​An Interview with Kaitlin Cassady on her New Sophomore Album, “North Star”

North Star is Kaitlin Cassady’s sophomore album, featuring a collection of songs written about love, grief, joy, trauma, and self-discovery.  

Interview Contributed to by Krista Vilinskis of Elephants and Flowers Media.  Header photo by Albert You.

[dropcal]K[/dropcap]aitlin Cassady is an indie-folk-rock musician hailing from the vibrant music scene of Minneapolis, MN. Drawing inspiration from a diverse range of influences, including Aimee Mann, Carole King, Norah Jones, Phoebe Bridgers, Billie Eilish, Kacey Musgraves, and Brian Wilson, Kaitlin has crafted a unique sound that blends introspective lyrics with lush harmonies and intricate arrangements. Her music delves into themes of love, grief, self-discovery, and mental health, resonating with listeners on a deeply personal level.

LISTEN TO “NORTH STAR”

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Kaitlin Cassady Interview: “North Star”

On the Album’s Spirit and Creative Evolution

1. North Star feels both grounded and celestial — intimate yet expansive. What does the title North Star represent for you personally and artistically?

The song, North Star, was unintentionally written as a message for myself and my son. It’s about staying true to yourself and following your heart even when it feels like the world doesn’t care about you or your art. And I think that bittersweet theme of pain and resilience of echoes throughout the whole album.

2. You released Home Away From Home just a year ago, and now North Star arrives already feeling like a deeper, more refined continuation. How did your creative process or mindset shift between these two records?

Although HAFH was released only a year ago, the compositions date back to 2016. In 2020, during the pandemic, I independently learned to record and produce my own music with Logic Pro X, which culminated in the completion of my debut album. Concurrently, I taught myself piano, an endeavor that directly influenced my subsequent album, North Star. Following the birth of my child in 2022, I took a brief hiatus from music, although I became infatuated with both reading and writing my own poetry. Shortly after moving back to Minnesota (from California) in early 2024, I finalized production and mastering for HAFH while simultaneously continuing to record tracks for North Star, resulting in some overlap between the two projects. Throughout this period, my creative process matured significantly. As I composed more material—particularly with the integration of jazz piano chords and my newfound love of poetry—my songwriting became more sophisticated in terms of chord structures, arrangements, harmonies, and lyrical structure/content.

3. You wrote and recorded this album between California and Minnesota — two places with very different energies. How did your surroundings shape the atmosphere or emotional tone of these songs?

Although I recorded/produced the songs in both California and Minnesota, I actually wrote all the songs for North Star while still living in California. So in a way, I think of North Star as my California album (compared to Home Away From Home, which is my Michigan album). I’m sure the places themselves had an influence on the songs, but I think it was mostly tied to what I was doing in my life at that time.

4. Your music blends indie folk with jazz-inflected chords and phrasing. How do you think your jazz background continues to influence your songwriting and vocal approach?

I think its biggest influence is in my chord choices, song melodies, and arrangements. For instance, I will almost always choose a dominant 7, major 7 or minor 7 or minor 6 chord over just a regular major or minor chord. I also love to use dominant 7 chords, diminished chords, suspended chords, altered chords and extended chords like 9ths, 11ths and 13ths. I love the color and unpredictability that jazz chords bring to music. Personally, composing vocal melodies comes naturally to me when using the piano because it’s such a melodic instrument. On the other hand, I usually approach the guitar as a rhythmic tool for songwriting, though I’m beginning to explore more melodic finger picking techniques. Maybe you’ll hear some of that on my next album!

On Sound, Emotion, and Storytelling

5. Many of these songs feel like letters to yourself — full of reflection, forgiveness, and wonder. When you sit down to write, do you think more about storytelling, emotion, or sound first?

I don’t exactly “sit down to write”. I try not to force it as much as I can. I write lyrics/poetry much more often than I compose music, at least a few times per month. I’ll usually write lyrics when I’m on the move – most often when I take walks. Or immediately after I get back from walking. I think the movement helps to articulate the recent thoughts in my mind, helping to express the emotions into words. Later on, when I sit at my piano or pick up my guitar, I’ll play some new chord progressions or a melody based on the emotions I’ve been feeling lately. Or I’ll play around with new chord progressions that other artists have inspired. And sometimes, if the stars align, I’m able to go back to the recent lyrics I’ve written and connect them with the emotions of the music to create the song.

6. There’s such an elegant balance between melancholy and hope across North Star. How do you approach writing about difficult emotions without letting the music feel heavy or self-indulgent?

I don’t really limit myself when I write music. I feel that this is the one realm where I can be as brutally, unabashedly honest as I want, even if it comes across as heavy or self-indulgent. If that’s how I’m truly feeling for the song, then so be it. I feel like I’m typically an easy-going, soft spoken person and I try to be as polite and non-confrontational as possible in real life. But when it comes to my music, this is the avenue where I can me my true self and express how I’m really feeling.

7. “Melancholy Daydreams” in particular captures that delicate space between sadness and beauty. Can you share what inspired that song and what it means to you now?

Frankly speaking, this song is about major depression, suicidal ideations, and overall wanting more out of life. It’s about wanting to be heard in a world full of noise. It’s about wanting to be loved and appreciated. Musically, the song was greatly inspired by my newfound love of jazz piano chords and harmonies. Some of the artists that influenced the music on this song were Brian Wilson, Daniel Caesar, Miles Davis, Amy Winehouse and Billie Eilish.

8. “Evermore” and “Golden Hour” open the record on such luminous notes. Were those songs always meant to be the entryway into North Star’s world?

Evermore was one of the first piano songs I ever wrote. I don’t think I knew at that time that I wanted it to open the record. But after the other songs on the record came to fruition, it became very clear to me that I wanted Evermore to be first. I liked the idea of putting Golden Hour near the beginning because it brought some hopefulness and light to the album early on, which I think was necessary.

Website and Social Media:
‭Website/EPK:‬‭ https://kaitlincassady.com/home
‭YouTube:‬‭ https://www.youtube.com/@cassakait‬
Instagram:‬‭ https://www.instagram.com/cassakait‬
‭Spotify‬
‭Apple Music
‭LinkTree:‬‭ linktr.ee/cassakait