Kathryn L. "Kate" Davis (born February 4, 1991) is an American singer, songwriter, and bassist.[1]
Kate Davis | |
|---|---|
| Born | February 4, 1991 West Linn, Oregon, U.S |
| Genres | Pop, jazz |
| Occupation(s) | Musician, singer, songwriter |
| Instrument(s) | Vocals, bass, guitar |
| Years active | 2008–present |
| Labels | Solitaire, ANTI- |
| Website | katedavismusic |
Early life
editDavis started learning music on the violin. She moved to the Pacific Northwest in middle school and began to study the double bass.[2] She played violin and bass in the Portland Youth Philharmonic. She was named a Presidential Scholar in the Arts in 2009, as part of the Presidential Scholars Program, through the YoungArts national arts scholarship program while at West Linn High School in West Linn, Oregon.[3][4]
Music career
editEarly jazz releases
editDavis released the album Introducing Kate Davis in 2008. She enrolled at the Manhattan School of Music in 2009, concentrating on jazz and classic American songs,[5] releasing a Christmas album in 2009 and a live album in 2010. She collaborated with guitarist Gabe Schnider and drummer Conor Szymanski, these songs can heard on Michael Feinstein's NPR show Song Travels.[6] In 2012, she was recognized by ASCAP with the Robert Alan Award for new songwriters.[7]
In 2014 Davis was recognized by MTV as one of the "Fifteen Fresh Females to Rule Pop" in 2014.[8] In September 2014, Davis sang a cover version of "All About That Bass" by Meghan Trainor while playing double bass for Scott Bradlee's Postmodern Jukebox video channel; Bradlee played piano and Dave Tedeschi played drums on their 1940s jazz-style interpretation, called "All About That (Upright) Bass". After three months on YouTube their version had received eight million hits.[9][10]
In December 2014, Davis appeared on PBS NewsHour to perform and to talk about her career.[9] While discussing the cover version she has said that learning the double bass was difficult, but after learning songs from the Great American Songbook, she was able to translate that knowledge to create her own style.[9]
In January 2015 Davis appeared on the PBS special American Voices with Renée Fleming. She stepped in at the last minute for Grammy-winner Kurt Elling when he became ill with laryngitis and couldn't perform.[11]
A change of direction to rock
editIn 2019 Kate Davis relaunched her career as an indie rock musician with the release of the album Trophy. The album was a result of collaboration with producer Tim Bright.[12]
Her next album was a complete cover of Retired Boxer by outsider artist Daniel Johnston. She posted "Oh No" to SoundCloud as the lead single in November 2020.[13] The album titled Strange Boy was released in early 2021 and benefited the mental health charity Hi How Are You Project.[14]
In 2022 Davis released a new original song "Consequences". The album Fish Bowl followed in March 2023.[15]
Discography
editStudio albums
edit- Introducing Kate Davis (2008)
- A Kate Davis Holiday (2009)
- Trophy (Solitaire, 2019)
- Strange Boy (Solitaire, 2021)
- Fish Bowl (Anti-, 2023)
Live albums
edit- Live at Jimmy Mak's (2010)
As featured artist
edit| Year | Song | Album |
|---|---|---|
| 2014 | "All About That Bass" (Scott Bradlee & Postmodern Jukebox feat. Kate Davis) |
Historical Misappropriation |
| 2019 | "My Baby Just Cares For Me" | Five Feet Apart: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack[16] |
As composer or session musician
edit| Year | Subject | Collaborator | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | Remind Me Tomorrow | Sharon Van Etten | co-writer of the song "Seventeen"[17] |
Music videos
edit| Year | Song | Director(s) | Album |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | "All About That Bass"[A] | Historical Misappropriation | |
| 2019 | "Rbbts" | Zach Eisen | Trophy |
| "Cloud" | Tim Bright | ||
| "Open Heart" | Kate Davis and Tim Bright | ||
| "Trophy" | Holden Brown | ||
| 2020 | "Daisy" | Joseph Hung | |
| 2021 | "I’ll Do Everything But Breakdance For Ya, Darling" | Gizel Florez | Strange Boy |
| "True Love Will Find You in the End" | Callum Scott-Dyson | ||
| 2022 | "Consequences" | Sarah Sheikh Bridge and Molly Dario | Fish Bowl |
| 2023 | "Monster Mash" | ||
| "Call Home" | Sarah Sheikh Bridge and Molly Dario | ||
| "Long Long Long" | |||
| "Fish Bowl" | Austin Goodwin |
Notes
- A^ Scott Bradlee & Postmodern Jukebox feat. Kate Davis
External links
editReferences
edit- ^ Kate Davis AllMusic Biography at AllMusic
- ^ "About Kate". Kate Davis Music. 2010. Archived from the original on January 7, 2011. Retrieved January 10, 2015.
- ^ "Presidential Scholars for 2009". 2014-12-31.
- ^ "ED Honors Presidential Scholars - ED.gov Blog". 30 June 2009. Archived from the original on 5 January 2015. Retrieved 31 December 2014.
- ^ "About — Kate Davis". 2014-12-31.
- ^ "Kate Davis On Song Travels". NPR.org.
- ^ "The ASCAP Foundation Robert Allen Award Presented to Kate Davis". Welcome to ASCAP. Retrieved 2020-06-20.
- ^ Rubenstein, Jenna Hally (2014-01-10). "15 Fresh Females Who Will Rule Pop In 2014". MTV. Archived from the original on October 6, 2015.
- ^ a b c Min, Ariel (December 10, 2014). "YouTube crooner all about that upright bass and then some". Art Beat: PBS NewsHour. Retrieved January 3, 2015.
- ^ Barness, Sarah (September 10, 2014). "'All About That (Upright) Bass' Gives A Jazzy Twist To A Great Message". Huff Post Entertainment. Retrieved January 3, 2015.
- ^ "American Voices with Renée Fleming - Kate Davis Gets A Big Break - Great Performances - PBS". PBS. 7 January 2015.
- ^ "Interview, Musician Kate Davis". thefamilyreviews.com. 2 July 2019. Retrieved 2023-03-30.
- ^ "Kate Davis Releases 'Strange Boy' Cover Album". Obsessive-Compulsive. November 20, 2020. Retrieved December 4, 2020.
- ^ "Kate Davis Releases "Strange Boy" Cover Album".
- ^ Phil Mongredien (25 March 2023). "One to watch: Kate Davis". theguardian.com. Retrieved 2023-03-30.
- ^ "Five Feet Apart Soundtrack". soundtrackmania.net. 17 March 2019. Retrieved 2023-03-27.
- ^ "Sharon Van Etten Premieres Kate Davis' New Song and Kate Announces Debut on Solitaire Recordings Out November 8th". Circuit Sweet. 2019-06-04. Retrieved 2020-06-20.