Katie Pederson
Gravity hits hard, with a pure voice
Michigan native Katie Pederson has been releasing music since 2013. A pianist at heart, she’s also an exceptional lyricist with three albums released and a host of singles. She’s been based in Nashville since 2019 and continues to make a name for herself around town with her solid writing and vocal chops. Here’s our review of “Gravity.”
The track starts with a simple guitar riff and her great falsetto. It’s an intimate vibe. With the lyrics, the heaviness of a relationship in peril comes to light. The metaphor of talking a walk and not minding if rocks get stuck in our shoes is strong - it shows she’s open to the discovery process of what’s going wrong, what needs to be confronted. As chorus takes shape, we love how it is not about a simple catch phrase or repeating line. It’s ripe with images about the challenges of relationships and the need for simple conversation as an ice breaker to talk about what needs to be said. Musically it remains simple and heavy. There’s an addition of piano and some simple pads, keeping the focus on the lyrics and her solid voice.
With the second verse it builds nicely, with a little shaker in the background to help keep it moving. Lyrically, she keeps gently prodding. As the second chorus drops, it’s lush with more pads and deep kick buried in reverb. There’s a quick transition using the main riff before we get to a beautiful bridge where she states that she can’t be sure if they’ll make it through but she’s willing to stick it out and do the work. Before the last chorus begins, there’s a beautiful piano riff in an old upright tone that drives home the melody - beautiful addition. Last chorus is a slight alteration of the previous two and then we’re back to the intro riff with her angelic falsetto.
Written by Katie and Kaitlyn Fabry, this brings up comparisons of Sara Bareilles, Sarah McLachlan, and one of our favorite Nashville writers, Liz Longley. Production by Jake Rye is absolutely on point - nothing is too busy, tones are solid and the focus is kept where it should be - on her voice and the great lyrics. Romantic, a bit heartbreaking and cinematic, this is a great track.
Scroll down to catch all her socials and find our where she’s playing next (she just wrapped up a summer tour). She’s definitely one to watch and stands to do very well here in Nashville. Make sure you check out her other tracks as well, “Lake Louise” is one of our favorites - the piano tones and storytelling are killer, and “Guard Down” should be an anthem for anyone with a broken heart.