BY THOMAS FLYNN
Kaia Kater is a singer, songwriter and banjo player, but before all that, she is a storyteller. Since childhood, music has been a major part of Kater’s life. As an adult, she has made her way to the top of her field, winning two JUNO awards for Contemporary Roots Album of the Year in both 2019 and 2025. Regardless of the success, Kaia continues to push herself to learn and grow as a musician. On Wednesday, July 22, Huntsville will have the chance to enjoy Kater’s talents live at Hillside Farm.
As a storyteller, Kater has many stories to tell, but perhaps the most important is that of her own musical journey. Growing up, music was significant in the Kater household. “My grandparents were big 60s folk revival fans, so they naturally became giant fans of a lot of Canadian songwriters like Leonard Cohen, Joni Mitchell, and Neil Young. So that’s the environment that I grew up in,” says Kater. She takes a lot of inspiration from these Canadian legends in her own songwriting. “Having musical ability was a priority in my family, so I grew up playing a lot of different instruments”. At family gatherings, it wasn’t surprising to see everyone around the kitchen table playing folk music. Kater was surprised to learn that this was not the norm for other families.
Kater continued her exploration of the world of folk music when her mother worked at both the Ottawa and, later, the Winnipeg Folk Festivals. “So I was like the kid backstage, hanging out and very precociously asking musicians for lessons, and they probably couldn’t say no,” says Kater. “At like 12 or 13, I looked up to so many of them, and it was very clear to me that a career in music was very possible. Not like a pop star Taylor Swift career, but like a way to make a living and cultivate an audience and a community that was sustainable.”
The seed that was planted at these folk festivals only grew as Kater continued making music. She released her first two full-length albums while in university, keeping one foot in academics and the other in music, unsure if music was the path to follow. “It’s not the easiest choice because you have to be okay with a lot of uncertainty,” says Kater. After graduating from university, she decided to go for it.
When asked if that uncertainty has ever made her waver or look back, she responds, “I feel like it takes energy to move forward, and it also takes an equal amount of energy to look back and to doubt, and I just didn’t have the energy to do both.”
Free of doubt, she quickly found her style through the banjo and Appalachian music, two staples of her work that have been with her since she was young. “There’s a lot of amazing lyrical storytelling,” says Kater about Appalachian music.
This lyrical storytelling is very prominent in Kater’s own work. “I have always had a lyrical focus. I always listen to lyrics first, when I first hear a song”. Through her lyrics Kater tells a wide range of stories. “Everything from the Salem witch trials to, you know, what it’s like to deal with anxiety and depression in your 30s”.
Kater prefers to tell the stories of those who didn’t have power. “Often in history, the victor is the one who gets to create the narrative and I’m more interested in the voices of those who are lost to history” adds Kater. “In my song, the witch, I wanted to think about what it would be like for a woman who, they say was burned, but effectively drowned, and to be like okay well if she survived that you know, what would she have to say?”
Whether the story is her own or not, Kater always makes a personal connection with the subject matter. The personal connection is what gives her music its power and identity. Without the life experience of the artist behind the art it wouldn’t be the same. Through a lifetime of musical exposure and exploration Kaia Kater has a unique folk sound and a whole lot of success. To see Kaia Kater play live on Wednesday July 22 at Hillside Farms go to https://www.huntsvillefestival.ca/kaia-kater
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