On Monday 25th July Sessions58 presents a special performance by artist Cat Una.

Cat Una has blossomed from a humble solo acoustic singer-songwriter into a mature act, adding new members to her band that have each perfected their instruments thus giving her live shows a new depth and excitement.

"CAT has a voice that will sing you to sleep and then stab you in the heart”…” With that comes a whole new sound that is reminiscent of the smooth band you would find in a 1920’s smoke-filled jazz bar; and it’s a breath of fresh air against the hoards of alternative-indie bands that dominate the Leeds music scene.

Following on from recently supporting the BBC 6 Music favourite Tom Williams on tour, Cat Una has released three e.p.'s on Monomyth Records and in turn gained support from BBC Introducing resulting in a live session of her own as BBC Introducing’s Artist of the week June 2018.

We caught up for a chat to get to know her a bit more

LookingGlass: Hi Cat, thank your for catching up with us. Can you briefly introduce yourself and your music journey?

Cat Una: Of course! So I was lucky enough to have piano lessons when I was younger but was awful and didn’t practice. I started singing when I was about 12 but just in a locked bathroom then I taught myself guitar when I was 16 and would sing covers and write poems. I only started writing and gigging when I went to uni in 2013 and it’s just been constant since then!

LG: You recently graduated at Leeds Beckett University with a BA Hons in Music production and performance, how did the educational experience prepared you to kick off your career?

CU: So yeah, the main thing was it gave me the freedom to practice and write, record, try performing at open mics, meet other musicians who are amazing and I still play and gig with, network with anyone and everyone, and I don’t feel I could have done that back in the small village I grew up in!

LG: What’s the funniest memory you have recording?

CU: I don’t know it’s always pretty fun but one time we thought there was a ghost because there was a noise we couldn’t make out coming to through the recording.. turns out it was the air conditioning..

LG: Congratulations on performing for BBC Introducing! What can you tell us about that experience and your latest ep?

CU: Thank you! The interview was a little scary but playing with the band is always a lot fun so we had a great time!

So yea my new single “Undermining Eleanor” is available on Spotify and Apple Music, it’s a little different to the my other ones!

LG: Besides having your music out there on streaming platforms, you’re also signed to a label. What was the first thing you did after signing with Monomyth Records?

CU: Yes the Monomyth Records family is just brilliant, it’s a non for profit artist development organisation and I’ve been recording my album and released ep’s on vinyl and cd as well as online like you said since being a part of it and it’s been great!

LG: Can you give us a short playlist for the Summer?

CU: Well I’m listening to these songs a fair bit at the moment:

Childish Gambino - California
Unknown Mortal Orchestra - Hunny Bee
Jerry Williams - Left and Right
Rex Orange County -Television/ So far so good
Zuzu - All Good
First Aid Kit - Postcard
Florence and the Machine - Hunger
Peace - California Daze
BADBADNOTGOOD ft. Charlotte Day Wilson - In Your Eyes
LUMP - Curse of the Contemporary

LG: If your sound was a flavour what would that be?

CU: Ahaha wow I can’t say that’s something I’ve ever thought about but I asked my sister what she thought and said smoky bacon and maple syrup which is just delicious so I’ll go with that.

All photos credits to Jamie Corbett

Interview with Cat Una