Los Angeles-based aspiring pop punk artist Heather Kathryn is starting to allow the world to witness her tragic life and encourages us to sing along to these with an open lung and a screeching voice, and there is nothing wrong with it.
What comprises the life of a 20-something-year-old? As this age comes to a point where the age becomes old to be considered young, and young to be considered old, these faux adults have started to bid farewell to the fun life they have been more susceptible to, especially in their teenage years as most of these age demographic tend to grapple with their higher education, or at most, already pursuing the career they have been dreaming since they were kind enough to remember once nostalgia throttles them hard, or the career they have no choice but to claim as theirs because of a plethora of reasons. Some of them may also have delved to move past the school-based romance as they have grown to water their significant other either to build a wild four-walled ride, a child, or a life of eternity, whichever they choose.
However, are all 20-somethings boxed with those aforementioned characteristics? Let’s find an example, me. Did I grapple in my higher education? No, not all! I haven’t even gotten to frame a diploma and post it in our salas. Did I pursue the career I have been dreaming of since I was a kid? I barely could not even get there without the license to teach students! Did I move past school-based romance to water my significant other? I never even had one since birth! Will I ever be qualified in the checkboxes of becoming a 20-something then? Should there be one when life is just mere chaos to most people living in this world? Even Heather Kathryn herself though, with her hair intermingling in crimson and black, is devouring a life she never imagined growing up, but she’s been wearing its colors as if it is a trendsetting fashion statement, and for these couple of songs that scream strong topics about her trying to dissolve herself from the tragedy she was being invited without her permission, MY TRAGIC LIFE is a way to vomit it all out, to let it all stink, and to let it all feel the disgust and shame that it reeks.
Right off the bat, she gives utmost reverence to the likes of mid-2000s Kelly Clarkson, Paramore vocalist Hayley Williams, and Avril Lavigne especially in her prime due to her appreciation for dynamics and wallowing both the upper and the lower tones as she has such an expansive vocal range that would strengthen the core of her rage as she tackles the overall standing of a woman in the patriarchal world displayed in the title track, paternal relationship struggles in “Daddy Issues,” and other things every growing woman has laid their stylized fingernails unto, ready to clash their feminine claws at any time. Perfectly controlled and sustained throughout especially the belting parts throughout the EP’s runtime, she is kind of just playing around with the ability she has with her voice which will give her a long shot in the industry.
Welcoming us with her bold disapproval to never go back into her tragic past in “MY TRAGIC LIFE,” Heather confesses her experience as a growing lady filled with men who tend to see her more as entertainment and never as an equal, which, for modern years like this modeled to uphold our acceptance with the genders as never a hierarchy to begin with, the issue is still currently happening, and will still keep on happening, unfortunately. With its tight-knit melodies with the clear intention that she wanted to keep it a bit moderate yet to set up the tone, Heather makes sure that it is something to sing along to, and a good karaoke track if one would suggest it to blast it out of the speakers.
With her other singles, “GO TO HELL” and “Daddy Issues,” Heather also finds her time to indulge in more grungy-dark soundscapes, badly wanting to express herself as a bad b— energy due to the certain sceneries in her history that made her such, and for that, she was able to wear the tough skin with pride, and sass as well.
For the span of about 20 minutes, there exists Heather’s cries in the form of breakdowns and breakthroughs and her picturesque 20-something sonics like how RnB SZA just summarizes it all in just one song found as the closer of her critically-acclaimed 2017 record “CTRL.” Also, for the span of about 20 minutes, there exists Heather’s hope for her things to end, and as age might be a number, it is expected to have the power to change its atmosphere as well… at least, to her.
Before this month ends, it is about time to witness her tragic life through the release of her 6-track EP. Aside from that, for those who are located in Los Angeles, you can take a glimpse of her performances of her newly released songs at El Cid this coming end of the month, July 31st.
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About the Author
Jett interestingly seeks every supposed-to-be-life-changing almost: getting a Bachelor’s degree in Secondary Education, submitting a finished compilation of epistles and poems to some book publications, and releasing passion projects to audio streaming platforms. However, his inkling of his pen and his reverberating of his music, being the ones that keep him sustained in somehows, never stop him from walking to a road yet to be taken.
