Interview by Carol Wright | Photographer: CJ Harvey
Katie Schecter, a Nashville-based singer-songwriter, wants everyone to chill out. Starting her career as a solo artist in 2017, Schecter has since focused on making music that invokes images of driving down the road at dusk, feeling entirely at ease. Schecter talked to NYOTA about growing up in New York, her song “Pay It No Mind,” and her advice for aspiring singers.
Growing up in New York, where art and music are so easily accessible, did you often go to shows and museums to soak up the city’s creative energy?
Yes for sure, and I grew up in a very musical household. On special occasions we went to concerts and off-Broadway shows, the ballet, trips to the Met. Creative energy will find you in New York even if you’re not looking for it. Whether it’s subway performers, elaborate store windows, graffiti, murals…the city is always singing free admission.
I love the instrumental choices you make in your music, who are some of your musical inspirations?
I would be remiss to say I make all of the instrumental choices, I always give my input, but I’m lucky I get to work with great producers. My musical inspirations are constantly evolving depending what I’m working on, but it always comes back to The Beatles for me or solo Lennon…. Elvis, Doris Troy, T Rex, Betty Davis, Lee Scratch Perry, 1960s French pop and garage rock girl groups. I love me some electric guitar, like, I really really love it. A good riff or solo or tone feels like a shot of serotonin throughout my whole entire body.
Your husband, Nick Bockrath, also makes music. Do you ever help each other through creative ruts?
I married the best guitar player I’ve ever heard. We are creatively codependent and proud of it. I mean, I can’t speak for him but I think it’s mutual…
Listening to your songs, I instantly picture a car barreling down the road, a motel pool at dusk, and a tumbleweed rolling through the desert. As you work on songs, do you often have visuals in mind that inspire the sound and feel of your music?
I love that so much. I am very visual about the lyrics themselves, how they fit together and make sense side by side, but while I’m writing, I generally don’t look beyond the words on the page or the sentiment at hand. Once a song is recorded, that’s when I get transported elsewhere.
Tell our readers about your single “Pay It No Mind.” Why did this feel like the right song from your full-length album to release first?
It’s a stand alone tune or it may end up on the album, I haven’t decided yet. What I wanted to do was release a song that made people feel a little understood, a little hopeful, a little encouraged, and a little embraced. Like a warm hug for your eardrums.
The lyrics “You can push my buttons any time / It don’t mean I have to pay you any mind” are timely as many people nowadays sweat the small and big stuff. What do you hope listeners take away after listening to the song?
I hope you get out of it what I get out of it, just a gentle reminder to chill the **** out! Life is short, and everything nowadays is designed to get a rise out of you. Don’t be apathetic, but don’t waste your energy on the little things that don’t actually matter…be a drop of oil in a puddle of water. Pay it no mind.
The music video for “Pay It No Mind” was initially inspired by an Andy Warhol short film and then shifted in a different direction. How did you end up landing on the final result?
Well we figured it wouldn’t be overly compelling watching me eat a cheeseburger for an entire three and a half minute song, so we were forced to stretch the concept. I think staying within the realm of Pop Art’s cheeky simplicity was the goal, and best served the meaning of the song.
What advice do you have for aspiring singers?
Focus on your craft. It’s easy to get wrapped up in whatever it takes to “have a career,” but it all comes down to your craft, that’s where it started, and that’s where it ends. Remember why you wanted to be an artist in the first place and harness that in all that you do. Don’t lose sight of that pure intention; otherwise, it’s a soulless mission.
This story first ran in Issue 38: The Music Issue. Read more from the issue here.
