Originally from Texas, Catie Offerman grew up on a horse ranch where she was home schooled – giving her the opportunity to develop her musical talents.
She first took up playing piano aged just four, before going on to play violin, accordion and other instruments as well as appearing in local bands. After graduating from Berklee College of Music, she signed a publishing deal before embarking on her journey as an artist in her own right, being named as an ‘Artist to Watch’ by The Boot and performing live alongside the likes of Lady A.
I spoke to Catie when she was here in the UK earlier this month to perform at C2C, where we talked about the festival, her time in London (including her love of Indian food!), how she approaches her songwriting, her Opry debut, plans for 2023 and more.
Welcome to London!
Thank you so much. This is such a treat.
How have you been finding it so far?
Uh, love it! I mean, other than my hair curler blowing up this morning [laughs] everything’s been perfect! Had a great night’s sleep. It’s just so charming. I mean, just being in Europe, honestly. It’s one of my favourite places and this is my first time coming to actually the proper city in London, not being on the outskirts. So I’m just eating my way through it already.
Has there been anything food-wise you’ve tried whilst you’ve been here that you’ve loved?
Dishoom Indian last night. Every single person told me, “you have to go there”. Did not disappoint. So good.
I highly recommend the bacon naan for breakfast as well…
I didn’t have that! I only had the garlic naan, a whole bowl of it and it was amazing. We’re getting more Indian on Saturday so I’ll have to have that then.
You’re here to play C2C – what can people expect from a typical Catie Offerman show?
I mean, it’s just a lot of good old country music. What I play, it’s modern classic, it’s timeless. I don’t have some crazy rangey voice, I just love to connect with people and sing my songs, and hope that what I sing resonates with them. So I hope that what they find is a new friend. I’m pumped to be friends with some new people, and meet some people that I haven’t before. So it’s gonna be a lot of fun.
Are there any songs you’re particularly enjoying playing live at the moment?
I’m actually really enjoying playing some new ones. ‘OK Cowboy’, I’ve got this song called ‘I Just Killed A Man’. It is not about death. It’s about heartbreak. And to me it’s a really special song and just a way of saying it that I’ve never heard somebody say before. So I’m just really excited to share the new ones with people. And just see what they think and get their feedback.
I also wanted to ask you about ‘Til I See You Again’ which is your most recent single. What can you tell us about that?
Yeah, so ‘Til I See You Again’ is that classic, you’ve shut that relationship down so many times with that person that it wasn’t even a relationship, probably, and you said it was off and then as soon as you walk into that bar it’s like game on again. All your good intentions go out the window. Everybody’s been there in some shape or form. But also just saying it with a smile on your face, ’cause it’s a feelgood song. So I’m excited for these next ones to come out because I think the music is growing and I think it’s telling the story. So I’m pumped.
Let’s talk about how you approach your songwriting more widely. Do you have a typical way you write or is it just as the song takes you?
If I can say one thing about my songwriting, it’s just that I’m so appreciative of the songwriters I’ve been able to write with, because I feel they are who make me great, make me better, help me write great songs. And I obviously couldn’t do it without them. For me I’m more of a musical person in general, because that’s how I grew up playing instruments. I love melodies. I usually have an idea, but I rely on my friends to really help me shape that.
Is there anyone you’ve particularly enjoyed writing with so far? And who would you love to write with at some point in the future?
Hmmm. That’s a good question. I mean I’ve got a couple of close friends that I love. Ryan Beaver, Joe Clemmons, Jessie Jo Dillon – just several guys and girls that have really devoted a lot of time to helping me figure out what do I do well and what are my weaknesses, and kind of balancing that out for me. I love them so much.
As far as dream writes… I feel like I’ve been really lucky to write with a lot of great people. I don’t know. I kind of wanna write with Jack Ingram in Texas. I’ve written with Lori McKenna but I kind of wanna go to Boston and write with Lori for a weekend. That’d be awesome. But there’s so many great writers, honestly. So I’ve got a list going and hopefully along the way I’ll check them off.
Is there anything else that’s on the bucket list for you in terms of artists you’d want to record with, places you’d want to play and things like that?
I’d love a duet with George Strait [laughs]. That would be awesome. Waiting for that to happen! I think honestly, having more music out, having a song on the radio, that’s a bucket list thing for me. And then playing more shows with more songs out, because that’s my way to connect with everybody. And I also wanna come back to Europe because, gosh, this is like my dream land over here. All of it. I love travelling, I’m a travel junkie, and so the chance to come back over here more – that excites me.
I also wanted to ask you about making your Opry debut back in September – how was that?
It was so much fun. It was just such a blast. Such a special moment because, like, my grandparents aren’t alive any more but to them, the Opry was everything. Like if they were there they would have thought that you’d made it. Because it’s such a big deal and people of that generation don’t understand getting a publishing deal or getting a record deal – what the heck does that mean? But playing the Opry is everything. And so I think it was just really special to know that I made it that far. I can cross something off the list.
And I think sometimes it’s easy when you get to places like that, to just sometimes forget that you’ve waited a really long time and when you were a little girl you dreamed of that moment. So just trying to savour it. And I got to do it with my friends Ryan and Joe that I mentioned and that just made it even more special.
What song do you wish you could have written?
Ohhhhh…. [pause as Catie thinks] God, there’s just so many. I mean, name like a thousand songs. I will say I’m a sucker for Allison Krauss, so she inspires me artist wise. Even a song like ‘When You Say Nothing At All’ or ‘Baby Now That I Found You’ – there’s just so many that I’m like, ‘God’. And the chord changes on some of those. Or Nickel Creek – like, ‘When You Come Back Down’, ‘The Lighthouse Song’. There’s just so many that are just so cool and it’s so different and people aren’t really writing that kind of stuff as much any more. So I’m jealous of them.
What does the rest of this year look like for you? Is it mainly touring and the new music?
Yep, the focus right now is I get back to town, the next day I’m playing CRS which is our radio seminar, Country Radio Seminar in Nashville. So that’s gonna keep me busy. I’m playing the Ryman and kind of debuting my song to country radio, which is really exciting. So it’ll come out in April and then it’ll go to radio in May. And then I’ll be doing radio tour stuff so that’ll keep me busy. And then I will play shows over the summer and fall and be releasing more music. So my goal is just to make more friends and fans, all the same, and release more music and keep trucking right along.
And lastly – have you got plans to come back to the UK after this trip?
I’d like somebody to invite me. Have me back and I’ll book a ticket. I hope there are plans in the near future to come back. Nothing is on the calendar yet, but it doesn’t mean it won’t be soon. I’m already trying to get over here to Europe again for 4th of July. My husband has the week off with his job and I love any chance I can to get back over here. So I’m looking at cheapflights.com every day [laughs] so you may see me here!
Catie Offerman’s latest single, ‘Til I See You Again’, is out now on MCA Nashville/UMG Recordings.
