Singer/songwriter Katelyn Tarver is finally embarking on her very first headlining tour called “Compliments Only,” and she will be headed to Portland on September 8 at Mississippi Studios.
Born and raised in Glennville, Georgia, the 33-year-old musician has had a long history in the entertainment industry. At age 13, she competed in a spin-off of “American Idol” called “American Juniors,” which played a huge role in her desire to become a musician.
“It was really formative, you know? I was super young, kind of like plucked from my small town, in L.A., and all of a sudden getting told that ‘Hey, maybe you could do this!’ All of a sudden it felt like it became possible,” Tarver said.
Having grown up in a small, Southern town like Glennville, Tarver cites artists like Carole King, John Mayer and James Taylor as specific influences to her intimate lyricism, while also citing NSYNC, Backstreet Boys and Britney Spears as specific influences to her pop-centric sound and “structural songwriting brain.” Tarver consistently meshes these two styles exceptionally well, especially on her newest single, “Parallel Universe.” Detailed storytelling backed by an acoustic guitar and followed with a lushly produced chorus, this song not only has an intimate singer/songwriter feel to it, but is one that you could play on the radio over and over again.
Tarver remained in the entertainment industry for the rest of the 2000s and released her debut EP titled “A Little More Free.” Since then, she has steadily released singles and EPs throughout the 2010s up until her debut album in 2021. In 2017, she released her song “You Don’t Know,” a piano-driven pop ballad about the frustrations of unwarranted advice from people who don’t really know what you’re going through. It managed to receive massive viral success, with the music video reaching over 65 million views and 70 million streams on Spotify. Due to this song’s viral success, there was some pressure to match that in her future work, and from that success, she noticed people tend to connect with her music more when she is authentically expressing her emotions.
“It’s so hard to stand out and to cut through,” Tarver said. “There’s so many talented people out there, there’s so many good songs, everyone’s working hard, you know? You sign up for this career and you kind of have to make peace with ‘alright, these songs could never have that type of moment,’ and I’m okay with that.”
What is it about emotion, specifically nostalgia, that makes a song so powerful?
When posed with this question, Tarver connects it back to herself and what motivates her everyday. In most (if not all) of Tarver’s popular songs, emotionally-driven lyrics are routinely at the forefront. In particular, Tarver writes a lot of her songs from a bittersweet, nostalgic lens, creating an atmosphere that focuses on the memories of her past.
“I think that captures a lot of who I am as a person,” Tarver said. “It’s hard for me to be in a moment without thinking about being in a moment, or thinking about how I’m gonna look back on this moment or thinking ‘how do I get everything out of this experience that I can?’” This outlook on life is extremely evident in her music, and it is largely what makes it so easy to connect with her music on a deeper level.
On her “Compliments Only” debut headlining tour, she will have made a stop in Portland on September 8 at Mississippi Studios. If you like instantly catchy melodies paired with lush instrumentation and emotionally-touching lyrics, Tarver’s concert is a must-see for you.
Keep up with Katelyn and her future musical endeavors on Instagram and Twitter: @katelyntarver
