Kat Darling

KAT DARLING

By: Ronnie Reyes

Not even the pandemic we are experiencing nowadays can stop the pure talent of the Pinoys. One such talent, which is already ripe for the picking, is an artist called KAT DARLING. Successfully launching her single right in the nick of time before COVID-19 hits last March 20, 2020. The single timbers with raw and powerful blend of blues-rooted soul with funk and hip-hop.

Her single – SUFFERIN’ is up on all major music platforms. This single has been played 16,000 times already. “That’s not even the best part, I got to be part of some international playlist like VZN Radio in the Carribean, another in London and one also in the US”, exclaims Kat. In this single, she expresses her feelings of self-doubt and anxiety: a common denominator in today’s youth. She says in this day and age, young people are more subjected to seeing “the perfect life” all over social media. In the song, she communicates that one should never hesitate to be transparent about their problems, because there will always, always be someone who is ready to listen and to help ease their suffering.

This independent singer-songwriter was born and raised in Manila. “I grew up listening and singing pop music. I was also part of our church choir and I was a Psalmist during Holy Week”, confesses Kat. She also sang at weddings during those days. Her influences manifests in many musical genres like - reggae, ska, rockabilly, rock n roll, blues, soul, drum n bass, hip-hop, and pop, to name a few. “When I was young, I was so impressed by Skarlet Brown. She influenced and helped enlighten me about female singers’, admits Kat. This idea, that, she don’t have to fit the mold, made her realize that being a pop star is not what matters. She reckons not being one, is the true grit in local music. “I have been singing/gigging on and off since I was 15 years old”, says Kat. Performing isn't new to her, before she used to front bands like RSVP Acoustic band. Irie-I. Escolta 3:AM (with Jun Lazo, Brutus Lazcano, Niki Cabardo); Lucha Loka (with Rod Mijares, Jun Nogoy, Ronn Sana). “I was doing it as a side job to earn extra. Now, I feel like I really want to create my own kind of music because if I don't, I'll regret it. Life is too short to not be doing what you love.”, explains Kat.

During the quarantine period, she rendered a live performance on Facebook, with some of her friends in the music induatry for a fund-raising parlay. Other big artists that she performed with before includes; Wally Gonzalez of Juan Dela Cruz Band fame, Cooky Chua, Noli Aurillo, Joey Ayala, to name a few. But her most prized gig came at a Cafe in Nusa Lembongan, Bali, Indonesia. “I performed by myself and played my first international gig, by myself! It was surreal”, finishes Kat. A pre-school teacher by profession and a cat-lover since her teen days, Kat Darling (as she is fondly called) expresses optimism and exuberance about life’s calling, “Wrestling with anxiety and self-doubt, I chose not to do so in silence, but in style”.

Following the successful release of her first single “Sufferin” last year at the height of the global pandemic, Kat Darling has released a new track to kick start 2021. The new single was launched on Spotify, Apple Music/iTunes, Instagram/Facebook Music, Amazon, Deezer, Pandora, Napster, iHeart Radio, Tiktok, Tidal, ClaroMusica, Saavn, Anghami, KKBox, Medianet and Shazam last Jan.15, 2021. Entitled “Don’t Tire Out”, the track is a delightful exercise in retro soul vibes with a punchy drum sound, that firmly placed it in the genre of modern soul. The track is best listened to at night, as you wind down from a long day at work, glass of whiskey or wine in hand. Guest guitarist, Coco Coo takes the lead guitars to a whole new level. Coo adds a round Motown flavor and brings the piece to higher ground while complimenting Kat Darling’s lyrical stylings and emotional outpouring.

An avid follower was quoted as saying, “If I had not known who the artist was when I listened to this music, I would have thought, the tune came out of the Motown records and interpreted by a foreign artist. The trumpet-thing, the arrangement, the staccato-like rendition of the song, the phrasing and diction was astounding as it is. I want to hear her perform live!”. The well-produced and well-thought tune is in contrast to the bubbly, hippity-hop style of her initial single ‘Sufferin’. Well, both tunes takes you back to a different time frame. That is how enigmatic and robust Kat’s style is in rendering songs.

Produced by veteran musician and composer Dan Gil, “Don’t Tire Out” takes the listener on a journey through a toxic relationship where one is at fault – for loving too deeply and too intensely, calling to mind ballads and heartaches of Janis Joplin, Blood, Sweat and Tears and Sharon Jones with the Dap-Kings. The track also features Joel Mondonedo (Reklamo, Tons of Others) on bass guitar, Thor Salvador (animation/film music composer) on keyboard, and Charles Blanco (Tons of Others, Basilica) on drums. As her previous release was embraced internationally and has been featured in the UK’s Spotify Playlists “Music to Shake A Hoof,” “The Stock Exchange” and got radio airplay in the “Caribbean Broadcast Network”, this new single is poised to be a hit among the blues and psychedelic rock-loving set. Also,  the release of the Don’t Tire Out music video will be available soon. “It's a collaborative effort with the band and shot with no crew. The video is co-directed by LC De Leon, front man of the band Reklamo and is a director for advertising/short films.”, prides Kat. April 2021 is the target month for the video’s release.

Taking things one step at a time, appears to be the pace Kat has been employing in, as far her musical career is concerned. For the past two years, she has recorded, rather independently, only two songs. “But quality ones!”, quipped Kat with a sheepish smile. “Sponsors are hard to come by nowadays, I guess they have different priorities than mine”, admits Kat with a chuckle. Kat has remained an independent and self-managed artist and don’t have plans to be managed by anyone else in the near future. “That’s the beauty of being one (independent/self-managed artist), I get to choose, when to perform, where to perform and whom to perform to. I am not duty-bound by any contract where I have to be with against my will, on the wee hours of the morning in a god-forsaken place just to fulfill my obligation as an artist.”, declares Kat. With that being said, Kat has kept her schedule busy this year, by recording a further three more songs with a collaborative effort with another artists.

To get updates with her singing career and gigs and other updates, kindly visit ‘Kat Darling PH’ on Facebook.