Spotlight On... Katherine Aly

In 2022 Katherine Aly released Shadows Are Made of Light Too, eight tracks that refused to confine themselves to one genre. Rooted in a much more band-forward aesthetic then, in 2024 she returned with 222, an EP that turned the Katherine Aly sound completely on its head. A more polished, confident and outspoken version of herself, Katherine Aly 2.0 brings with it an even stronger aesthetic – backing dancers, everything dripping in the colour orange and a new lesson to be learned from every song.

In 2026, Aly shows no sign of slowing down as she continues to evolve as an artist. Following the release of SHOW NO PAIN [for the avoidant], we catch up to find out more about this switch-up and talk influences, splitting her time between Edinburgh and London, the importance of the number two and find out what the rest of the year has in store for her.

When we last spoke in 2022, we talked about your strong aesthetic and ability to traverse genres, choosing not to confine yourself to one sound. With your follow-up, 2024’s 222 EP, you leaned into your strongest look and sound yet, so I’d love to know more about what inspired this initial switch up to Katherine Aly 2.0 in 2024?
Taking a much needed break! I really pushed my creative boundaries during a time of global uncertainty and that resulted in a body of work that was quite experimental as far as my artist identity was concerned. After hitting certain milestones and playing those tracks live as much as I could have, I found myself unable to envision the next step. And that’s how I knew I had to take a break from social media and performing to be able to reconnect with my own creativity and discover my true artist identity. Sometimes taking time off is just as significant to the work as the work itself. The irony of me writing this on a Sunday when I’ve half a day off for the week is hitting quite hard though, not gonna lie! 

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Katherine Aly (@itskatherinealy)

As part of this reinvention, you now perform with backing dancers and everything is drenched in the colour orange – why are these two aspects important for you?
Dancing on stage was a monumental creative U-turn for me; it’s a part of my creativity I neglected for years even though it always resonated with me from a young age. When I went back to writing I realised I was doing so with choreography in mind. Then a very unexpected blessing came out of nowhere; I was sharing my vision with a wonderful promoter and events production professional called Sara Sutherland, and she was the one who offered me my first show which could accommodate dancers both technically on stage and financially. That’s how the whole thing came together; and with the invaluable support of my dance teacher Jo Richards, my lead dancer Eilidh Nichol and my beloved Dancebase in Edinburgh where all the training and choreographing is happening.

The orange is where the brand comes together; it’s bold, vibrant, energetic, but also mischievous, dare I say confrontational, and it really gives off abundance. My graphic designing and branding collaborator Maria Karydi (Vierna D Creations) and I sat down and analysed the whole EP; it was Brat summer when everything was bright green and with that energy in mind, and after a very productive brainstorming session at a cafe in Edinburgh, we decided to go for that vibrant orange you’ve been seeing slowly taking over my life over the past two years.

You also now split your time between London and Edinburgh, what has this been like for you and how has it helped your focus towards your music?
Edinburgh is home for me, and it will always be. I am so grateful for the opportunities I’ve been given in Scotland, including the incredible support from Creative Scotland; kindly funding my current campaign, it’s the third time they’ve done so. I’ve played some amazing shows in Edinburgh, Glasgow and Aberdeen and have connected with very talented creatives I’m hoping to keep in touch with forever. However, as a pop artist, I personally find it quite difficult to expand further professionally and take things to the next level for my project if I’m not in London.

The pop and alt-pop scene here is unreal and it feels like there’s space for everyone within that genre. It’s nice being around artists and industry professionals of my specific niche, I find it inspiring and motivating. It’s been over a year that I’ve been travelling a lot up and down the country but I’m also completely detached from outcomes, maybe slightly burnt out to be honest. It’s going to be what it’s going to be and as long as I’m happy with where I am creatively, that’s good enough to keep me going.

On the singles you've released this year so far this year – THIS IS NOT A DRILL [for the player] and SHOW NO PAIN [for the avoidant] – I've already noticed a further evolution in your sound. You posted on Instagram recently about wanting to bring back 00s pop-rock/R’n’B fusion, so I'm keen to know some of the artists you’ve drawn inspiration from for this latest version of Katherine Aly?
Because I spent last summer writing for other artists, and that varied from R'n'B to cinematic pop, K-Pop and many more, I found that to have had a huge impact on my most recent work. As it happens, at the end of last summer I also went to All Points East and saw Jade, FKA Twigs, Tyla and Raye all in one night!

Ironically that was the same night I ended up in a photobooth at King's Cross waiting to get the first train up to Scotland, after going through a quite distressing situation with… an avoidant man! To say I returned full of inspiration and desperate to write in the best and worst way possible, would be an understatement. That’s how SHOW NO PAIN came to life; I was writing and recording as the whole story was unravelling in real life – it was both excruciating and cathartic at the same time.

Those last two singles are both two minutes and 22 seconds long, released two months apart on the 22nd of the month – what’s the significance of this?
It’s simply a creative challenge I took on and to be honest it feels quite satisfying! I might be slightly autistic, I’ve been told! Besides, 222 is apparently the number for trust and patience and with my lyrical work revolving around dating archetypes, that seemed to fit like a glove!

I love these little tidbits you include in square brackets of your song titles, which I think has played a part in your music being described as "educational" – what do you hope people learn from your music?
That we need to bring change to the current dating culture. Most women don’t need a relationship anymore – it’s optional. So yeah, to take from my catalogue’s titles, if you’re a mama’s boy or a narcissist, or a player or an avoidant, sorry – pass! I speak as a straight, cis woman so my songs are addressed to straight men; they gotta keep up with the girlies! And, you know, a lot of them do. I have people in my close proximity who are truly happy with their spouses and I love that; it’s hopeful. And it proves my point when I say no, I don’t hate men, I’m just pointing out that the patriarchy is harmful for everyone so it’s time to look at the issue at its core to be able to solve it and co-exist within healthy relationships.

So I hope men will see our point of view through my music and hopefully reflect on their experiences, and most importantly I hope women will feel empowered enough to not settle for less than what they’re worth. And because I consider it the greenest of the flags for a man to like my music, I long for the day a meet-cute is going to happen at one of my shows and they’ll live happily ever after! I might be suffering from dating fatigue but I’m still a lover girl.

And what does the rest of the year look like for Katherine Aly?
I guess more lessons, more dating archetypes! I know I started this year with more playful releases but I’m going to gradually be moving to a bit heavier lyrical and musical content. The one thing you should know is that none of the new songs sound like each other, why would they? Boring! Also, keep an eye out for some live shows, which will be announced soon; if you think the music is good, wait until you see me and the girls live hehehe x

---

SHOW NO PAIN [for the avoidant] is out now

Follow Katherine Aly on Instagram @itskatherinealy