n Live Performance & Career Moments<\/strong><\/p>\n You\u2019ve played over 80 shows in the last year and completed two sold-out UK tours supporting Betty Boo. What did you learn from sharing the stage with a pop legend like her?<\/strong><\/p>\n I learned so much. She was an absolute pleasure to work with and one of the sweetest people I\u2019ve ever met. I think I was pretty spoiled actually, because now the bar for every other tour is impossibly high. I think one of the most important things I learned was that people don\u2019t come out to concerts to see a perfect recreation of every song, they do it to find connection either with each other or with the music they fell in love with in the first place. There were plenty of shows where things went wrong, but ultimately that became part of how we connected with each other.<\/p>\n You had a sold-out show hosted by Radio 1\u2019s Maia Beth. What did that moment mean to you, and how does performing live feel different from the studio process?<\/strong><\/p>\n That show meant so much to me for so many reasons. It was my album release show for Language Barrier<\/em>, it was my first ever show in the UK and I was surrounded by people that had traveled all different lengths of distances just to be there with me. As for performing live, it\u2019s an entirely different process to studio recording. In the studio, you get as many tries as you want to get each note, word, beat, everything exactly as you want it. Live, you just get the one chance. On one hand that can be scary, but as I said before, people don\u2019t come to shows looking for perfection. It\u2019s a whole new opportunity to connect with an audience face-to-face.<\/p>\n With over 6 million Spotify streams, a growing international following, and consistent UK radio support, how do you stay grounded while the numbers keep climbing?<\/strong><\/p>\n I\u2019m infinitely grateful for everyone who listens to my music, but beyond that, I don\u2019t focus too much on the numbers. They don\u2019t change my day to day life at all, so my life remains the same. I keep working hard to make the music I want to make and perform to the best of my ability.<\/p>\n Looking Ahead<\/strong><\/p>\n Looking at 2026, you have \u201cConvince Me To Stay\u201d and \u201cSomeone\u2019s Got To\u201d in the pipeline. Without giving everything away, what can listeners expect from the next chapter of your music?<\/strong><\/p>\n You can expect a new sound. Someone\u2019s Got To and Convince Me To Stay aren\u2019t too far of a departure from what I\u2019ve made before, but I\u2019m working on a project right now that\u2019s going in a direction I\u2019m very excited for.<\/p>\n As an American artist who\u2019s found a home in the UK alternative pop scene, where do you see yourself in the next few years \u2014 both creatively and geographically?<\/strong><\/p>\n I\u2019m going to keep making music I\u2019m proud of, regardless of what genre that lands in. As for where I\u2019ll be physically, I have some shows throughout the rest of this year and I\u2019ll be touring next year throughout Europe and the UK. I absolutely can\u2019t wait.<\/p>\n If someone is discovering you for the first time right now, which song or project would you point them to first, and why?<\/strong><\/p>\n I would have to say \u201cSomeone\u2019s Got To.\u201d Not only is it one of the most vulnerable songs I\u2019ve ever written, it\u2019s also one I\u2019m deeply proud of. I hope listening to it can encourage others to heal and move forward in the same way writing it helped me.<\/p>\n \n Catlea\u2019s music continues to prove that honesty and ambition can coexist \u2014 and that the most powerful songs often come from the hardest personal reckonings. Whether you\u2019re already deep in the Language Barrier<\/em> era or just finding your way in through \u201cSomeone\u2019s Got To,\u201d there\u2019s plenty more on the horizon.<\/p>\n Keep an eye (and an ear) out for new music and tour dates across the UK and Europe. For more from KJAG Radio and The Mic, stay tuned to kjagradio.com\/themic.<\/p>\n Thanks for listening, and thanks to Catlea for the conversation.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Cincinnati-born, London-based alt-pop artist Catlea has been steadily carving out a space that blends emotional honesty with expansive sonic landscapes. 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