Kat Parsons

Kat Parsons is a fearless performer who walks the line between innocence and exuberance. Equally funny and effortlessly sexy, her acute self-awareness allows her to be both excitable (she’s a “hugger”) and self-deprecating. With the release of three EPs, each showcasing a distinct image and sound, Kat Parsons brings her multifaceted personality – and talent—to the forefront.

“Ever since the career test I took in high school said I would best be suited as a traffic cop, I’ve been rebelling against preconceived notions of people’s limitations,” she said.

Born in Vienna to opera singer Darrell Parsons and recording artist Julie Parsons, she grew up immersed in music, studying piano and later majoring in theatre at Northwestern University. And since the 2005 release of her fan funded (to the tune of $18,000) album No Will Power — which was distributed nationally by Cleopatra/Navarre — Parsons’ career has been on overdrive.

From the cover of Music Connection magazine, to winner of the Acoustic Live competition (beating out more than 600 musicians), Parsons’ talent and pure passion has helped make her sophomore album No Will Power runner-up for Album of the Year at the 2005 DIY Music Festival, nabbed her coverage in Billboard, Boston Globe, Washington Post (“a fiery spirit…confident, dynamic songs…”), The Onion, and more.

The now Los Angeles based singer/songwriter has opened for or shared bills with heavy hitters like Billy Corgan, Jim White, Spin Doctors, and Sara Bareilles. And she’s performed across the U.S., Japan, Europe, Korea, Vietnam, Thailand, Brunei, Malaysia, Singapore, and Australia.

In late 2010, Parsons created a highly successful Kickstarter campaign to fund the manufacturing, art and promotion of her next recordings. Her legions of dedicated fans contributed nearly $20,000. This led to the creation of three EPs: Talk To Me (released April, 2012), the upcoming OH! (due 10/9), and the final EP It Matters To Me.  

Each EP represents a distinct body of work. “Sometimes I think of a song as a naked body, and there are so many ways you can dress it.,” said Parsons. “I had a lot of curiosity about different approaches — I wanted to try on different clothes.” So, she decided to try them all. (“Plus it’s really fun to have three release parties,” she added playfully.)

Talk To Me featured the song, “Fall For It”, a pop anthem for all those who have been chased, and as soon as captured, left alone. It was produced by Mike Flynn and Warren Huart, after Parsons beat over 1,400 artists to win the OurStage.com contest "Get your song produced by head of A&R at Epic Records”. Flynn, who has produced The Fray and Sara Bareilles, told OurStage.com that he looks “for a unique quality to the voice — something that sticks out.” Parsons easily fit the bill, and then some. 

With the release of Talk To Me, Parsons was featured on Purevolume, ArtistDirect and AOL. But after writing serious, introspective songs about love, depression and the dissonance between your imagined life and your real one, Parsons said she “just wanted to eat some cake and bop around” on the upcoming Oh!.

So she went to fellow singer-songwriter Matt Miller’s downtown Los Angeles studio space, a warehouse filled like a beehive with musicians banging drums to maximum capacity. Parsons bopped around while Miller played guitar to her movement. She began singing and Oh!’s “Love Changes Everything”, “What’s Wrong?” and “Happy” were born.

Parsons’ music and beautiful voice remain an accurate reflection of her glowing and layered personality: it reveals her as tough, yet vulnerable; knowing yet naïve; expecting the best in people without being blind to their faults. Her raw authenticity and uncanny ability to connect with listeners has proven that she’ll never bend to fit other’s expectations of her — especially not that of an LA traffic cop.

With a writing style and pop singer-songwriter sound akin to a modern Carole King, on October 9, 2012 Parsons will release OH!.  Look for the subsequent release It Matters to Me, early next year.