Just Jaded
Music Industry Insights Feat. Cathryn Flores
Written By: Joanna Serrano
Welcome back to another rendition of Music Industry Insights with Jaded Productions! This month we had the privilege of interviewing Cathryn Flores!
Cathryn Flores, artistically known as KATT, is your modern day Hannah Montana. She is a college student by day and aspiring pop star by night! Flores is a recent graduate from the University of California, Merced, having received her Bachelors degree in English, and is on her way to completing a Doctorate at the University of California, Davis.
Flores self released her debut EP, Friends At Night, in February of 2021. The project features four tracks, including the title track “Friends At Night” and the remix to her 2020 single “Still See You”. Friends At Night is a mixture of pop, rock, R&B, Latin-pop, indie-pop, and singer-songwriter vibes. Flores describes how she “took the leap” with this project and “mixed a lot of genres” and featured different themes. This definitely paid off as two tracks off the EP, “Virgin Margaritas” and “Luv U 2”, were featured in the YouTube series Last Gasp. Her musical and lyrical influences include artists like Kacey Musgraves, Maggie Rogers, and Conan Gray.
At the young age of 21, Flores has opened for an array of today’s top artists, Pitbull, John Mayer, and Jason Derulo, at the California Mid-State Fair, singing the National Anthem for an audience of thousands of people. She’s also been featured on the track “Phenomenal” with artists like Sean Kingston.
Accomplishments like these are rare to come upon at such a young age. We asked Cathryn how she has managed to stand out amongst the array of artist trying to “make it” in this industry, especially considering the impact of social media and TikTok.
“… this new digital age that we’re in, where you’re not giving labels your CDs at a show, you’re not handing people your demos” explains Flores. “It’s like, what I see my Instagram as right now currently, it’s something like my entertainment resume through photos and videos… Just do a quick search on Instagram and you can see, like, a really quick blurb of, like, this is what I sound like, these are events I’ve done, and so on… I actually have not necessarily been on the TikTok trend… showing music on TikTok, so much as Instagram… I have been an artist that has used the more tradition route of, like, making more in person connections…”
If you are an active Music Industry Insights follower, then you know that we are the biggest supporters of building connections. Especially in an industry as small as the music industry, one connection can be the one that kicks off your career. Especially in the age of TikTok, Flores has managed to stand out amongst other artist with her personality. She actively supports and follows other local artists by attending shows and interacting on social media. She also touches the importance of “nourishing” your connections. She describes the importance of going out of your way to invite a colleague or new connection to an in-person lunch or a coffee date to keep a connection alive.
“I definitely had to learn how to put myself out there,” says Flores. She touches on her journey to breaking out of her shell artistically, describing getting past the awkwardness of posting promotion videos to social media.
Flores is also fresh off her year working as the San Francisco Chapter Representative for GRAMMY U, run by the Recording Academy. Not only was she lucky enough to attend the 2021 GRAMMY Awards, but she used her time in this position to connect with statewide, national, as well as local professionals and fellow aspiring students.
As stated before, Flores is pursuing a full-time career in music, performing shows, and, of course, is a normal 21-year-old, while chasing a college degree. We wanted to know how she is able to find the balance between chasing your dreams while also prioritizing on school.
“It’s been a tough battle sometimes,” starts Flores, “on the weekends… wherever you’re located, just going to local restaurants that have music and… try to make those personal connections in person… just go with friends… Also, like, really keeping organized… everyone has there own way of keeping themselves balanced”. Flores describes how she can be a procrastinator herself and takes time away from school and songwriting through physical activities to take care of her mind.
She touches on the importance of mental health as well. Between finals and applying for PhD program, Flores struggled to find the inspiration and time to work on music. She took a well needed break from releasing and performing, but has been back and better than ever.
Flores announced new single “Love in Yosemite”, which is yet to have an official release date but will be yours soon! She also exclusively announced her upcoming performance opening for Rosie Darling on tour at Brick & Mortar in San Francisco on October 6th!
Thanks for tuning in for another Music Industry can listen to the full episode with Cathryn Flores (KATT) on Spotify and all other streaming platforms!
Follow along with Cathryn on her musical journey: