LISTEN TO THE EMERGING COUNTRY ARTIST’S STRIKING COVER
OF THE OASIS CLASSIC HERE AND WATCH THE VISUALIZER HERE
“For some, covering such a famous song could seem daunting or challenging, but ‘Wonderwall’ was anything but that for me–it was the best therapy one could find,” says emerging country artist KATE CLARK about her striking cover of Oasis’ classic 1995 song “Wonderwall.” Today (3/26), the Nashville-based/Austin-raised singer/songwriter has released it as the follow-up to “No Halo,” her debut single that arrived last month. Listen to “Wonderwall” here and watch the visualizer here.
“Wonderwall,” like “No Halo,” was produced by David Lyndon Huff, who did the same honors for the Doobie Brothers’ multi-artist tribute album Southbound, that featured Zac Brown Band and Vince Gill, and who’s the younger brother of renowned Nashville producer Dann Huff.
“As a songwriter, I feel like I’m always searching for words and melody that help me feel whatever it is I’m dealing with or going through in my personal life,” says KATE. “Lyrics have the power of being almost a release valve when they’re so perfectly matched to a melody. An infamous 3am wakeup call led me to listening to ‘Wonderwall’ on my nightly journey down a rabbit hole. Tornadoes had just decimated Nashville, a half block away from my first place I lived when I moved to town. The pandemic was closing in on changing the world for who knows how long, and I was a new mom to a beautiful baby boy. I found myself retreating into my mind and having long conversations with myself trying to find a way, any way, to slow down my world. I had heard ‘Wonderwall’ before when I was younger and I wasn’t in a safe, creative environment to really be able to feel it the way I do now. To me, ‘Wonderwall’ carries so many different meanings. A friend, a lover, yourself, perhaps your younger self–all hopeful options to potentially reach out and save you from whatever it is you need saving from. But, are we ever really saved? I see ‘Wonderwall’ almost as a frame that outlines life’s major lessons. Love, hope, seeking truth, and the inevitable let down.”
Elaborating on that night she listened to “Wonderwall,” KATE says, “The calm I’d craved all day poured over the house and the candles were lit. Another thunderstorm had passed, my son was tucked in with his crew of stuffed animals, Just myself and a microphone–and I was alive. No one is ever going to hand you what you need most. For me the ‘Wonderwall’ is knowing your true self, and the true nature of humankind.”
Last month’s single “No Halo” announced the arrival of an artist who’s been gifted with an expressive, elastic voice matched with her sharp yet vulnerable sense of songwriting. Listen to the song here and watch the lyric video here. With KATE’s introspective lyrics about maintaining a strong self-identity in the face of life’s obstacles and a melodically bright, uplifting chorus, the song is “a melting pot of old-school and new-school,” says KATE. With “No Halo,” KATE aims straight for the heart with lyrics such as “It ain’t easy/ Nothing’s ever fair/You, me and God know/You can still be good with no halo.”
KATE plans to keep the excitement building throughout 2021; the singer and songwriter will release a series of singles via her label Kate Clark Music distributed by BMD (Brooklyn Music Distribution), a song per month, alternating between original tracks and striking reinterpretations of songs that have inspired her.