10 Questions For: Kate Mirson

INTERVIEW

She has one of the most beautiful voices and her music is one of the most lovely and emotional in Portugal. When they are mixed, her voice and her music, magic happens. And now, we had the chance to know more about her and her work in a wonderful interview. These are our 10 questions for Kate Mirson:

Sounds European!: We like to start our interviews getting to know a bit about the artists' backgrounds. What are your first memories with music? Who did you like to listen when you were a child? When and how did you start singing? And currently, who are your musical influences, and why?

Kate Mirson: Since I was very young, I remember singing at home, to my parents and to my relatives. It has always been something I enjoyed doing. Music has always been very marking in my life – my dad plays the guitar, maybe my love for music comes from him.

Essentially, I can say my biggest musical influences have always been singers who lead by their voices, such as Céline Dion, Kelly Clarkson, Mariah Carey, Christina Aguilera... I grew up with them.

SE!: Besides being a singer, you play instruments, too. You started taking private guitar lessons at the age of 11 and piano at 14. How were your first steps in these lessons? How is your current relationship with the guitar and the piano? And how much do you believe your view of music as a whole has broadened with your knowledge of these instruments?

KM: I have always liked guitars a lot, and since my father knows how to play it, I have always wanted to learn it. For four years, I have dedicated myself to learning how to play the guitar, and that's when I felt I wanted to learn the piano even more. As I didn't have a possibility to learn both, I started learning how to play the piano by myself, with YouTube. I can say my first steps and my first bases were what made me give up the guitar and want to go deeper with the piano. Nowadays, these two instruments help me a lot when I compose. They are always present.

SE!: The name of Adelaide Ferreira, famous Portuguese singer and actress, has a relevant importance at a time in your history. Tell us a bit about your relationship with her. How did you meet her? How did you start being trained by her? And what are the biggest lessons you have had from her?

KM: The first time I met Adelaide was in a concert close to my city. I was 11 and I had then asked to sing with her, as I have always admired her as a singer. Later, I remet her during a TV show I went when I was younger, about how much I loved going to karaokes. Adelaide showed up, and I could sing with her one more time. I found out she started giving singing lessons, and I saw that as a big opportunity – not only for helping with my voice, but also for having her as my teacher.

Adelaide Ferreira helped me a lot, not only vocally, but also as a person. She is an artist who has huge experience in the field. And she has always encouraged me not to give up on my dreams. Also, she got to listen to some of my first compositions.

SE!: You participated in some talent shows on TV, The X Factor in the United Kingdom and in Portugal and The Voice. How did you take part in each of them? How were your experiences in them? What are your best memories of these moments? And what lessons did you take?

KM: I have always wanted to get into a TV contest. It was a way for me to launch myself into the music world. So I decided to send a video to The X Factor with the hope of being called to go audition in person. And so it happened! It was an adventure, though. My dad got a loan to be able to give me company in my dream, and then we both went. It was very competitive, but I loved everything – getting to know such a beautiful city as London, and also the opportunity of meeting new people, different cultures...

Here in Portugal, it wasn't very different. They were shows which helped me grow musically and as a person. It's a huge pressure – the nerves, the anxiety. But they were experiences I am never going to forget.

SE!: Later, you started developing your own work, your own compositions. How was it, for you, to take this new step? How does it feel to listen to a song, and see your personal mark in it – and even more, having such a positive response from the public, with hundreds of thousands of streams?

KM: Composing was something that has always been present in my life, but more in the form of poetry than of music. Then, I decided to put them together. It is a form of expression. It's my message, my point of view – but deep down, it ends up being "someone else's music", in the same way as many artists' songs have helped me and become, somehow, mine. I am also very happy when I know my songs reached people in such a positive way, and that they relate to what I am giving. It's motivating to know my music is present in their lives.

"I have always been very ambitious with my music – the farther it gets, the better"

SE!: It's not very common for Portuguese artists to sing in English – especially if they make original music. But you have been following this path. What made you choose it? And how do you see the matter of languages in music, as a whole and specifically in Portugal?

KM: I decided to sing in English because I feel more comfortable. I listen to music in English all the time, especially when considering the artists who influenced me. It's a language which has become present in me and in my compositions, even more by the interpretation of my messages. It's a universal language, and I have always been very ambitious with my music – the farther it gets, the better. But I don't mean to depreciate my own language and how unique it is.

SE!: Our feeling, when we listen to your work, is of a smooth pop, with spices of soul and primarily vocal. What about you, how would you define your work, in style and genre? And what would you like the public to understand and feel, when listening to your songs?

KM: I can describe myself as very romantic. I love ballads. I can identify my style as pop, ballads, a bit of soul. Above all, songs with a lot of emotion. My biggest intention is for my songs to reach people's hearts.

SE!: What are your professional projects for the near future? What can your fans expect from you?

KM: My next project is really the release of my album, which is being prepared at the moment, but we still don't have a scheduled date to announce yet. You can expect songs with a lot of emotion and feelings, and essentially about love, because love is one of my biggest sources of inspiration.

SE!: If you could choose anyone, who would be some Portuguese and international artists you would like to collaborate with?

KM: If I could choose a Portuguese artist, it would perhaps be Aurea. I identify myself a lot with her. She is a great artist and I admire her hugely. International, it would be either Christina Aguilera or Jessie J. They are two of the singers who influence me the most, musically. I admire their works, their voices. It would be really a dream.

SE!: We would like to finish this interview with a song of yours. What is your favorite song by Kate Mirson, and why?

KM: I can say that, at the moment, my favorite song is "Broken one". It was composed with a lot of feelings. It's a very personal song, carrying a lot of details of everything I was feeling at that moment. It was made as a farewell, a goodbye, and it helped me a lot to go through a less good phase of my life. It is also my favorite because it was so well received by the public.