NOTE TO SELF… Kate Cosentino’s EP is Coming Soon
“I hope that people who listen to my music can find pieces of themselves in it and feel less alone.” - Kate Cosentino
Born into a non-musical family in Kansas City, Kate Cosentino got her start in music through Guitar Hero and Hannah Montana. Cosentino started playing guitar, singing, and songwriting in third grade and has not stopped since. Now, based in Nashville, Tennessee, she and her music are truly a force to be reckoned with.
Cosentino’s upcoming EP, Note To Self, is coming out on May 20. “It’s a collection of the songs that capture the note that I want to send to myself in a little time capsule. I like to write about the most real parts of my life, so I write about body image, love, and just feeling awkward in human existence,” Cosentino said.
Two singles that will appear on Note to Self were released earlier this year, “I Don’t Know Where It Went Wrong” and “Emergency Contact.” Inspired by Phoebe Bridgers, “I Don’t Know Where It Went Wrong” beautifully captures the heart-wrenching feelings of a fresh breakup. Cosentino’s soft sound and poetic lyrics take us on the confusing journey of her heartbreak, a contrast to “Emergency Contact,” which is a more upbeat, silly, and non-confrontational song. Instead of Cosentino confessing her love to a guy, she asks if she could just put him down as her emergency contact. The groovy instrumentals mixed with Cosentino’s vocals give this song a very jazzy and funky feel, reminding me of Sammy Rae and The Friends.
When asked about her creative process, Cosentino says it differs for each and every song she makes. “It’s different a lot of the time. It starts with a lyrical idea, like ‘Oh my God, this breakup sucks,’ or whatever topic is mulling over my brain. Or, I’ll just be sitting with my guitar and noodling and find a catchy melody I want to use,” she said. Cosentino likes to switch it up and not conform to one way to songwrite or make music. Cosentino is inspired by various musical artists, and all are reflected in her sound. “Growing up, it's always been Regina Specktor. Also, Lianne La Havas, because she's classically trained but also plays jazz guitar,” she said, adding that her dream collab changes all the time, but at the moment would be Bo Burnham.
Cosentino is extremely passionate about female empowerment and sharing female experiences. “I love telling women's stories and my own story as a woman,” she said. “If I make a physical song that is evidence of this experience, I hope as I look back on my life, I'll be like ‘I've grown so much from when I was crying in the dressing room over my body or whatever it is.’ I just hope my voice is a voice for someone where they're like ‘that is the way I actually feel that experience.’” Cosentino takes her experiences as a woman, such as her struggles with body image and love, and shares them through her music as a reminder to others that they are never alone with their struggles. “I hope that people who listen to my music can find pieces of themselves in it and feel less alone,” she said. “I love that I play guitar and just rock out during shows. I really hope that I can encourage women to do it like, “girl, you can do it! I'm doing it so you can too. I swear, trust me!’”
Cosentino’s advocacy for female empowerment does not stop there. She is an entrepreneur as well as a musician. Since she was in middle school, she’s run a guitar strap company, Big Chick Energy. “We are missing this whole demographic of guitar straps that match artists,” Cosentino said. “When I was younger, I was like, ‘If I walk into the Guitar Center one more time and they try to sell me the same pink fuzzy strap, I'm going to be so upset.’” Big Chick Energy has evolved to patches that anyone of any gender can take on and off their guitar strap to match their guitar persona. When Cosentino isn’t making music or running her business, she also enjoys rollerblading and playing video games.