My Life in 10 Songs- Kit Major

Kit Major recently released her latest Ep- Love.Sick.Major, which is an epic, punky grungy journey and Kit herself absolute exudes coolness. Every track is ear worm worthy, especially if you’re fan of 90’s rock queens like Shirley Manson or Courtney Love. I was excited to hear all about the music that influences her, especially as Love.Sick.Major seems to draw on a wide range of influences, I was intrigued to find out a little more.

1)What is your earliest music-related memory? What do you remember being played at home when you were a child?

Kit: Earliest music related memory would be driving in the car with my mom listening to Minority by Green Day, watching her bang along on the steering wheel and thinking that looked so fun to do. 

2)What was the first record that you ever bought? Where did you get it and do you have any recollection of the experience?

Kit: The first record I bought was an Atomic Kitten compilation CD from the local DVD store. I was super into Britney Spears and Hilary Duff. Music shopping was a family activity, and I wanted to feel included after watching my parents buy their CDs. I chose that album because of their cover of ‘The Tide Is High from The Lizzie McGuire Movie.

3) When did you really start to develop a passion for listening to music? How did that come about and what you were into at the time?

Kit: I  had two waves of really getting into listening to music that really stand out to me- the first one was in 7th grade when I discovered Paramore and Fall Out Boy and really fell in love with pop punk and dreaming of having a band to tour with. I would spend all my free time watching music videos and interviews on Youtube. My second wave came my senior year of high school. It sort of naturally happened that I developed a huge interest in 80s pop culture from movies, tv shows, fashion and music. I started studying the discographies of everything from The Smiths to Whitney Houston.   

4) What was the first gig you went to? Where was it and what was it like?

Kit: First gig I ever went to was Puffy AmiYumi in Chicago. I saw them with my family when we were visiting the US. I spent the early part of my childhood living overseas and we would listen to Puffy in the car when we were living in Tokyo. It was a cool, dark club and I remember it being such a foreign experience to watch someone performing music live and how enthusiastic the audience was. 

5) What are you memories of starting out making music? What was the first song you learned to play?

Kit:  I started writing songs in fifth grade, performing fake concerts in my room. In middle school, I began noodling on the piano, and the first song I learned was ‘Fireflies’ by Owl City on my electric keyboard.

6) What was your first band/musical project? What music was influencing you at that time? What are you memories of playing your first gig and are there any recordings out there?

Kit: My first project was a singer/songwriter act on piano, initially nameless, probably just my full name before evolving into CAT. I started with open mics in Chicago, playing an electric keyboard. Back then, I drew inspiration from Lana Del Rey, M83, Phil Collins, and Bo Burnham. 

7) What was your first release and what do you think now when you listen back to it?

Kit: My first release was ‘Strawberry Milkshake’ in 2018. I was just talking about this the other day — I’m still really proud of that song. It’s aged well, and the message still resonates! I can still see the person I was when I wrote it, and my musical style hasn’t changed much since then. I’m still speaking my lyrics in my songs. 

8) Which band/artist do you think has had the biggest influence on your music over the years? What is it about them that inspires you?

Kit: Britney Spears has probably been the biggest influence on my music. In every project I’ve done, she’s been the constant on the mood board. Growing up with her CDs and concert DVDs shaped me as a performer.

9) Who are some of your favourite current artists? What do you like about them?

Some current favorites are The Lemon Twigs, Starcrawler, The Chats, and King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard. Anything with guitar solos gets me hyped — I love their modern yet vintage rock vibe. 

10) If you could cover any song by any artist what would it be?

Kit: If I could cover any song, it would be ‘Suffragette City’ by David Bowie. I’ve tried it before but felt like I couldn’t do it justice! Just know that if there was a world where I could rock it — I absolutely would.  

Love.Sick.Major is out now and you can find it on all streaming platforms

Kit Major Socials: Instagram/Facebook

Feature by Hayley Foster da Silva

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