Kat Velasco Shares Inspiring Way She Met The Producers Behind Her Hit Single ‘Burning Man’

A Nashville gem!

Don’t mind us, we’ve just been listening to Kat Velasco’s newest single ‘Burning Man’ on repeat. Nashville may be full of music artists, but when it comes to artists on the rise, this singer-songwriter is one of the frontrunners.

We had the absolute pleasure of speaking with Kat about performing live, advice for aspiring singers, Breland, and more!

When did you first realize that you wanted to pursue a career in music?

K: “I really love answering this question!! I have been singing since I can remember, whether it was school plays, musical theater, or pageants, I don’t remember a time when I wasn’t performing in my early years. When I went to college and life started to take a turn away from music, I became incredibly lost. I never really understood why but I knew I wasn’t living out my passion and potential in life, I constantly felt like there was something missing. During COVID I was working remotely in finance, a huge plot twist, but I started journaling and songs literally started pouring out of me. My mom, being a vocal major in college and my dad being a very talented vocalist himself, I worked up the courage to finally share my songs with them, and from then on, I have been so blessed to see it through and have been laser-focused on my dream and true passion. I found my way back home!”

Tell us more about your amazing new single ‘Burning Man’ and how it came to be.

K: “BURNING MAN!! I literally cannot contain my excitement for this single!! If you guys could have heard what this song was before what we now created, you’d be in shock. I have never wanted to fit into a specific mold or genre as an artist, I want the ability to create what I want to create and “Burning Man” really speaks volumes to that. What started as an acoustic, more country-style song, has now become a powerful pop-Western with an EDM flair type of sound that is incredibly unique. It has to be one of my greatest accomplishments as an artist and creative to date.

The way I met the producers for “Burning Man,” Danny Zee and Cooper Galyon, is one of my favorite Nashville stories. I did a writers’ round with about 27 other female artists in Nashville, we were told at the beginning of the round that whoever the producers picked would win a bundle of studio sessions with Broken Door Studios for a song. Long story short, I sang four of my original songs and ended up being picked as the artist they wanted to work with! I’d shown so many people “Burning Man” before meeting Danny and Cooper, it’s been hard for others to see my vision for it but they overexceeded any vision I could have ever had for this song. Sometimes it’s just the right fit of creative people to come together and see a project through and now I get to call them great friends that I get to make more amazing music with. It’s moments like that where I am just overly grateful that I get to do what I love and reminded that I
am pursuing my true passion in life. It’s all about the little wins in this industry!”

If you had to choose your favorite song you’ve released so far (Ours is Have You’!), which would it be and why?

K: “Have You” is such a banger, love that you guys love that one so much!! I am going to take you guys WAY BACK to one of the very first few songs I released, “Criminal.” It’s very much the sound I enjoy creating and shows off my vocals the best. It’s extremely edgy, I was going for a modern Amy Winehouse sound and I think we absolutely nailed it. Go give it a listen :).”

How would you personally describe the music scene in Nashville?

K: “The music scene in Nashville is incredible, I think my favorite part of the Nashville scene is that everyone is constantly creating. It’s rare that you will go somewhere and meet people that aren’t involved in the music industry. It’s rare to walk into a bar, restaurant or even down the street and not hear a live band. As someone who moved from South Carolina and not really knowing anyone, it has completely changed my life. It’s very competitive, as the music industry is in itself, but the energy is vital as an artist to keep working, growing and creating.”

If you collab with another Nashville-based artist, who would it be and why?

K: “The first person that came to my mind is Breland! I opened for him at a radio show in Charleston, South Carolina a couple of years ago. He is one of the best vocalists I’ve ever heard and he’s extremely kind. He was on tour with Shania Twain and now is touring with Teddy Swims, two completely different sounds which I admire and aspire to be a well-rounded artist as he is! I am now able to call him a friend, so hopefully a collab will happen in the near future!”

You have performed a lot! What do you enjoy the most when performing live?

K: “There is no better feeling than being on stage and performing live!! I really enjoy connecting with
people, I love when people come up to me after a show and say, “Your music has helped me get through so much.” Recently, I’ve noticed when I’m singing a specific song, because I like to switch up my setlist, I can feel the energy shift when it’s a song the crowd knows really well or was really excited about me playing! I just love to feel the people around me there supporting me, the fact that people know my original music still gives me goosebumps and probably always will!”

What is your best piece of advice to young girls who aspire for a career in music?

K: “I’ve actually never been asked this question and I am so glad you guys asked me this because I’ve got SO MUCH! My first piece of advice is, you won’t and don’t have to have it figured out right now. Things are going to change so much as you grow and it’s so easy to get lost in wanting overnight success, but trust me, the slow burn and feeling every second of the process is beyond worth it. The most important piece of advice I will give is to stay authentic, I know we probably hear that all the time but it’s so hard to stay true to yourself when you want something so badly. From what I have experienced by really prioritizing my mental health, and reminding myself of where I started and where I came from daily, it helps tremendously to keep myself aligned with myself and my goals. You were you when you started writing music and singing to no one and you want to still BE YOU when there are hundreds of thousands of people singing it with you. Authenticity and patience are truly key.”

Where can we follow your amazing journey?

K: “EVERYWHERE! Follow me on socials, I seriously think I am so fun and I want to be your best
friend. @kat.velasco.music is my Instagram and it is truly my mini vlog of life, so follow me on
there and really get to know the real Kat Velasco! I’m on Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music,
quite literally all the things! I really enjoyed this so much and thank you for taking the time to get
to know me! It is such an honor and a constant pinch-me moment when I get to do things like
this, so I just want to express my gratitude to all of you!! LOVE YOU SO MUCH AND I HOPE
YOU LOVE BURNING MAN AS MUCH AS I DO!”

Make sure to stream ‘Burning Man’, available now on all music platforms!

Je’Kayla Crawford– Founder and Director– Je’Kayla has been a journalist for years and decided to start a publication of her own, New Scene Magazine, back in October 2020. When not helping her team and working on their print issues, you can find her watching a movie on Netflix or baking using a viral TikTok recipe.