Interview - Katie Dauson

With a love of storytelling and a lifelong passion for music, Katie Dauson has carved out a space all her own—blending heart, honesty, and a vintage rock spirit into songs that feel both personal and universal. On the heels of her latest release, Rock Along With You, Katie joins us at MeloDrift to talk about the real-life moments that inspire her music, the unexpected journey behind one of her fan favourites, and why she’ll never trade lives with another artist—even for a day. Thoughtful, grounded, and unflinchingly authentic, Katie brings a refreshing voice to the indie music scene—one that reminds us that through all the chaos, there’s always something worth singing about.

Welcome to MeloDrift. Can you tell us a little bit about your musical background?

I’ve always liked to write stories, and I always enjoyed music. I didn’t learn to play guitar though until I was a little older. It was happenstance that I combined music and stories.

And tell us about your new release 'Rock Along With You'.

Rock Along With You is the second song off my 6th album, Pure Katie. It’s based on a true story that happened to me, when I attended a concert at the Rivoli in Toronto. The lead singer of the band I went to see is actually a fan of my music, and he bumped into me at an ELO concert in Toronto a couple months earlier. I didn’t think I would bump into anyone who would recognize me in an arena filled with almost 14000 people, but it did happen. So, I decided to check out his concert, because he is so nice. It was a lot of fun, and a couple weeks later, I had the idea in my head to write the song.

If your life had a theme song, what would it be?

Crazy Train by Ozzy Osbourne.

Who or what have been the most impactful influences on your musical style and sound?

There are so many bands and artists out there that I admire, it’s hard to pick even just a few who have influenced me. I’m mostly influenced by music from the 50s, 60s, 70s, and a little bit of the 80s. I love artists and bands who write their own music, and if they do covers, make them their own, like the Beatles (my favourite band ever).

How do your life experiences shape your songwriting, and what emotions or ideas do you hope listeners connect with in your music?

I struggle with mental health issues every day because of my life experiences. Each day is a battle, but I will never give up. This part of me shapes a lot of my songwriting, because my life has been anything but easy. I want listeners to feel happiness and hope in my music. I don’t want them to ever give up either.

Each phase of music-making—writing, recording, rehearsing, and performing—has its own unique rewards. Could you share a memorable moment from each stage?

For songwriting, a memorable moment would be when I wrote the song “I Wanna Rock”. It’s the first song off of my second album, Full Nelson. What happened was that I was going to record a demo tape for my producer, but I felt as though I was having an anxiety attack. Suddenly, I turned to face a wall in my music room, and a tune came to my head with gibberish words. I thought to myself, that can’t be right, so I turned to face another wall. Then the words started to come. I thought to myself that I should probably write this song down, and as I was running down the stairs, the chorus came to my mind. My Dad was sitting in the family room of the house and he looked concerned, and asked me if everything was okay. I yelled out “NO! I gotta write a song!” And he left the room immediately. Ten minutes later, the song was written, and I put it as the opening song on that album. It’s now a fan favourite.

There’s no one moment from recording that I can share, I have an absolute blast every session with my producer, James Nickle. He’s funny, and makes me laugh and relax. The recording sessions are very light hearted and I always look forward to them. I’m exhausted after each session because I put so much effort and energy into a song, and I hope that shows on the recordings, but while I’m at the studio, it’s just so much fun.

Rehearsing is dull, but it prepares me for both recording sessions and concerts. That way, in the studio, I know exactly what I have to do and I want for the song to be right, and when I’m on stage, I don’t forget the words or the songs in general.

I love performing. My favourite memory is my concert last June in Toronto. I didn’t expect what transpired, because my first concert in Richmond Hill, Ontario, Canada was very polite and subdued, although successful. However, this concert was the complete opposite energy wise. It was a giant party. Everyone was singing and dancing to my music. I never knew I had so many passionate fans. It was an unbelievable experience.

Is there a song of yours that holds particular personal significance? We’d love to know more about the story or the inspiration behind it.

There’s an upcoming song, releasing on July 25th, called That Volcano, which holds a particular significance to me. I don’t want to spoil it, but I feel this will reach people in a way they didn’t think possible. What I will say though is that I was listening to an album on vinyl, and something on the cover of it caught my eye, and I wanted to write a song about that subject. I did just that. Then, when I was rehearsing for the recording session, I realized what I had written had a particular deep meaning to me. I hope this song and that meaning will resonate with listeners when it releases.

If you could swap lives with any musician for a day, who would it be and what would you do?

Not a chance. Everyone’s got issues, and I don’t need their issues either. Nobody’s life is perfect, no matter what you see in public.

Looking ahead, what are some goals or dreams you have for your music and career?

I just want to make people happy, even if it’s only for a few minutes.

Finally, is there anything else you'd like to share with our readers before we close?

I’m going to quote the classic movie, Galaxy Quest: “Never give up. Never surrender!”

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