The country music scene continues to thrive in the United Kingdom with landmark festivals like C2C selling out and new ones staking their ground such as the Long Road Festival which kicked off its inaugural event in September. As more opportunities for UK artists to perform grow, so does the number of local country artists. Artists like Katy Hurt who is set to release her new single “Revved Up” next month leading up to her first studio EP Unfinished Business.
We caught up with Katy to talk about her journey with country music, performing in the UK and her upcoming releases.
CN: For our readers who may not be familiar with you, can you tell us a little bit about yourself?
KH: Sure thing, my name is Katy Hurt, I’m 21 and I grew up in a little town called Northport in Long Island, New York before moving back to England. I have been singing since the age of 4 and I’m a huge country music fan!
CN: When did you discover country music?
KH: I like to think that I didn’t really discover Country music, it just found me. I tell this story a lot but it’s the truth, when I was a baby my parents had a lot of difficulty getting me to sleep and my dad is a big fan of Jim Reeves and they soon realised that I would stop crying when his songs were on. So they started playing Patsy Cline, and more artists like that and it worked. So it would appear that I’ve been hooked since birth.
CN: Which musicians, country or not, have influenced you both personally and as an artist?
KH: I have been inspired by so many different artists and have a huge variety of influences which is what I think has made my music stand out there on its own. Artists like Patsy Cline and Johnny Cash really ground me in country music and were my first real loves, the way they could rip out your heart with their stories and emotional voices definitely made its mark on me. More recently however, my influences have turned to artists who aren’t afraid to experiment outside of genre, people like John Mayer, Aubrie Sellers and Tori Kelly.
CN: To say country music is growing in the UK is quite an understatement. Can you talk a bit about the country scene and how it’s evolved? Also how has its growth affected you as a country artist?
KH: There has always been a Country scene in the UK but when I first started out it was really small and it was the same artists, playing in the same clubs every week. To see it grow from that to something that is accessible to most has been huge and to be a part of that as an artist has been so exciting. Being able to see the fan base grow and expand not only means as an artist I can play to bigger audiences and have new opportunities opening up, but it means that as a fan there are so many new people to connect with.
CN: What was it like performing at C2C?
KH: I’ve played C2C the last two years and done 5 performances across the festival weekend and every single one has been incredible. The audience at C2C is so attentive and receptive and the first year we did it we found out we actually outsold the headliner at the merch stand which still blows my mind. To be given a chance to play to a huge group of new people as a new artist is so rare and valuable and I’m so honoured to have been given that chance.
CN: Being a songwriter, can you take us through your song writing process? Do you draw mostly from personal experiences, or from those around you?
KH: Songs can take me anywhere from 10 minutes to a few months to write depending on why I’m writing it and who I’m writing it with or for. There’s no set process either, it totally changes every time. I have been writing for the past 2 years with my guitarist Gab Zsapka and we tend to try and write whenever the inspiration hits, whether that’s backstage at a gig, or in the car on route and usually it starts because he’ll start strumming a riff that I’ll immediately fall in love with or we’ll hear a lyric and run with it. 99% of the time the songs I write are centred around something I relate too, either personal experience or a story a friends told me etc. I want to be honest in my songs and have them mean something to me because then I know they’ll have meaning for other people too.
CN: Your upcoming EP Unfinished Business, due out in October, was recorded in Canada with Juno Award winning Murray Pulver thanks to a very successful– 138% above your target successful – Pledge Music campaign. What does it mean to you to have such an amazing turnout of fan support?
KH: It means everything, honestly I am still in shock that the pledge did as well as it did. I remember being in tears the night before launching it because I was so worried no one would pledge and to have the love and support so so many people means the world. The very reason I do what I do, is to tell my stories to other people though my music and the fact that they all care and wanted to help us create the next EP makes me so incredibly grateful.
CN: Is there a reason behind titling this album Unfinished Business?
KH: There’s 2 reasons behind the name actually! The first being one of the tracks on the EP, with the same name, which is by far one of my favourite songs I’ve ever written. Its definitely the one that I have been most honest with when writing and I’m so excited for people to hear it because I think they’ll learn a lot about me through it.
The second being, that this is my first studio EP and I have big plans for the future and for an album and it just seemed fitting that it would be called “Unfinished Business” because there’s so much more to come.
CN: “Revved Up” was just announced as your next single to be released on October 12. Can you tell us the story and inspiration behind the song?
KH: “Revved Up” was written after I watched The Good, The Bad and The Ugly for the first time. When the boys in my band found out I hadn’t seen it they were shocked and we decided to have a movie night, I thought that Clint was such a badass he deserved a song. Gab and I actually had that title already, having done a show at CarFest, but we had never gotten very far with it and it wasn’t until we started working on the Clint song that we realised how well they fit, after that it all came together.
CN: What was the first concert you ever attended? How old were you?
KH: I can’t remember what the first concert I attended was but I do remember the one that made the biggest impact on me. I was around 14 and on a road trip with my family and my dad surprised us with tickets to see Rascal Flatts on tour, with special guests Sara Evans, Justin Moore and Easton Corbin. It was at the Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre in Charlotte, NC and I stood on my seat the entire show. I remember coming away from that show and thinking “That. That’s what I want to do with my life”.
CN: Do you have a dream collaboration in mind?
KH: Of course, there are countless artists and writers that I would absolutely love to work with, but currently at the top of that list is John Mayer. There is just something about the way he tells stories through his music that I really love and he’s not afraid to switch up genres and experiment with whatever suits the emotion of a song. I think working with him would lead to something really interesting!
CN: At this point early on in your career, have you had a “WOW” moment that you can’t believe has happened? And in looking ahead, is there a moment or possibly an award, that you are setting your sights on achieving?
KH: I’ve had several, but the biggest WOW moment came at the end of this summer actually. We won a battle of the bands to play the Pilton Party and were personally chosen by Michael Eavis who owns Glastonbury. The slot was to support Liam Gallagher at this year’s festival. The show was to 8000 people and as we were on stage the sun set over the crowd and I watched as they all brought out their phones and lights and it took my breath away. Then at the end of the night during our encore everyone started singing along and have that many people sing your own words back to you is beyond anything I could have imagined. Looking ahead, I just want to be able to capture that feeling again every single night and share those moments with as many people as I can, so one day, fingers crossed and God willing, we will be doing arena and stadium tours!!
CN: If you could describe yourself in one word, what would it be and why?
KH: Clumsy. Haha I am completely useless when it comes to balance and I think the one thing anyone would tell you about me is that I will undoubtedly fall over if given any chance. Most recently, just after finishing a Live stream from the top of Mount Vesuvius, and I had to climb down the mountain to see a paramedic.
CN: With Unfinished Business coming out next month, what’s next on the horizon for you?
KH: I have so many things in mind for next year, I definitely want to tour with “Unfinished Business” so we will be out on the road and then we are currently putting plans in motion to start working on my debut album!
“Revved Up” is available to pre-save, click here.
For more information on Katy Hurt, please visit her website at: https://www.katyhurt.com/ and follow her on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.