It has been two decades since Katy Steele soared to Australian music stardom with her group Little Birdy, releasing three studio albums and scoring five ARIA Award nominations.
In 2010, the Perth-born musician flew to New York and began her solo career, travelling home to perform packed-out shows.
After a few years hiatus from releasing music, Katy released the single Feel So Bad this September, and is now gearing up for her new album.
On December 16, Katy will be performing a live rendition of a tradition Christmas carol at the Mandurah Forum as a part of the centre's Spotlight Series, partnered with Mahalia Barnes, to celebrate homegrown talent.
Katy said lockdown had been a time of creativity for her, with the bulk of her upcoming record being written while stuck indoors.
"Pretty much the whole period of COVID was spent working on the record I'm about to release. Me and my creative partner made the whole thing at home," she said.
She said the music industry had changed vastly in the last few years, and re-entering now with a second baby in tow and a flood of inspiration was eye-opening.
"The industry is really different now. Independent artistry with self-funded projects and releasing everything in that world... it's a DIY kind of thing now. It's a lot of work but really freeing.
"I'm working on that, being a mum, being a creative and keeping on with the music scene."
Katy said while herself and her partner had previously lived a somewhat nomadic life moving around and experiencing different cities, the family had "settled down a bit" in Perth.
"Creatively I'm getting inspired by doing it all myself, trying to get better at my instruments using what tools I have on hand rather than going over east to work with people over there. We just do it ourselves, my partner learnt to produce," she said.
While working on projects independently had been an enjoyable experience for Katy, she admitted she had "a hard time signing off" on things.
"When I had a band it was like, if three of us think it's cool you're outvoted.
"I've taken a really long time to do this record and what we're putting out I'm really proud of."
Her performance at the Mandurah Forum will be a unique and quirky experience for Katy, and is something she said she was looking forward to.
"I haven't spent a hell of a lot of time in Mandurah, but whenever I have I've always had a good time."
She said she was also looking forward to trying out some local hospitality venues and seeing a few of the sights before she left.
"I'm super pumped to be involved in the Spotlight Series. Hopefully I can bring a little joy to people."
Katy will perform at the Mandurah Forum at 11am on Friday, December 16.
Her new album will be released in 2023.
Samantha Ferguson
Samantha Ferguson is a journalist at the Mandurah Mail. She is an entertainment, sport, crime, community and education journalist with a special interest in investigative pieces and human interest stories.
Samantha Ferguson is a journalist at the Mandurah Mail. She is an entertainment, sport, crime, community and education journalist with a special interest in investigative pieces and human interest stories.
