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Katie Simpson is no typical stranger.
Simpson, a fourth-year communication student, is a singer, songwriter and producer. With a firm grasp on every step of the music-making process, she is diving head first into her newest era defined by her upcoming album, “STRANGERS, BUT NOT REALLY.”
“Something that ties the album together is a lot of the songs are about strangers,” Simpson said. “Strangers becoming friends, friends becoming strangers, all of that trilogy.”
After growing up in a classical choir, Simpson said she developed a love for music and, specifically, harmonies. She said she was fascinated by the way voices could be layered. However, it wasn’t until the end of high school that she began to find her true voice in songwriting and production, she said.
In November 2022, Simpson released her first album, “so glad you’re here,” quickly followed by “story i tell myself,” in December 2023. Along the way, Simpson said she took classes in songwriting and music through UCLA’s music industry program, building a network of mentors and collaborators in her professors and peers. Simpson added that she would come to class each week with a new, original song to show her professors. One such recipient was lecturer Amy Kuney, an acclaimed songwriter herself who has co-written tracks for artists such as Kelly Clarkson and Chappell Roan.
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Kuney said Simpson sat in the front row of every class with a willingness to engage and participate. It was energizing, Kuney said, to have Simpson’s positive and participatory spirit in class. Simpson said she would show Kuney her songs after class, and she eventually began emailing Kuney her new songs. This connection evolved into collaboration, as Kuney said Simpson would speak in front of the class about her life as a student musician. One summer, Simpson said she was given the opportunity to work with Kuney at a songwriting camp for aspiring artists.
“Katie gave a lot of hope and inspiration to other people who maybe felt a little bit intimidated by the stereotypical producer everyone just assumes would be male-representing,” Kuney said. “It was everything that I wish I had had.”
Alumnus Jahan Raymond played keys on “CASTLE,” the lead single to “STRANGERS, BUT NOT REALLY.” After meeting in a songwriting class, Raymond said he and Simpson have worked together to varying degrees, whether it be a casual jam session in a music room or workshopping instrumentation for a recorded song. Through their collaboration, he said they have become friends and have gotten to know each other’s strengths.
“She doesn’t shy away from complex sorts of chord progressions, even though she writes pop music. That sort of thing tends to be a bit less common in pop music, but she does it anyway,” Raymond said. “She’s just very naturally musical, I would say. And that sets her apart.”
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Simpson has a certain warmth and sincerity in her approach to music, Raymond said. Simpson is from Sonoma County, California, an urban-rural area with access to nature. Raymond added that Simpson is noticeably in touch with nature, as she has dogs – which appear on the cover of the “when the time is right” single – and also enjoys hiking and vegan cooking. Raymond said her music reflects her grounded lifestyle and positivity.
“She’s one of those people who seems like they’re happy all the time and ready to make other people’s lives a little bit better, all the time,” Raymond said. “In some cases, … it feels impossible that someone could be that way all the time. But with Katie, it somehow never feels insincere. It just feels like who she is. So with her music, that’s evident, because it just sounds like she made it.”
With “STRANGERS, BUT NOT REALLY,” Simpson said she is working with more than a concept. The changing nature of relationships with strangers is a perspective that she said she has integrated into her life. In her apartment, Simpson said she has created a wall based on the album’s concept where she displays photos of the various guests in her space.
Simpson said the concept of connecting with strangers is not limited to just ideas. While at a coffee shop with a friend, Simpson said she had just received the instrumental recordings for the album’s second single, “when the time is right,” and was talking about her excitement of the song with her friend. A woman at an adjacent table overheard the discussion, and Simpson said she offered her headphones so the woman could listen before talking about how the song made the woman feel. Later that week, the woman and her husband attended one of her shows. One moment, that woman was a stranger, but the next, they were connected through music, Simpson said.
“I’m actually living this. This isn’t something I’m just saying,” Simpson said. “It’s so exciting. You never know what’s going to happen, and that’s what the album is about. Any stranger can be a friend, and any moment can be a connection.”
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