Hi all

I wanted to write this blog to clear a few things up regarding an article that I was interviewed for recently. I don't want to sound ungrateful for what I do but I feel so sad and angry when what I say gets taken out of context and turns a perfectly nice and normal conversation with an interviewer into something more sinister. The issue is regarding my creative direction for the next album and Mike's involvement in it.

I know it is widely known that we both decided that, after our third album together, Mike would not produce or write for the next one. It is rare for an artist and a producer to work together so well for so long and we both feel that it is time for us to try something different - I will be writing more on my own or with other songwriters and Mike needs to be giving more time to the other artists on Dramatico. We haven't ruled out working together again in the future as producer and singer.

I suppose because of the success we have had as a team, journalists always want to find a negative slant to this creative decision. For this reason I hope that I have always made it clear that while he's not going to write and produce, he still will be involved as my manager and head of Dramatico Records. Two roles that I hope will continue long into the future.

I know better than anyone else the impact and influence he has had on my career both profesionally and creatively. I know that I would not be where I am if it wasn't for him. I have gotten annoyed in the past when a few forum members have laid into him. Don't you realise that you guys would probably not have ever heard of my music if he hadn't given me great songs like The Closest Thing To Crazy and Nine Million Bicycles to sing?

When I started I didn't know the ins and out of the the music business and perhaps took his great leap of faith in me for granted. But having worked with him for 5 years I now know that he has gone way above and beyond the role of a manager and record company boss in his dedication, risk taking and sheer hard work. I have never said this to him directly but he is the most hard working person I have ever met, I'd swear he sleeps with his Blackberry!

That is why it makes me sad when a conversation that is taken out of context makes me come across as ungrateful or in a hurry to move on from him. This is so far from the truth.

While I'm looking forward to the next record I am also scared because, without Mike, it will be a huge challenge. I know that he is irreplaceable, but after 3 wonderful albums we both feel that it is time that we tried something different. We have been a great team and I know we'll continue to be one.

I am so lucky to have a songwriter who has given me so many beautiful songs to sing and which are still a pleasure to perform every night. Also in five years I have yet to meet another artist who can say they work with the best manager and record company in the world.

I can.



August 15th, 2008

Have the last 7 days actually happened?

I'm sitting in a hotel room in Germany in middle of my summer tour with BBC World News telling me that my home country is being torn to pieces. Throughout this week I haven't been able to stop watching the news. I've never seen it like this before, it's never made me feel so naked, isolated and angry. When there's a war it's always in some distant land and then they switch to the weather and sports. I nearly hit the TV with the remote control when it went to sports. While the conflict was going on in Georgia I couldn't believe that world around me was functioning normally, or that I was functioning normally. Especially doing these last two gigs, they have felt very weird. I've been removed from them yet have never felt so grateful and happy to be anywhere but on the stage.

The scariest day was last Monday when I couldn't get hold of anyone including my mother and brother who were originally out there on holiday.
When I spoke to mum last Friday she said everything would be fine and all seemed pretty normal on the streets of the seaside town where they were. But then my phone stopped working and I was hearing all these things on the news which petrified me about the conflict moving further in to Georgia and towards Tbilisi where my grandparents live. I finally got hold of them all on Tuesday and they said there had not been any fighting or violence in the capitol or anywhere apart from Gori.

With the Russians still being in Gori there are reports that they have stopped fighting but you don't need to be killing a country's people or its soldiers to paralyse it. You see, Gori is right in the middle of the only road that goes from west to east across Georgia. It's the road that my mum and brother need to travel on to catch their return flight out of Tbilisi.

It's also the road that I travel on every year to get from the capital to the sea towns. It's always such a great car journey, 6 hours of stunning countryside, with the landscape changing from desert-like hills to dark forests, stunning rivers then a mountain that you have to get over where there is usually a bus in front of you struggling slowly around the scary turns of the steep mountain. So for me the thought that this road is currently a danger and a menacing one is unbelievable.

My mum and brother have tried twice to make that journey back to the capital but every time they been turned back by Georgian police advising them that it's too risky. There are reports of people travelling the other way, getting as far as Gori and having their cars and all their goods stolen. I have also heard of a 25 year old girl who is missing. She was travelling with a group of people on that road, near Gori where they were ambushed. She was kidnapped and has not been seen since then.

One of the most frustrating things in the last few days has been trying to get a clear picture of the conflict. Yesterday, according to my family, Gori was still occupied, while at the same time I saw on the news that the Russians were leaving. Maybe it will take them a few days? Maybe they're blowing up un-detonated bombs before they go? Who knows. I would just like my country to get back its stability.

Georgia has always had shaky politics especially after the break up of the Soviet Union and the civil war that followed in the 90's. More recently things appeared to be getting better, the economy was growing, the major cities were starting to look cleaner, electricity black-outs like the ones when I lived there were almost unheard of. But after this last week everything seems uncertain again.

Sue my publicist has told me that she has been inundated with requests for me to talk about this in the media. What am I meant to say? It just doesn't feel right to put this on the same platform as when I'm talking about my music to journalists, with lights, make-up and all the ridiculousness of show business. I don't want to be some face that makes this conflict more personal for the average Britain, because they know some singer that comes from there that sings about bicycles. That's ridiculous! Conflict is conflict. It just so happens that this conflict is on my homeland, on my memories and where pretty much all of my family is right now.

10 days ago I felt secure, happy and looking forward to visiting Georgia for the summer holidays. Now I'm not sure what to feel. All I know is that once Georgia mends itself after another conflict in its recent history then I'll never take that feeling of safety for granted and neither should the millions of people that live in countries of peace.

Katie x

May 30th, 2008

Hi!

Sorry again about the time between my last blog and this one. When I got back home from the tour my pile of post was ridiculous, so I've been busy catching up with things.

I've also spent some time in the studio recording a song for a new British comedy called 'Faintheart' which will be coming out towards the end of the year. It's the first time I've written a song specifically for a film. It came about because the music supervisor for the movie wanted me and Mike to be involved, so I contributed a song and Mike is doing the score for it.

I've also had my Uncle and his wife over from Georgia for a couple of weeks and it was their first time in London. So the pressure was on me to show them all the best bits of one of my favourite cities in the world! I took them to Buckingham Palace, the Tower of London, the Natural History Museum and the Science Museum. And no trip would be complete without a good theme park, so I took them to Thorpe Park - which they loved!

Until next time,

Love

Katie x x x

April 15th, 2008

Hi Everyone,

I have been out on the road now for nearly three weeks, and it’s great to be singing every night.  
This tour has made me fall in love with music all over again and I have never enjoyed performing as much as I am now.
The audiences have been amazing, and singing from all three albums feels great. Your support has been wonderful, and if you have been to one of the concerts yet, thank you for helping to make it such a great experience for all of us.

Although I have time off in the days, I feel like I haven't had a single second to do anything! Being out on the road is like living in a parallel universe. I am buzzing too much when I get off stage to want to sleep, so the days are becoming my nights, and my sleep pattern is non-existent.
 
Anyway, I must go and catch up on some sleep. I'll try and write more next time.

K x

February 21st, 2008

Hi,

Been in rehearsals for the last two weeks and we've had some spare time to try a few new things out. I can't wait to play in Poland (soon to be announced) as I've never had my own gig there before. I did the Sopot festival a few years back but that was only for half an hour and this time I've got two gigs there.

This week me and Mike have got some serious deadlines to come up with the visuals for the gigs. Theirs some great ideas but we just need to find out if they can work realistically. I used to think it best to just have music and not worry about the visuals lights etc of a gig but now I see it as an opportunity to make the experience even more special for the people that come and see you.

As long as it doesn't take away from the music and compliments it then you can end up creating something really great. It’s so hard to achieve and also do it in an original way that's why we've got our heads into it this week. Well I suppose you'll find out how it went when you come to the shows.

Take care

katie x

January 30th, 2008

Hi all

I’m writing this from Canada. It’s pretty cool to be back and not be getting in
trouble with border immigration cause the last time I was here we were on a
tour bus coming from America. We were traveling overnight and got stopped
on the border, most of the time they get one person in the party to show
everyone’s passports so you don't have to get out the bus but if they're bored
then they get everyone out of the bus and question them.  They were bored.

I was a bit cranky being woken up and was also dying to go to the loo, so as
soon as I got into the building I dashed to the loo.  Later on Mikey our bus
driver told me that it probably looked like I was rushing to the toilet to get rid
of drugs!
When I joined everyone else, they were lined up against a wall looking like a
bunch of criminals.  The immigration officer asked me if there was any drugs
on the tour bus, I said "no" then he asked if there was any drink on the bus
and I said "we're touring, off course there's drink on the bus" as I said this I
heard Mikey give out a groan. They had all decided to say 'no' to everything,
which I didn't know as I’d been in the loo.

Luckily they only gave the bus a light check-over and there was nothing
wrong with having drinks on a tour bus, plus I'm sure they were used to
finding much worse things. As we drove off Mikey turned to me and said in a
Canadian drawl "Katie, the answer is always 'no'!"

Kx

January 10th, 2008

Hi,

Happy New Year!!!
My New Year resolutions are the same as last year, stop biting my nails and write blogs more often.
Not doing particularly well with either resolution, but I haven't given up on them yet.
I did a gig last Friday at a masked ball that was part of a play called ‘The Mask of the Red Death’. ‘Punch-drunk’, which is the name of the production company are incredible and are the ones that put on ‘Faust’ early last year.
It’s always exciting and a bit scary playing in front of a crowd that's not expecting you, so I was a little nervous but it went well and playing the set has got me really hungry for the tour this year.
We've started planning it and I'd say that you could expect something a little different.

Till next time.

Kx