Kathleen

Steeped in introspection and the imagery of the natural world, Los Angeles singer/songwriter Kathleen folds the influence of her Colorado Rockies upbringing into a pure-voiced amalgam of folk and lush pop. After building buzz with several independent singles, she made her major-label debut in mid-2020 with the Kathleen I EP. Kathleen II arrived before the end of the year. Singles including 2022′s “Fever Dream” and “Beautiful Waters” materialized over the next couple years.
Born in Washington and raised in the Rocky Mountains in Steamboat Springs, Colorado, Kathleen’s lyrics draw direct influence from nature and humanity’s relationship with it. Taught from a young age by her park ranger mother to respect the natural world, Kathleen spent her teenage years developing as a budding songwriter with an ecological and poetic bent. After graduating from the University of Colorado, she moved west to Los Angeles to try her hand at a musical career. Her 2018 single, “August,” earned some attention, as did unique covers of Joni Mitchell’s “Both Sides Now” and the Willy Wonka film classic “Pure Imagination.” Warner Bros. took notice of her dulcet voice and thoughtful songcraft and signed her in early 2020. Her debut for the label was the stirring, orchestrally driven, and politically motivated pop single “The Longest Year,” followed by the folky romance of “Asking the Aspens,” both of which were included on her first EP, Kathleen I, in May 2020. She then began releasing songs from the follow-up, Kathleen II, which arrived in full in October of that year. It included contributions from producers such as Ariel Rechtshaid (Charli XCX, Vampire Weekend), Ryan Linvill (Olivia Rodrigo), and Noah Conrad (LANY, Ashe). Continuing to navigate quirky adult pop and earnest balladry, a subsequent series of singles included examples of each in 2022′s “Fever Dream” and “Phantom Love.” ~ Timothy Monger