Kate Nash is easily one of the music industry’s most fascinating figures. Bursting onto the scene in 2007 with the release of her debut album Made of Bricks, the London artist has since delved into various genres and entertainment sectors. With a career spanning indie-pop, singer-songwriter and riot grrrl music, she has now returned with 9 Sad Symphonies, an album influenced by old Hollywood, classic musicals and traditional Irish sounds. The album marks a period of great transition for Nash, aside from being her first in six years: from depression to resilience, from independent to signed, it is characterised by change and evolution. As she embarks on a world tour in support of its release, she seems eager, enthusiastic and invigorated, discussing her overflowing bank of memories, creative process and the struggles she has had to overcome throughout her career.
The first topic of conversation was Manchester, the city we all know and love. Being in the music industry for nearly 20 years now, Kate Nash has made various appearances in Manchester, across venues big and small, but it is clear when she speaks of the city that she values every single one for varying reasons. “Every gig I’ve done in Manchester has been so good, so fun,” she states, citing Manchester as “such a great city to play in, because it’s got that culture, you don’t have to warm people up”. Her tour includes a show at Manchester’s New Century Hall, which she seems to be substantially looking forward to.
One memory that particularly stands out is from her 10-year anniversary tour for Made of Bricks in 2017: at her Manchester stop, she vividly remembers a group of girls who wrote her a letter in an attempt to get in contact with her. These girls weren’t ordinary fans, however: Nash describes how they attended her show in honour of a friend “who lost their battle with mental health”. She emphasises just how moving it was to see them in the crowd “arm in arm”, and asserts that this moment made her feel grateful to be a part of her fans’ stories, with her music meaning more than she could imagine.
“It was at a time when I was really upset about what had happened to me in the [music] business,” she says, having been dropped by her label and suffering near-bankruptcy as a result of her ex-manager stealing funds. She cites the “open relationship” she strives to have with her fans as something that has helped her through her own troubles, leading her into the healing resilience that can be found across 9 Sad Symphonies.
Nash alludes to an “empty gas-tank moment” that she experienced in the creative process leading up to the album, after becoming “so used to running on max” and losing her lust for life. She describes how the things she used to find joy in were unable to spark her, and the feeling of being “scared that it’ll never come back”. “To anybody going through that, it is possible to heal, and it is possible to light up again, but you have to have the patience to battle through”, she assures.
“Luckily I’ve recovered from that,” she promises, as her life has got back to normal post-COVID: “this year is the most normal I’ve felt since the pandemic”. She refers to her new record deal, stable team, working on music and touring the world as positive forces that have helped her achieve this. “It feels like a new era for me, like I’m starting again”. She additionally leaves a glowing review of her fans, and designates “reconnecting with people we haven’t seen in six years” and “seeing your fans grow up” as one of the best parts of touring. Discussing fans whose queer coming-out stories have been facilitated by her song ‘Mariella’, which portrays a girl who refuses to “try fit in”, she places value on the fact that her shows can become “places of positivity, fun and connection” for people from all walks of life.
Nash is also eager to discuss her favourite emerging artists, many of whom she has brought on her “intense” world tour: Connie Constance, Revenge Wife, Skating Polly. Connie Constance, in particular, she stresses, “is not a new artist, she’s been doing this for a while”. The topic of Chappell Roan, who Nash evidently admires, leads her to observe that “online commentary has become really out of control” with adults “interacting with each other like we’re teenagers”. “Comments should be switched off, we don’t fucking need comments – it makes you not believe in humans anymore”.
A brief trawl through Kate’s own Instagram comments shows nothing but adoration, although it’s clear that she is affected by an overall hostility and negativity on social platforms. This comes through particularly in her song ‘Millions of Heartbeats’, taken from the new album, and Nash refers to the line “am I a human, or am I a number?” as a question which aptly exemplifies the state of the world today.
It may sound cliché, but speaking to Kate Nash felt like having a catch-up with an old friend. As a person, she is just as introspective, open and multi-faceted as her music would suggest, never shying away from difficult topics and experiences. The strength and resilience against hardship and adversity which runs throughout 9 Sad Symphonies is not only a lyrical theme, but impacts her in daily life too. Nash is an artist who has experienced significant suffering, but managed to come out with love in her heart nonetheless.
