Singer-Songwriter and award-winning producer Garrett Kato recently released “Losing Touch,” which is a lovely blend of passionate vocals, articulate and reflective lyricism, a lightly strummed guitar melody, and marvelous swells. “Losing Touch” addresses a common feeling of disconnection experienced with age. This disconnection ushers in the realization that we are changing and learning more about ourselves, and some things don’t appeal to us anymore. We had the pleasure of interviewing Garrett Kato, and here’s what he had to say:
Q: I love how expertly “Losing Touch” addresses this issue of feeling disconnected from a life you thought you knew because many people go through this. What was your songwriting process for this song?
KATO: At the time I was going through some strange things personally, I was lowering the dosage of my antidepressants and the withdrawal symptoms really had an impact on me. I was writing this track basically in a super modified lower mood version of myself, also I was a bit frustrated thinking these drugs were affecting what could be a great day and turning it into a challenging one. So the lyrics and ideas came from this fog clearing in my mind and starting to feel more emotions again.
Q: What was your best aspect of the production process?
KATO: I like to think of it as play as much as possible. So I go into my studio expecting to just have fun and create whatever comes from me. I find the best results come when I’m not putting lots of pressure on the result and just enjoying the exploration of sounds and the song itself.
Q: How did you decide on the instruments? Did the tune come with the lyrics or was it something that came together in bits and pieces?
KATO: This one sound, in particular, gave me chills and made me feel something. It’s a granular string sample I made and it felt like a direct sound of what I was feeling inside, this type of beautiful anxiety. After that sound was established the song and production choices revolved around it and it created this landscape of tones. I’m really happy with how it turned out.
Q: What is your favorite memory from your musical journey so far?
KATO: Probably playing a show opening for my long-time favourite artist Damien Rice. It was a magical few shows and it felt like I was flying on stage.
Q: Outside of music, what do you enjoy doing? Is there something else you could see yourself enjoying as a career if you weren’t a musician?
KATO: At my shows since my songs are so serious I like to play with the audience and crack jokes. Sometimes on tour, I’ll be writing jokes for the next show and be more excited about those than the actual songs. So maybe one day at an open mic I’ll debut my comedy show.
Q: What projects are currently in the works?
KATO: I do lots of producing and writing with other artists so I’m working on quite a few records for other artists and working on my next release as well. Hopefully will have something new very soon.
Interviewed by Zoey King
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