Beginning on violin at five years old and continuing on bass at thirteen, New York’s Kate Davis became a valued member of the Portland Youth Philharmonic and the Grammy Jazz Ensemble well before the time she’d finished high school. And since graduating from the Manhattan School of Music, this virtuoso multi-instrumentalist has had no problem getting gigs at Carnegie Hall and the Lincoln Center, earning acclaim from NPR, MTV, PBS, BBC and beyond, and sharing the stage with acts like Herbie Hancock and Alison Krauss.
But at twenty eight the dangerously talented Davis is in the midst of an indie rock re-awakening, a phase change that’s required her to loosen her ties to jazz while still making use of the discipline she’s earned performing the genre. With that, Davis’ first round of calculated, intimate solo songwriting takes inspiration all the way from TV On The Radio to Beach House to Elliot Smith and lyrically reflects on the difficulties of early adulthood, the loss of her father, and a bevy of poignant self-observations. The result is Davis’ prized twelve-song debut, Trophy, written entirely from the seclusion of her Harlem bedroom, and it’s out November 8th.
Kate Davis has graciously allowed KUTX to premiere Trophy‘s lead single, “Cloud” and we can’t help but feel like its very first lyric is fitting for this Sharon Van Etten “Seventeen” co-writer who’s about to elevate her status as a solo artist…
–Jack Anderson
