As a Montreal born Grenadian-Canadian, Kaia Kater grew up between two worlds: one her family’s deep ties to folk music; the other the years she spent learning and studying Appalachian music in the USA. Her old-time banjo-picking skills, deft arrangements, and songwriting abilities have landed her in the spotlight in North America and the UK, garnering critical acclaim from outlets such as NPR, CBC Radio, Rolling Stone, BBC Music, and No Depression.
Kaia started her career early, crafting her first EP Old Soul (2013) when she was just out of high school. Since then, she’s gone on to release two more albums, Sorrow Bound (2015) and Nine Pin (2016). Her sophomore album wove between hard-hitting songs that touch on social issues like the Black Lives Matter movement (“Rising Down,” “Paradise Fell”) and won a Canadian Folk Music Award, a Stingray Rising Star Award. It also sent Kaia on an 18-month touring journey from Ireland to Iowa, including stops at The Kennedy Center, Newport Folk Festival and Cambridge Folk Festival. For her third album, Grenades (North America October 2018, Folkways/acronym Records; Worldwide January 2019), she took a decidedly different direction, choosing to lean into a wider array of sounds and styles, in order to convey a wider array of emotions and topics, most notably her paternal ancestry. Grenades has already received acclaim from Rolling Stone (smart, atmospheric Americana) and promises to bring listeners on an entirely new journey.
Official Website: https://www.kaiakater.com/
