Sometimes, we can’t help but think about how things just seemed more simple when we were younger – including our fears. Don’t you ever just wish you could go back to the days when your biggest fear was the monster supposedly living in your closet or under your bed?
One of the scariest things in life can be the unknown, so Kat Saul wrote a song about it called “Monsters.” And of course, we got to chat about it!
Kat Saul was raised in Nashville and was constantly fed Top 40 radio and early ’00s records. She started to play the piano and guitar at an early age, and attended professional writing sessions in high school. She graduated from Belmont University, recently moved to LA, and has tons of great tunes in store for listeners! Check out our chat below.
Congrats on your new single “Monsters.” Such a bop! Can you tell us a little more about it and how it was like making it?
Thank you! I actually came up with the line “What’s been under my bed just moved into my head..I got monsters” in Spring of 2019. Every time I sat down to write it, I just felt empty. I think I hadn’t fully confronted the issues I was going through, so it was hard to find the right words. Fast forward to March 2020, I’ve just moved to LA, I’m a bit lonely and isolated, and the city is expected to shut down for Corona. At this point, I’ve been officially diagnosed with anxiety/depression and am in intensive therapy as well. Those lyrics I had written down (a year ago at that point) felt realer than it ever had. My session that day was with Alex Koste and Alex Venegas. We all were immediately on the same page. Even though our fears didn’t look exactly the same, we connected over what was going on in the world and wanting to turn back time. It flowed super easily. I finished out the production with my homie Max Weinik and it was mixed by JJ Corirossi a couple months later. Pandemic aside, growing up and moving on is pretty crazy. I hope people are able to connect to this in a timeless way, despite when it was written.
You recently moved from Nashville to LA, right before things started shutting down. What was that like?
Honestly, it was hella spooky. No traffic in LA? Unheard of. On a realer note, It felt like a major bummer to be honest. I moved out here to be in sessions, network and start a new chapter after having lived in my hometown forever. Also, Nashville was blasted with a tornado right as COVID hit. Some of my close friends had lost their homes, and I was in LA, unable to do anything or see anyone. Luckily, the industry has gotten hip to zoom sessions, so I’m working again, but at first was really lonely writing by myself in my room and not really knowing anyone. Thank GOD I have an amazing roommate, or this would’ve been a horrible summer. All we can do is stay positive and try to dance it off. I tried to capture feeling all of that in the song.
The lyrics on “Monsters” definitely make me wish I could turn back time. If you could do that, is there a specific moment in your life you’d love to go back to?
I wish I could tell my 6 year old self to stay in piano lessons. Learning that shit now is so much harder. I’d also like to go back and re-live the first time I heard a Katy Perry song. That feeling of “WHOA” is so hard to come by.
Gotta ask, especially since this was one of my favorite movies as a kid. If you could be any character from Monsters, Inc. which one would you be?
It’s been maybe 15 years since I’ve seen that movie, so I might have to do a re-screening. I just took a BuzzFeed quiz that told me George Sanderson. I have no idea what that means. The description alludes to a problem with socks, and I can’t say I don’t lose mine that every time I do laundry.
Adulting can be so scary, especially in times like these! What are some of the biggest things that have helped you get by over the past few months?
In no particular order, my therapist, long FaceTimes with friends, making sure that I write (even on days I don’t feel inspired), exercise and tequila (I have gotten very good at making watermelon margs).
Is there anything you’re looking forward to for the rest of 2020?
Putting out music that feels real to me. I feel like so much in life is still a big question mark for this year, but I can count on art for sure.
Finally ~ if you could swap bodies with anyone on this planet for a day, who would it be?
Katy Perry or Michelle Obama. Closely followed by Beyoncé because what a talented badass and I’d love to say “I woke up like dis”.
Listen to “Monsters” below and keep up with Kat Saul on Twitter and Instagram @katsaulmusic!
“When you’re a little kid, you’re afraid of things like the Boogie Man, Dracula, and Zombies. Now instead of Vampires and aliens, it’s fear of failure, mental health issues, broken relationships, childhood trauma, and all the other shit that goes in a messed-up-baggage-cocktail. All that to say, it turns out real life is way more terrifying than the dark.” – Kat Saul
