Interview: CATHERINE MCGRATH, Country 2 Country 2018, London

Rising star Catherine McGrath was kind enough to catch up with me at C2C almost a year after we last had an interview together (which you can read here) – read on for a sneak peek into her upcoming album, what to do in Nashville, and touring with some of the biggest names in country music.

Ciara’s Country (CC): Today I’m talking to a very exciting artist who I first saw as the act opening the Under The Apple Tree Roots Festival in 2016 and then caught up with last year when she opened for country superstar Kelsea Ballerini who we have the pleasure of seeing perform on the Main Stage at C2C! If Catherine McGrath’s meteoric growth over the past few years is anything to go by, we have a lot to look forward to in the future. Catherine, thank you so much for joining me again!

Catherine McGrath (CM): Thanks for having me!

CC: I thought as a means of introduction, I actually had a look at your Facebook bio and it said that your life mainly consists of singing, listening to country music and eating chocolate, so I’m going to start the interview by asking your favourite song to sing, your favourite country artist and your favourite chocolate.

CM: My favourite song to sing right now is Talk of This Town because I had my first headline show the other night and everyone sang along, so now I feel like it’s just a great memory and I’m really excited about it. My favourite artist at the minute is Kelsea Ballerini, and my favourite chocolate is just plain Cadbury’s Dairy Milk with a cup of tea, dip it in until it melts – perfect.

CC: Chocolate dipped in tea?!

CM: Yeah! You don’t do that?

CC: I don’t think that’s a thing over here.

CM: Oh my gosh, we do that every single day! Okay, well everyone needs to try it – dip your chocolate in your tea!

CC: Will do! So you mentioned there you had your first headline show – how was it?

CM: It was amazing. I couldn’t believe everyone sold it out. They all ran to the front, everyone was singing along, it was just so much fun.

CC: What was it like knowing that everyone was there to see just you?

CM: It was kind of like a bit of pressure. It was amazing but I was like ‘oh gosh, I really need to do a good job this time because there’s no one after me!’ It was really good.

CC: I think we know you always do a good job but it must have been a great show. Will there be more headline shows on the horizon?

CM: Yeah, I’ve got one in Bush Hall in May which sold out. We sold out Manchester as well but we’ve got one in Glasgow King Tut’s that there’s still tickets for. Hopefully I can do more because they’re so fun.

CC: There you go, Glasgow fans, make sure to sell out that show. Amazing that you’ve sold out your first headline tour. Very cool! As I mentioned it’s been almost a year since we last caught up – what have you been up to since then?

CM: I’ve been writing a lot more songs, I’ve been deciding what ones to put on my album, and getting ready for Country 2 Country Festival! It’s basically been putting all the songs together for the album which comes out in May. I’m in the process of finishing it up now and working towards the release date.

CC: Tell me a bit more about the album.

CM: It’s going to be a 13 track album, I’ve written on all of the songs. Some were written in Nashville, some in the UK. They’ll be some old ones people will have heard if they’ve seen me and some brand new songs nobody’s ever heard. It will be a summary of my life for the past 2 years really.

CC: You’ve written songs in Nashville with some of Nashville’s finest songwriters like Liz Rose and Jeffrey Steele. What’s the process like writing by yourself and then with some of these established songwriters?

CM: What I do is, if I think of a lyric I’ll write it into my phone, or if I get a melody I’ll sing it in; and I try to get as much of it together and then I’ll go in to the studio and say what ideas I have, or somebody else will talk about an idea they have. We work around it and figure out how to turn it into a song. I’m constantly writing in my own way, keeping it in my phone until I’m in the studio next. That’s how it usually goes for me.

CC: And is it similar when you bring those ideas to other songwriters?

CM: Yeah, that’s why I really like working with Jimmy Robbins in Nashville because he’s so good at picking out the best of my ideas. We’ll be talking about something and he’ll pick out the words that stand out or the parts he think makes a good song. That’s why I like working with other people because they find the best in what you do and they make sure you stay on track with where you’re going. I’m really happy with all the songs we’ve got so far.

CC: Fantastic! So May release date then. I take it you’ve been to Nashville a couple of times then?

CM: Yeah, I’ve been 5 times now! It’s my second home!

CC: 5? Wow, I’m sure everyone reading this interview will be quite jealous because that’s every country fans dream. What are the places you would recommend people go if they visit?

CM: The Bluebird Café, 100%.

CC: Who did you see?

CM: I saw Jimmy Robbins play there, I saw Marcus Hummon who wrote Bless the Broken Road by Rascal Flatts. Everyone there is incredible. If you go to a writers round in the Bluebird, that will be amazing. Acme on Broadway does the best burgers, and Wendy’s, just because. I got a triple bacon burger – so good. Just walk around Broadway and Centennial Park and whatever bars you can get into because everyone’s so nice, everyone’s so friendly and there’s good music everywhere.

CC: And speaking of a new city, you’ve been in London for a while now.

CM: 2 and a half years now. It feels like it’s been shorter than it actually is.

CC: Do you feel like a Londoner?

CM: No, I still don’t like olives and avocadoes which I feel everyone in London likes, so not quite there yet.

CC: Well maybe the next trend will be dipping chocolate in tea.

CM: Then I’ll be 100% a Londoner!

CC: Yeah! So you’ve had an amazing year – opening for Kelsea Ballerini, Dan & Shay, Una Healy. What kind of insight can you give us from touring with these artists?

CM: They’re just all so nice, and that’s the main thing I’ve noticed about everyone I’ve toured with. They’re all incredibly talented but they’re such nice people. They all listen to my soundcheck or my set, give me shoutouts on stage and just made me feel really welcome in the country community. Especially when the artists are coming over from Nashville to the UK, you’re like ‘are they going to judge me because I’m not from Nashville, will they think we’re not as good?’ but they’ve all been so lovely and made me feel a real part of it.

CC: Well the country community is renowned for being nice!

CM: Yeah, everyone in Nashville is so friendly.

CC: Would you ever consider moving there?

CM: Yes, I would move tomorrow if I could. We’ll see.

CC: Maybe that’s something on the cards?

CM: Yeah, I’d love to live there for 2 years at least, even if it’s when I’m 50. I’m going to do it someday.

CC: Put it on your bucket list! So the last time I saw you play, you played a song called Wild and told us a great story about it – can you repeat it for our readers?

CM: Yeah so it’s about this guy who had a girlfriend for about 5 years. They broke up and he sort of thought he liked me but clearly wasn’t over his ex. He was meant to go see Coldplay with her and took me instead, he was holding my hand for most of the concert and then he would text her. Every time we were together, she was somewhere in the background. I went into the studio the day after the concert and I wrote the song – I had a huge rant about every single detail that was happening and we wrote the song. I get to release it at the end of this month which I’m so excited about – everyone seems to love it, so I’m excited to get to put it out.

CC: Has the boy heard the song?

CM: Yeah, he has. His first reaction was that it was very harsh, because it was so real. I think that’s why I like it because it’s the most real song that I have – it’s word for word what happened. That’s what’s different and cool about it. It’s really its own story. I don’t talk to him anymore so I don’t know what he’s doing now but it’s one of my favourite songs that I’ve written.

CC: Well if you think of some of the most successful songwriters like Taylor Swift for example, all of her songs are famed for their realness, and that’s what makes them great.

CM: Yeah, it makes me happy that I got something out of the situation that was a positive.

CC: And in terms of some of the newer music we’re expecting, are there any exciting stories behind those songs?

CM: I like the story behind Lost in the Middle because it’s about how country music can transport you to whatever the song is about. It doesn’t matter where you are, country will take you to some other place. The lyrics in country music are so important and that’s what that song is about, so I like that one. For anyone who likes country music that’s going to be an important song on the album.

CC: You’ve just released the music video for Thought It Was Gonna Be Me – very arty!

CM: It was fun, we tried something with animation. It was weird filming it because I didn’t know what it was going to look like so I was just walking around doing my thing. It was fun filming it.

CC: The locations you shot in were cool too – backstreets.

CM: Yeah, just out and about in London!

CC: And of course here we are back at C2C – how have you enjoyed it?

CM: It’s been incredible. I saw Kelsea Ballerini, Tim and Faith, Sugarland, Kacey Musgraves.

CC: People can’t wait to see you too – we just had the interview interrupted by someone saying they love you, I’ve seen people walking around in your merch.

CM: That’s so cool, seeing people in my t-shirts.

CC: You’re making a name for yourself!

CM: We’ll we’re playing the Radio 2 stage and then going up to Glasgow. It’ll be cool seeing what Country 2 Country is like in Glasgow.

CC: Are you playing Dublin?

CM: No, I feel like next year I should, because it’s home!

CC: Well I have my own theory that in a few years you’ll be playing the Spotlight or the Main Stage. The meteoric rise to fame that I see with you is going to happen! We’ve spoken about some big artists today – who is someone people might not be aware of that you’d recommend people check out?

CM: Raelynn, she’s incredible. She put out an album called Wildhorse last year. I was going to say Old Dominion but anyone who’s at Country 2 Country will know them! Oh, Morgan Evans – he’s awesome.

CC: Yeah, I was thinking I’d love to see Raelynn play the indigo2 stage. As well, Morgan Evans gave me Keith Urban vibes so I see good things in his future too! So, after C2C, what’s the rest of the year looking like for you?

CM: Well after the album in May we’re going to be playing a bunch of festivals in the UK, and then I’m not sure where we go from there. It depends what happens with the album – hopefully I’ll get to play some more headline shows.

CC: Is there anything outside of music you’d like to get up to, because I imagine a lot of your life revolves around that.

CM: Basically my whole life, but it’s fun. I think whatever I do, I’m always going to be writing or singing. But I’d like to do some more travelling, even if that means only going back to Nashville, cause it’s my favourite place!

CC: With music being your whole life, is there a threat it could lose its enjoyment because it’s all you ever do?

CM: I don’t think so, because I try to do it in a way that I don’t base how much I love it based off anyone’s reactions or where I go with it. It’s just something that’s always fun to me, and as long as I keep it that way I don’t think it can ever be ruined.

CC: So music for you is just for you, not for anyone else but you do it because it’s something you love.

CM: Yeah, all my songs are about my life and they’re all things that I’ve gone through. I’m so glad that people can relate to that, and I think the reason they can is because I’m not trying to write it for other people or trying to write what people want to hear, I’m just saying something real. I think that’s what people like about my music and country music in general – it’s just real, it’s not built up to be something for other people to like, it’s just a natural thing.

CC: Well I’m excited to see you on the BBC Radio 2 stage tomorrow and then hear your album soon! Huge things coming this year… I’m going to finish this interview with my favourite question – what’s a question you’d love to be asked in an interview but never have been?

CM: Ooh, if I’d like some chocolate. It would be great if interviewers just had an endless supply of chocolate.

CC: You know, I do have some in my bag…

CM: I’m not going to actually take your chocolate because you weren’t ready for this!

CC: Put it on your rider.

CM: I do, it’s the only thing on the rider, it’s the only thing I care about.

CC: And on that note, thank you so much for answering my questions!

Thanks so much to Catherine for joining me – to keep up to date with more reviews and interviews like this, make sure to check me out on Twitter @CiarasCountry, and drop me a message in the comments below with any questions or suggestions you may have!