An evangelical upbringing devoid of pop
music has given this
Texas singer-songwriter a sound all her own
Growing up in an evangelical Christian family in small-town Texas, Katy Kirby didn’t have the cultural references experienced by other up-and-coming musicians. “I do envy people who grew up with the Beach Boys and listening to their parents’ cool record collection,” she told Vice recently. “I have no classic rock or pop foundation at all.” Crucially, what she did have was a father obsessed with harmonies, and plenty of exposure to religious music.
As she got older and her horizons widened, Kirby discovered more secular music – and began to question her faith. At which point she discovered that songwriting gave her a way to crystallise her thoughts. She describes it as “the weirdest and one of the darkest experiences that I’ve had – trying to rewire my brain to not have a loving God that’s ever-present in it”.