Kate Voegele: "A Fine Mess"

Kate Voegele is a 22-year-old singer-songwriter, musician and actress from Ohio, who is living her dream. With her highly anticipated second album, "A Fine Mess", set to debut on May 18th, the outgoing beauty has come a long way, since she started writing her own music at the age of 15. In addition to her successful singing career, Kate has a recurring guest spot on the popular CW television series "One Tree Hill," as singer-songwriter Mia Catalano, where she also gets to perform her own original songs. And, although her focus is on the release of her album and touring to support it, she admits that she'd also like to pursue more acting roles, in the future.

Kate spoke to us in this exclusive interview about her love of singing, what it's like to tour on a bus with nine boys, and how excited she is to see where life will lead her next.

TeenMusic: When did you first discover that you could sing, and how did you decide that you wanted to make a career out of it?

Kate: I've been singing since I was a little kid. I was in choirs, and all that stuff, as far back as I can remember. But, I really started taking it seriously and thought about writing my own songs when I was 15. I was a freshman in high school and my dad taught me to play guitar on vacation. He bought me a 4-track recorder, and I started writing my own songs, just in secret, hoping no one would find out 'cause I was just a vulnerable, quiet, 15-year-old kid. My dad was really the one who encouraged me to start because he came into my room and stole my demo tapes and started playing them for people. At first, I was mad, until the radio station was like, "Yeah, we'd play this." That's how it all got started.

TeenMusic: Did you have a moment when you thought, "I'm finally down the right path. This is what's right for me. This is what I need to do"?

Kate: Definitely, yeah. All through high school, I was really excited that this music I was writing was getting such a great response, but I also wanted to go to prom and be a regular kid. I didn't want to be one of those kids who picked up and moved to L.A., in the middle of high school, to pursue music. So, when I graduated high school, I went to college just because I hadn't signed a deal yet and I wanted to have the college experience. And, mid-way through, my first couple years at Miami University of Ohio, I got a message from Tom Anderson of MySpace, asking me to come showcase for his new record label.

TeenMusic: Was that a good match?

Kate: When I went in and talked to everyone at MySpace Records, it was totally different from every other label I had showcased for. That's when I knew that this was what I wanted to do and I really wanted to go for it. And, I felt like I was on the right path because MySpace Records really had a passion for the music and they were excited about it, for all the right reasons. It wasn't like a big machine with a set formula that I felt was common among some of the labels that I had been showcasing for in high school.

TeenMusic: How is your new album, "A Fine Mess", different from your debut, "Don't Look Away"? Do you feel this is more of a representation of who you are?

Kate: "A Fine Mess" is definitely the thing that I'm proudest of that I've done in my career. The first record was totally me. I'd been writing it since I was 15 years old, so it was born out of five years of experience and five years of songwriting. It was coming from a bunch of different voices; my 15-year-old self, my 17-year-old self, my freshman in college self, and all of that stuff. At that time, it was an amalgamation of Kates that made up the first record. So, I would say that they're both representational of me, in their own way.

TeenMusic: How is "A Fine Mess" more representative of who you are now?

Kate: It's so much more current and, obviously, it's more grown-up because I'm more grown-up. It's a little edgier, and it's a little bit more vulnerable and honest. I think my writing in high school was a bit more mysterious. I tried to hide a little bit of what I was trying to say in metaphors or stories. Now, I feel like I'm a bit more cut and dry about what I'm experiencing because I'm not as afraid to tell people what's going on. In high school, I didn't want the kid next to me in math class to know I was writing a song about him. So, they both have their own things about them that are very me and very representative of who I am, but this new record is just fresh. It's an evolution, for sure.

TeenMusic: Where do you go for inspiration? Do you like to listen to music, or do you prefer to get it from other places?

Kate: Inspiration, for me, comes from pretty much anywhere and, most often, the most unexpected places. What's cool about this second record is that most people have so much pressure on them for the second record and they take a couple months somewhere to write it, but I kind of accidentally wrote this record on the road, over the last year and a half, promoting my first record. I was so busy and my life was so crazy, but I was constantly meeting new people and traveling to new places. I was working on a TV set, for the first time. I was taking online courses in school, while I was also playing gigs every night. I was super-busy, but what's inspiring to me is everyday life and the things that go on, throughout the course of having that busy, non-stop existence. I was so excited, when it came time to make this record, because it had kind of already written itself, just from all the different factors of having a crazy, busy life that were inspiring to me.

TeenMusic: How in control are you of things like choosing singles, selecting a record producer and the look of your videos?

Kate: What's really cool is that I feel like I've been super-involved. I've always had this perception that I was going to have to hand everything off to everybody at the label and watch them work their magic and decide what was best. But, they've been amazing about considering my artistic opinion and my creative ideas, which is so awesome. It's really a collaborative thing and I love that. It's made it really cool to be so close to this project and to be able to have a say in that. Everybody always calls me, asking what I think, and they always send me things for approval, so it's really exciting to feel like people are taking me seriously, as an artist, and not just a performer.

TeenMusic: What do you love about touring and performing live, and what is the most difficult aspect of being on the road?

Kate: What I love the most about touring is the connection that you feel with the fans when you're on stage. There's something so cool about bringing this music right to the people who are inspired by it and playing it live. Putting it together and having it sound amazing on the record is one thing. But then, being able to get on stage and recreate that emotion, and throw something extra into it and make it raw because it's in real time and they're watching you do it, is such a cool experience. I live to make music that people feel like they can take something away from. After the show, if someone comes up to me and says, "Wow, your music has really inspired me," or "It really helped me through something," that's the coolest part.

TeenMusic: And what is the hardest thing about touring?

Kate: And, it can be hard because I live on a tour bus with nine boys, so it definitely can feel like a camp-out. It's not glam, that's for sure. But, I'm thrilled. I love it. It works for me. It doesn't take much to please me. But, as the only girl, it can be a little rough, sometimes. All the boys are like, "Yeah, man, whatever. I haven't showered in two days. It's cool." And, I'm like, "Oh, my God!" I'm very much a girly girl, even though I'm a guy's girl as well, so it's an adjustment, but at the end of the day, it's so much fun.

TeenMusic: How did you originally end up acting on "One Tree Hill"? Was that something you had been looking to get into, or was it just because this character was so much like you, that you were interested in doing it?

Kate: I never saw myself getting into acting, but not for any other reason, other than I just didn't know that it was something I'd really be able to do. I just didn't think that I could go into an audition and get a role on a TV show like that, but that's exactly what happened. My manager told me about the audition and suggested that I go, and I thought it was funny because I don't have any acting experience and I was like, 'There's no way this is gonna happen!' It was crazy! I got done with the audition and Mark Schwahn, the creator of "One Tree Hill," said, 'Kate, I know that music is your gig, but you could do this for a living too,' and I just looked at him, waiting for him to burst out laughing and say, 'Oh, I'm just kidding!' But, that didn't happen and, the next thing I knew, I was working on the show.

It's been unbelievable, and an amazing, unexpected experience that has really been the paramount thing that's put me on the map. 'One Tree Hill' is the reason that I'm able to tour the country in a bus and have 500 people come out, in these major cities. It's pretty cool. It's been really amazing. Music is definitely my main gig, and I'm so excited about this new record, which is my focus, but I definitely wouldn't be opposed to doing more acting, down the road, if it was the right role.

TeenMusic: Have you given any thought at all, as to what kind of roles you'd like to do in the future? Any secret dream roles you might want to try if you got the chance?

Kate: For me, it's tough to nail down specific roles. I don't ever want to limit myself with my goals. The 'One Tree Hill' thing came out of nowhere and it was this amazing, unexpected opportunity, so I'm taking it a day at a time and seeing what comes at me. But, it would be cool to expand my horizons and play a character that's totally different from me. Mia and I are different in ways, but we're also very similar, so it would be cool to play a character that was totally opposite of me. For now, what's great about my acting is that I get to play a character on a show that allows me to promote my music, which is my first love. That's definitely the most amazing thing about it. I'm just excited to see what's down the road.