Artist Spotlight: Meet Catherine Elms
What was the creative process like for this particular song?
“Medusa” is a song about feelings of jealousy and resentment, and choosing to embrace it and watch yourself turn into something monstrous. I actually had the concept of this song floating around my head for a few years, but I could never quite get it to work when I tried writing it. And then, a few months ago I was noodling around on the piano and came up with the piano bass riff, and the whole song flowed out from there. I knew I wanted the song to sonically convey the pull towards our inner darkness, how irresistible it can feel to be the bad guy - so my producer and I kept the instrumentation low and menacing, with whispery vocals. It was really fun to put together.
Were there any memorable or standout moments during the recording sessions for this single?
Not the recording session so much, aside from the joy of bringing this song to life in a studio - but, the video shoot for the “Medusa” music video was very memorable! The video riffs on the “Medusa” myth, and one afternoon we were filming me performing with live snakes hired from a local reptile house. I was singing to the camera while holding a huge black eastern indigo snake, and at one point he coiled himself around my neck and was licking my face! I thought I'd find it scary, but it was an amazing fun experience - definitely my favourite video shoot ever.
What impact do you hope "Medusa" will have on your audience?
“Medusa” is the first single from my second album, and marks a new direction for my sound - bigger, darker, and more mature songwriting. I hope people resonate with this new sound, and emotionally I hope they resonate with the idea that we all have these dark sides to us, and sometimes it can be empowering to just accept and even embrace it.
Can you tell us more about you as an artist?
I'm a dark alternative singer-songwriter from Wales, heavily inspired by artists such as Kate Bush, Nick Cave, and Fiona Apple. I've been writing and performing music for around 10 years now, and in 2022 I self-released my first album, 'I Have Seen It, I Do Not Fear It'. Last year I recorded my second album, which will be coming out this summer!
What role do you feel emotions play in your music, and how do you channel them into your performances?
I'm heavily inspired by deep human emotions, and love writing music that explores our inner worlds - particularly those intense emotions that are less comfortable or palatable, like anger and jealousy. I always try to bring complexity and nuance into the emotion of a song, rather than flattening it down to something superficial and one-dimensional. I channel this through my live performances, tapping into the emotions that inspired the song, and conveying them to the audience through vocal delivery and body movement.
