Heather Shadrick Raised Rowdy Contributor
23-year-old West TX native Kat Hasty is on the rise, having made her debut with her two-part EP Drowning in Dreams. I first heard a snip of Kat’s music on Tik Tok and was immediately hooked. I went straight to Apple music to find her, then listened to her EP on repeat. It is the type of music that you can’t not tap your foot to. Then the next thing you know it’s midnight (or any time of day like me) and you’re screaming her songs driving down a backroad. Kat’s music is real, raw, and unapologetic.
Kat grew up on Rock N’ Roll, all thanks to her dad, but as she grew up, she found herself leaning more towards folk rock such as Bob Dylan. Mixing a Bob Dylan sound, Miranda Lambert inspiration, and the West TX lifestyle – we give you Kat Hasty. She is already passing on her musical lifestyle to the next generation, as her daughter that’s not even a year old dances and sings along. Her daughter’s dad is also a touring musician, so she is bound to follow in their footsteps!
Drowning in Dreams Vol. 1 features two songs and while Vol. 2 features 3 songs. Kat said, “I was determined to put music out but didn’t have the money to do anything but record it at home. So, I bought a mic, Logic and a desktop computer and me and Shea Abshier recorded the EP in my apartment bathroom. It was initially supposed to be a 3-part album with 11 songs. We wanted to do a lot more with the record originally, but we were pretty green with the software and couldn’t figure out how, so my acoustic EP was born!” Drowning in Dreams was a quite literal time for Kat. The bar scene overpowered her and drained her of all motivation – something so easy to get lost in, especially in the music industry. While it was so hard to get out of, Kat did not lose the vision of those goals. Kat wrote, “I think it’s important as a musician to remember that your brand and your name isn’t just about being a songwriter and musician, it’s about being a businessperson that’s ready to work hard and market yourself.”
Once I listened to Drowning in Dreams on repeat, I couldn’t even begin to pick a favorite song. So, I asked Kat what her favorite song is and here is what she said: “My favorite song is probably The Highway Song. People always ask how I write songs and what my process is, and I usually don’t know what to say. My best songs I never intend to write. They usually just come to me while I’m doing mindless activities like sweeping or painting. One day I was driving to Fort Worth and I started singing “on a highway with no name we’re all high on Mary Jane” and by the time I got out to get gas and bought food I had written the entire highway song in my head. I got in my car and pulled my phone out and typed the whole song up. That 15-minute epiphany has pretty much changed the entire course of my life.” It gives me chills that such a small mindless moment can make such a big impact on someone’s life. It is easy to get worked up over writing the “perfect song.” Sometimes you have to relax and take the complications out of songwriting. It’s the simple moments like these that bring on some of the best songs.
After I heard Kat talk about her favorite song, I was able to choose mine: “Pretty Things.” This song gave me the little bit of confidence that I needed. This is the one I scream in the car. Towards the end of the song she says, “So won’t you go on and marry that lady, wears Louis Vuitton, drives around in her Mercedes, says downtown Dallas is the place to be, daddy gave her everything she’s got for free, she looks real good with her head down low, always minds her business in your shadow, kisses your ass like you wanted me to, well good luck honey, he’s all for you.” MAN…how can you not sing along to that!?
Kat and I got to laughing over the fact that it has been the manliest men that are making videos singing their hearts out to her songs. It just goes to show you that her songs hit everyone right in the feels. It’s that drive around, sing in the shower, stuck in your head all day long music. That is what it’s all about. As the consumer, we look for the songs that we relate to, the songs that make us feel heard. Those are the songs that you’ll remember.
@bmoe_34 But fr tho… #fyp #bluecollarballer #coutryboyshit #country @kathasty
There are some random questions you can ask someone to really find out a lot about them and here is my favorite one to ask, “If you could be any country music singer for a day, who would it be?” I couldn’t love Kat’s answer anymore. Kat said, “If I could be any country music singer for a day, I’d probably be Koe Wetzel. Koe Wetzel does what Koe Wetzel wants every second of every day and I respect that.” It would be a hell of a day that is for sure.
With her background of playing shows in West TX, Kat was planning that 2020 was going to be the year she ventured out to different venues. We all see what a hot mess this year has been for everyone, but 2021 will be her breakout year. I asked Kat what we are to expect from her in the near future and she answered: “My next move is a full production album full of songs that I’ve written over the last 7 years. I originally intended on releasing all 11 songs acoustic, but the first two parts have been more successful than I planned so I’ve decided to go ahead and take them to the studio.” I know I can’t wait to hear what Kat has cooking up for us. Be sure to keep up with Kat on instagram for all announcements and new musi