Leah Kate isn’t here to coddle you.
The Los Angeles-born alt-pop singer has been unleashing kiss-off anthems since her 2019 debut EP Impulse. Since then, she hasn’t slowed down on penning tunes that encapsulate the frustration that comes with one-sided love. After gaining strides with singles like 2020’s "F— Up The Friendship," 2021’s "F U Anthem" and last year’s "10 Things I Hate About You," Kate is readying her debut album, Super Over.
Out Sept. 15, Super Over details the complexities of ending a relationship while simultaneously regaining confidence.
"A lot of people are trying to find relationships and find love," Kate tells GRAMMY.com "Sometimes it's not just about breaking up, it's about having the most self-worth to find a healthy relationship, and you have to go through those emotions to get there."
Super Over is also a sonic feast for nostalgia lovers, wrapped in ‘90s bubblegum pop, ‘00s pop-punk guitars and sassy lyricism that can only come from a California girl. The title track doubles as a raging break-up anthem, the bubbly "Get In Loser" could easily slide in a Y2K teen romcom soundtrack, somber ballads "Desperate" and "Liar Liar" showcase how hard it could be to let go of a lover, and the interpolation of Eminem’s "My Name Is" ups the vengeful attitude on album closer "Happy."
Kate began penning songs at age 11 to the beats that her brother produced. "Our first song ever was called ‘After Party’ and it was obviously about heartbreak. And it was a dance-pop banger. I was 11 though, so I don't know who broke my heart," she recalls with a laugh. "But I clearly was in the same headspace with writing my songs [now]. But that was the first moment I remember [thinking], ‘I really like doing this.’"
Recording was therapy for the singer, who had social anxiety in school but would escape her troubles at home by singing along to her favorite artists like Christina Aguilera, Britney Spears and Avril Lavigne. In 2018, she began uploading covers on YouTube. But it was during the pandemic lockdown when she realized music was her sole path.
"My song ‘F— Up The Friendship’ made me feel something and I had a weird instinct about it," Kate says. "I spent all summer just messaging creators: ‘Hey, will you please post using my sound? I’ll repost you.’ It started literally going viral two months later."
The song caught the attention of Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian, who invested in both the song and funding for Kate’s Alive and Unwell EP in 2022. From there, she went on tour with Madison Beer, Chase Atlantic and Hayley Kiyoko. The EP's "10 Things I Hate About You" blew up.
"It was the biggest song on TikTok for a bit. It was getting millions of listens a day. It was top 14 on radio. It just was the craziest thing I've ever experienced," Kate recalls. "Then I ended up signing a record deal. I'm really grateful. And now here I am putting out my first album."
Ahead of her first headlining U.S. tour (which kicks off on Sept. 11 in Indianapolis), Leah Kate spoke to GRAMMY.com about the pressures of going viral, creating her debut album, and always putting herself first.
Going viral can be a blessing and a curse. Did the massive popularity of "10 Things I Hate About You" affect you in any way?
It wasn't that I went viral that quickly. I actually had been posting for like a year on TikTok trying to go viral. I talked about the highlights, but there were months and months and months of getting 200 views a video. I just really believed in myself. So it was not overnight, it was years and years and years in the making.
But I had no expectations because, I swear, whenever I'm like, This song's gonna blow up, it flops. I just have to stay authentic and make videos that I and what I think my fans will think are fun. When something goes viral, great. When it doesn't, it's sad how it affects my mental state. But then I have to [remind myself]: Leah, you're not talking to yourself that way. That's crazy. This is an app, this does not determine your self-worth. So it's a roller coaster of emotions, for sure.
I was listening to your previous EPs and I think your songwriting got even stronger. But I'm curious to know how you think you've grown.
Thank you. I definitely feel like I’ve grown a bunch with songwriting. I've been working on these songs for so long. A lot has happened in the last couple of years. I've gone through so much that it's inevitably impacted my songwriting. That's gotten much stronger because I have more things to write about, which is always amazing.
[When] I played the U.S. last summer, it was a completely different era [for me]. I'm excited to come back and show this new music. "10 Things I Hate About You" is my favorite song ever, but I'm more than just "10 Things I Hate About You." These songs are so strong, and I'm so proud of them.
Sometimes as women, we just need to shout and yell. I like that you're unafraid to show those emotions.
I think that's something that just really inspires my songwriting. Because when I'm super happy about something, I'm not like, let me go write a song about it. It's usually when I'm frustrated or sad, that’s what triggers the most emotion in me.
I'm definitely not the type to be super inspired by a perfectly happy moment. If I get ghosted by someone, I'm pissed. And then that very quickly turns into a song. So I love a good breakup song. I always have. My first song ever was about getting heartbroken at a party and I had never even kissed a boy before. So it’s always been one of my favorite topics to write about.
Your "Super Over" single is the embodiment of finding the courage to cut that person off.
I wrote it because I was very confused by a situationship. It had been just consuming my mental state for a really long time.
I felt the same way in my previous situationship. It was so overwhelming.
It's the worst, right? It really can go to your head. It started from a sad place because I was really into the person, obviously. But at the end of the day, I was like, This is not healthy. I need to write my official cut-off anthem.
I needed a song to scream and be proud of the fact that I'm never talking to this person again: We're not just done, baby we're super over. Sometimes you need an empowering anthem to remind yourself that it's done and you're fine.
"Anthem" is a perfect word for it. "Brainwashed" is my favorite song on the album. I think the lyrics are clever with you singing, "Now this glass of red wine is tasting blue."
I was honestly sitting on my couch one night after a couple of glasses of wine. I was unhealthily interested in a specific person. I was so sick of thinking about them because the relationship was not panning out how I wanted it to. I was just really over it. I thought, I wish I could wash my brain out. I've never heard the term "brainwash" being used in that context before. I was kind of tipsy and just wrote it. I love to find a word that can be used in a really unique way for an emotion that a lot of people can feel and relate to.
I know it’s hard to pick favorites, but do you have any from this album?
I really love "Desperate." I'm not embarrassed to admit that I have been desperate for someone before. I literally have merch coming out that says "I'm desperate for you." I'm super excited to perform that and that was super influenced by Robyn and vintage Katy Perry and Lady Gaga vibes. "Unbreakup" is one of my absolute favorites. I'm super excited for that. And it feels really different. It's very rare that I release a sad song.
You encapsulated that emotional tug-of-war feeling in the song. Are you into astrology? I ask because we're both Virgos. I think that's why I enjoy the album so much. When it's time to cut someone off, it's like, "Bye! I don't even know you, you're dead to me."
I'm not really the biggest Zodiac person. But when I'm freaking out about something, I'll totally go to astrology.com and ask, What's gonna happen? Because I just need someone to tell me. Sometimes I like to feel like I have a crystal ball.
I also want to touch on the importance of empowerment, which is the main theme of the album.
One hundred percent that's incredibly important to me. That's why I write songs: To set an example for people to feel empowered by music and to never allow self-worth to be defined by someone else. There were so many years of my life where I let my self-worth be determined by everyone but me.
You define who you are and what you're doing in this world. That's a message I always want to send to everyone because it took me a really long time to grasp that. I [hope] my music helps others get there.
You're going to be going on tour soon and you previously mentioned having performance anxiety. How did you overcome it?
[Performing] definitely helped me unleash more confidence. The first time I was gonna have a real show was when I was opening for Madison Beer in Madrid…. I literally was going to throw up, I felt so sick. I was like, I don't even know how I'm gonna do this.
You just have to throw yourself into it. And you get over it over time. You have to not care what anyone thinks. No one's gonna die. It's gonna be fine. You're probably just in your head.
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