INTERVIEW: Katie Thorne releases second single 'I Hate Your Girlfriend': "Heartbreak isn’t always poised, impassive, dignified. It can be ugly, immature and spiteful."
Australian singer-songwriter Katie Thorne has been performing and studying music for years and launched her solo project in November 2021 with the single ‘In My Room’. A gentle, mellow, warm and intimate slice of guitar pop, it was the birth of a very special talent.
Today she releases her second single ‘I Hate Your Girlfriend’, a bold and lively confrontation of the green-eyed monster that lives inside all of us but we rarely acknowledge to anyone else. Produced by ARIA Award winning Peter Holz (Gang Of Youths, Peking Duk, Vance Joy), the song explores a smooth, sensual, moody jazz-pop soundscape with Thorne’s smoky yet playful vocals a gorgeous contrast to the venomous lyrics. “I know it isn’t fair / I just hate that she’s there / And I can’t wait for the day you’re breaking things off / Because I wanna be yours,” she sings.
“‘I Hate Your Girlfriend’ was written as a kind of self-exorcism to placate my very own green-eyed-monster – you know, say the bad thing out loud and then maybe it won’t feel so big. I’ve always been drawn to music that portrays the flawed woman who feels pain,” Thorne says.
Growing up in country New South Wales and going on to study at the prestigious Berklee College of Music in Boston, USA, Thorne built up solid experience on the live circuit before moving into solo releases. With highly accomplished songwriting skills, a warm and emotive voice and music that really connects, Thorne is an artist that has everything it takes to make significant inroads into the music industry in the coming years. We recently caught up with her to find out more about her career and the creation of ‘I Hate Your Girlfriend’
Hi Katie! Thanks so much for taking the time to chat. How is everything in your world right now?
My pleasure! The last couple of years have been pretty all over the place, after having to cut my music studies in the States short and return to Australia, but I’m finally settling back into Sydney life. It’s particularly great now that the music industry is having its resurgence post-Covid; it’s a real joy to be able to go and watch live music, but also start to play gigs of my own again.
Congratulations on the release of your new single ‘I Hate Your Girlfriend’ which is out today. Jealousy is a theme, can you tell me a little bit more about the inspiration behind this track?
Thank you! It feels so surreal that it’s finally out in the world. I wrote ‘I Hate Your Girlfriend’ as a kind of self-exorcism to placate my very own green-eyed-monster - I’ve always been drawn to music that embraces women’s imperfections and pain. Heartbreak isn’t always poised, impassive, dignified. It can be ugly, immature and spiteful. It often doesn’t put our best foot forward and ‘I Hate Your Girlfriend’ is, in essence, the proverbial bad foot.
You worked with Peter Holz on the track, what was the creative process like?
I would work with Peter again in a heartbeat. He’s so, so good at what he does - I came to him with a very basic acoustic voice-memo recording and a billion ideas but not a whole lot of direction, and he helped me focus that vision until we found a place we liked. Peter also has this very calming presence - the perfect balance to my general neuroticism!
Some of my favourite moments that ended up in the final version are the silliest, like the text tones in the opening verse (which we recorded live in the studio texting each other about lunch into an SM57 mic). The whole collaborative process felt really natural and that helped give rise to a lot of playful production choices, which suit the equally kitschy lyrics.
You have also released a video for ‘I Hate Your Girlfriend’, what was making it like and was there a particular feel, look or story you wanted to portray with the visuals?
To quote Andie Anderson from the rom-com classic How To Lose A Guy In Ten Days, the ‘I Hate Your Girlfriend’ video is sort of like a “How-To in reverse”. What not to do in a breakup i.e. obsessively stalk your ex’s social media, irrationally vilify the new girlfriend, fill a void with deliciously processed foods. Or in my case, write a whole song and film a music video about it…
I’ve never done a music video before and I was genuinely terrified. But it ended up being one of the most rewarding ever. I had a very specific aesthetic in mind and my talented videographer Mikey (Conlon Creative) helped me bring that to life; a chaotic, glitter-fuelled, Euphoria-esque world, complete with ceramic dogs, a fake Instagram account and teeny disco balls (see if you can spot them).
This is just your second single, can you tell us a little about your career and your path up to releasing music?
Like many working musicians, in order to survive in the industry, I’ve had to be quite the chameleon. I’ve been the wedding singer, the music student (Berklee College of Music in Boston), the busker, the starving artist (still am). It can be challenging, but all of that time studying, performing (even in the corner of a dingy pub with the footy on the screen behind me), and scrawling lyrics on receipt paper at various day jobs, has culminated in this project finally seeing the light of day.
You grew up in Dubbo, what are some of the challenges of forging a music career growing up in the country?
When I was still in high school, unless it was for a special event, regular live music in Dubbo was essentially non-existent. Everything in the country (bar the wide open spaces) is on a smaller scale - less venues to play at, less artists to collaborate with, less access to recording spaces. These days, almost every pub in town boasts weekly live music but while these gigs are fun, there’s a limit to how far they can take you. It would be great to see more initiatives like Great Southern Nights that encourage and stimulate the arts in regional communities.
On the other hand, what are the benefits of that and do you feel there is a misconception that you have to be in a big city to make it in music?
Having a homegrown fan-base is such a big plus. It’s always fun spotting friends and family in the crowd when I play a show back home, and I wouldn’t be where I am today without their continued support.
Who are the musical artists you look up to, both when you were a kid and also today?
Amy Winehouse, Frank Sinatra and Norah Jones are the big three that I always come back to. I grew up listening to and continue to be inspired by their music.
There’s not really much that I won’t listen to but currently, Gretta Ray is one of my favourite artists. Her songwriting style and lyricism is just magical - I saw her play at OAF last month and was completely spellbound.
For so long the music industry has not been a particularly safe space for women, in the main because it has been run by older, white, straight men since its inception. What are your thoughts on gender equality and sexism in the music industry?
When you’re an independent artist, your work is a business as much as it is a creative venture and that can be a really tricky balance, even more so when you’re a woman. Women are expected to be amenable, smile and not make things ‘difficult’, and I’ve certainly been guilty of playing into that hand. But when your career and the things you’re passionate about are on the line, being ‘nice’ for the sake of it doesn’t really cut it. This project has meant a lot of firsts for me in terms of navigating professional relationships and I’ve had to learn to find that balance of trying to not put people off but also being assertive when it matters. I’m still working on that to be honest.
Funnily enough, the few times that I have played ‘I Hate Your Girlfriend’ in a live setting, a number of men have informed me that it felt a bit aggressive and uncomfortable. And maybe they’re right! But that’s the whole point really, that somewhere along the way we have been conditioned to hide those uncomfortable parts of ourselves in order to be more palatable.
On the flip side, the support I have felt from the women around me in the music industry has been super inspiring.
What else is on the cards for you for the rest of 2022?
I’m equal parts excited and terrified to be releasing an EP later this year, which I plan to launch with my first ever headline show. In the meantime, it’s back to back solo gigs all over Sydney and NSW. As I write this, I’m also currently in the process of moving house which happens to have the most beautiful bay window that I plan to spend an inordinate amount of time gazing out of as I dream up the next project (*wink nudge* did someone say album…)
‘I Hate Your Girlfriend’ is out now. You can download and stream here.
To keep up with all things Katie Thorne you can follow her on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter.
