EQUATE Meets SOUNDR

Born and raised in Salt Lake City, SOUNDR is an artist who isn’t afraid to expose her most vulnerable scars to the world through her music. Before taking on the moniker SOUNDR, Katherine Thomas was raised on a steady diet of diverse artists including Queen, AC/DC, Avril Lavigne, and many more. But like many Millennials, emo and punk defined her adolescent years. Ironically, she first debuted in the EDM field working with Steam Phunk and MitiS, lending her vocals in viral songs as a feature artist. And while EDM wasn’t exactly the type of music she wanted to create - although the name SOUNDR can easily pass as a Nordic DJ - she used the opportunity to learn the ropes of the industry.

It wouldn’t be a stretch to say that 2021 marked the beginning of SOUNDR’s career as a solo artist. She released her first video ‘CONTROL‘ in June, which started garnering buzz online for the hauntingly gorgeous visuals and introspective lyrics. The follow-up singles ‘MANIA‘ and ‘DUMB DUMB‘ continued to carve her name in the alternative pop space and showcase different sides of her creativity. Recently, SOUNDR dropped her debut EP ‘MONSTERS IN MY HEAD’ where she gives an uncensored account of her struggles with mental health and finding ways to turn those heavy-hearted experiences into opportunities for growth. An intimate look into her most vulnerable thoughts, the 5-track record sees SOUNDR pairing her silvery vocals with candid narratives of intimate topics.

We had the opportunity to talk with the rising artist regarding her background, making her debut EP, mental health, and overcoming creative blocks. So get your reading glasses on and enjoy the full interview below.

Words by Pres Dean

EQ: What type of music did you grow up listening to?

S: As kids we were always surrounded by music. My mom used to wake us up with hymns. My dad loves Boston, Queen, Aerosmith, AC/DC, etc. and with my mom we were always listening to Shania Twain, Avril Lavigne, Journey, just loads of music in lots of genres!

When I started developing my own taste in music I was very drawn to emo, alternative, and pop-punk. Really, it was finding my favorite bands that inspired me to start making my own music. These bands were literally singing poetry - saying sometimes ugly things in beautiful ways and that’s what hooked me. The Spill Canvas’ Sunsets & Car Crashes and The Used’s self-titled album opened my mind to the idea of combining my love for music and my love for writing - which sounds simple. Because lyrics are poems essentially. But I mean really striking prose… The lines don’t always necessarily rhyme or whatever, but it tells a story that is so poignant. Seeing those guys do it made me believe it was possible. (I still primarily listen to emo, alternative, and pop-punk)

EQ: When and why did you decide to pursue music as a career?

S: I remember literally always wanting this (queue flashback to me dressing up in tutus singing in a microphone for an imaginary crowd…) - as a kid, I used to daydream about it all the time, and took every chance I could to sing in front of people even though it scared the absolute crap out of me. I even sang at my kindergarten graduation - and vividly remember it. Music has always been such a part of me that I felt like I had to do it. Like it was necessary or ‘what I was meant to do - as absolutely corny as that is. But it wasn’t until my late teens/early twenties that I really decided I’d do whatever it took to make this my career - and it wasn’t until then that I genuinely believed I could.

I started doing EDM toplines around that time and learned more and more about the industry. Soaking up as much knowledge as I could from every interaction or collaboration I had. Before diving into that world, I had absolutely no exposure to what toplining (writing vocals for EDM tracks) was or even much about dance music at all… It’s one of those life things that I look back on and have no idea how it started. But I’m so grateful it did.

I’m very fortunate to have had the opportunity to grow in that space - learning and growing while actually doing the work. But even throughout the entire time I’ve been working with EDM producers, I’ve always known the SOUNDR project itself was where I wanted to be putting most of my energy. I knew that would be my ‘forever’ career.

“I want to lean into it. To let myself acknowledge the emotions that are there, and do it anyway. And in doing so, let the fear fade away.”

-SOUNDR

EQ: I heard you struggled with mental health in your teenage years. What advice would you give to young people out there who are also struggling?

S: Oh I still struggle sometimes! In my opinion, mental health is a relationship you build with yourself. It’s a constant thing that needs ‘maintenance’ like any other relationship - not just get over it and then never struggle ever again. We’re human… And life happens, ya know? It’s an everyday conversation with ourselves - like hey, how are we actually doing today? What do my heart and mind need from me today?

If I could talk to anyone struggling face to face, I’d just give them a big hug. Tell them that what they’re feeling is valid - being human can be really hard… It’s a difficult thing to feel so much and not know what to do with it, so it just spirals in your head.

I think therapy/counseling can be so helpful. But it can also be difficult to access. Organizations like To Write Love On Her Arms have amazing resources to make mental health services accessible. I’ll link their ‘find help’ page - it also has resources for outside the US

I think another good step is starting that internal dialogue. Practicing more awareness of how we are actually feeling - it’s like treating your own brain like a friend and checking in on them - and then giving yourself what you need. Whether that be rest, or sunshine, or nutritious foods or company! When you give yourself the things you really need, you’re teaching your brain that you’re worth caring about - you’re worth pursuing things that make you happy and make this world feel a little bit lighter.

And when you’re struggling, please reach out to someone - depression and anxiety tell us we’re alone. That we’re the only ones sitting in the dark, and that no one sees it or cares. And that could not be more wrong… Hear when it is said, there is hope. There is help. There are ways to get through what you’re experiencing right now. It won’t be dark forever. Please stick around to see it.

Here’s a link to some great resources:

Crisis Text Line: text ‘HOME’ to 741741 from anywhere in the United States, anytime. A live, trained Counselor receives the text and responds, all from their secure online platform

TWLOHA Find Help Tool: https://twloha.com/find-help/ No matter what you’re facing, you deserve to be connected to help. We want you to know that people have been where you are now. Things can get better. Healing is possible. From their page, you can find mental health resources near you, apply for a treatment scholarship, and view resources outside of the U.S.

JED Foundation Resources Center: https://jedfoundation.org/mental-health-resource-center/ provides information about common emotional health issues and shows teens and young adults how they can support one another, and overcome challenges.

EQ: I read you worked with Steam Phunk and MitiS before embarking on your solo project. Were you ever worried that people would associate you with the EDM genre (since you got your start there)?

S: I’ve been working with EDM producers for so many years, it’s kind of inevitable to be associated with that genre - and I don’t mind at all! Dance music will likely always be a part of my career and story.

I do understand that I have a bit of a unique situation though, where on one hand I’m featuring on electronic acts’ songs, and on the other, I have my own project that can be very gritty and spans several genres. I think the commonality being, I strive for authenticity in everything I do. I put pieces of myself in every song I write - for my own project and for others’.

Really, my hope is that fans will hear and connect to the true heart of what I do - on both fronts, in the EDM space, and in my own project - and that they’ll stick around because of it. I’ve been so fortunate to build a career in EDM, and I think I’ve set a standard now that I have no desire to be anything other than me, and I want to connect to the world and people around me. I want to hear their stories and write as much as I can about things most of us can relate to. I want to do it all! And I want to do it authentically.

I set out to be as vulnerable as possible with the SOUNDR project. And I think a lot of the stories resonate with people. For me that’s the main reason I stick with an artist release after release - I see them being honest and vulnerable and sharing their stories in beautiful ways. As humans, we naturally crave connection to others. And that’s what the SOUNDR project is all about.

EQ: What are some alternative artist names you would consider if SOUNDR wouldn’t have been available?

S: This is such an awesome question! Before SOUNDR, I considered ‘sonder’ but after seeing that one post blow up on Tumblr I knew loads of people would try to go for it as their artist name. I also considered using my real name ‘Kate Thomas’ - but having an alias actually became really important to me. It helps me step into an intentionally creative headspace.

I’m not sure there were legitimate other names I ever considered! It’s always been SOUNDR for me. Sometimes things just fall into place in life, and my artist name was one of those things.

EQ: Let’s talk about your debut EP. I know it’s largely based on your experiences with mental health, which is a very intimate topic to share with your audience. How did you get over your fear to address such vulnerable topics in your work?

S: Writing has always been my catharsis. So creating music expressing what I was feeling and experiencing was a natural thing. But then releasing the things I made, was definitely a lot at times… Honestly it was one conversation with my therapist about this very topic that changed my perspective.

I was experiencing a lot of anxiety about it, and I was like how am I going to get over this feeling of being so naked in front of the whole world? We dove into a conversation about vulnerability. And I decided I’d probably never get over that feeling, and I’m not sure I want to. I want to lean into it. To let myself acknowledge the emotions that are there, and do it anyway. And in doing so, let the fear fade away.

I’d said for years that I wanted this project to be excruciatingly vulnerable. But I don’t think I actually internalized what vulnerability meant. To me now, it means confidence in being human. If I’m okay being imperfect, if I’m okay with the whole world knowing how truly human I am, in all its faults and beauty, then I can show up exactly as who I am right this moment. There’s not such a need to put up walls to guard myself from others’ opinions of me. And if I truly set out to create and share authentically, isn’t that the goal? To be me?

There’s a TED Talk on vulnerability by Brené Brown that was also hugely helpful - it helped me understand that vulnerability doesn’t have to be painful. When your true root desire is a connection to others, vulnerability just becomes necessary - like breathing. I feel like that’s the point I’ve gotten to with my music, specifically.

Now that I’ve had the opportunity to share my mind, and open up this space where people that listen have shared their own stories - it just further encourages that narrative. That being vulnerable with other humans opens a path to real, genuine connection. I’m just… incredibly grateful to be learning so much about being human by sharing art.

EQ: Was there any song on the EP that almost didn’t make it because it felt too intimate? If not, which song in the EP made you feel most vulnerable for sharing?

S: I don’t think I ever said “I’m not going to put this out because it’s too under my skin,” but… “MANIA” definitely got to me.

“MANIA” was the first time I talked about the manic phases with insane amounts of dissociation I had experienced. I’ve never been officially diagnosed with bipolar disorder, so for a long time, I felt like I wasn’t allowed or entitled to express those experiences… Probably also because talking about it scared the shit out of me. And at the time I hadn’t developed the tools to process what I was experiencing.

But writing that song was one of the most fluid writing experiences I have ever had. The song needed to come out of me. And because of that, I really believed it needed to be released. If I felt these emotions so strongly, chances are, someone else out there felt the same. And that rang true. Of the songs I have released so far, MANIA is one that people reach out about saying ‘I feel that way too.’ Or ‘I’ve been there.’ Which opened up even more space for conversation and connection.

I was so anxious about releasing it because I felt so alone in those experiences, and was concerned about what people in my daily life would think if they heard it, and then people start reaching out saying ‘me too…’ It was a very interesting experience for me. I swear I learn more about being human by being an artist than I do doing anything else. It’s incredible.

EQ: What do you do when you experience a creative block? Any tips to get out of it?

S: I’ve started the practice of setting a timer for myself. I’ll sit down to write/work on music for 3-4 hour blocks and when that 4th hour hits, if I’m inspired and in the flow I’ll keep going. If not, I actively try to choose not to beat myself up and go do something else for a few hours and come back to it. This has helped me so much in getting out of the cycle of beating myself up for not writing entire songs every single day.

We’re artists… We’re human beings. Not machines that are built to constantly work at 300% every day. Ya know? We need to live in order to create. We need to take care of our bodies and minds that carry us through this human life. That’s another thing that has been extremely helpful in my creative process - actually giving a crap about my health. I fully believe that if we take care of our bodies and minds, we’re in much better places to create to our fullest potential.

If I could give any advice, I guess it would be don’t give up. But don’t beat yourself up. You’re an artist. Everything you do has beauty and greatness in it. The song will come. The album will come. Your next hit will come. Believe in yourself enough to believe that, and then let go. Let go of the attachment to making it happen right this moment. Let yourself be human. Let yourself take breaks. But ALWAYS keep coming back. The art will be there waiting for you.

EQ: What are your plans for the rest of 2021?

S: Continue to connect with people that listen to my music. It’s so important to me to continue to build this space for real, honest conversations and encourage those conversations in our daily lives. We’re working on some exclusive performances and content to be shared on social media throughout the rest of the year. But my main plan is to dive back into creating consistently to bring you more music as soon as I am able to.

EQ: And for 2022?

S: Collaborating with more and more artists in the alternative/emo/pop-punk space! There are so many artists and bands I am constantly inspired by, and I’m so pumped to work with more of them. The plan is, write as much music as I can - which is always the plan! Just keep growing and improving songwriting, and stepping into different sounds and genres that push me out of my comfort zone. Keep writing from the space under my skin that is authentic and vulnerable. And also fun and engaging to listen to.

Watch the lyric video for ‘IT ME’ below…

YouTube/SOUNDR

Stream ‘Monsters In My Head’ HERE

Keep up with SOUNDR on socials…

Facebook: @IamSoundr

Twitter: @IamSoundr

Instagram: @IamSoundr