My biography

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Biography

Katja Kaye is from the North of Germany, but she is anything but cold. When Katja Kaye is singing she sends out warm beams that make the heart sing.

She got in touch with Country music when she was about 13 years old and liked the sound of John Denvers voice. Between the sound of Country music and the sound of John Denver she was hooked and wanted to know more about that kind of music. Emmylou Harris quickly became one of her favourite singers.

When she turned 14 her Aunt gave her an acoustic guitar and she started writing her own songs but always listened to American Country music and tried to understand the lyrics. When she was 16 she had her first paid club gig in Hamburg which was a mixture of Country, Folk and Gospel. The owner of the club was also a producer and offered to record her and her duet partner. One year later she signed a record deal as a solo artist. The number of performances increased, the stages became bigger and bigger, then she was on TV and things were looking bright when a family tragety struck. Her father became very ill and while trying to finish her final school exam and university entrance qualification her Dad died from cancer.

Katja was sad, shocked and confused. Everyone advised her to learn a "real" profession and finally she decided that music could just be a hobby. Because truth and justice had always been important to her she started to study law. Meanwhile she played in different bands, tried other music styles, but in her heart she remained faithful to Country music.

After earning her University Degrees she opened her own law firm. She was successful as an attorney and always committed to her work, but her passion for music did not stop.

Again it was John Denver who influenced her life unintentionally. "I have always been dreaming about singing together with John Denver. I believe our voices would have matched perfectly. But I never did anything to make this dream come true", Katja admits. When Denver died in a plane crash in 1997 she realized once more what "too late" means. She felt the need to follow her real destiny. But before she gave up her career as an attorney she wanted to go to the place where the roots of her music are: In September 1998 she booked her first flight to Nashville,TN. "It was so exciting", she remembers, "I had no clue how it would be there and what I could do there. On the flight I thought repeatedly: you are completely nuts !" But just a little later Katja writes home: I am in music heaven here in Nashville and I have never felt so good anywhere else. This city is exploding from creativity. It is easy to get in touch with songwriters, musicians or other music business people. Everybody treats me nice and is interested in what I am doing. "They are so fair and friendly with each other", she still goes into raptures," I have never been as much encouraged as in Nashville. Whether I did live performances or worked in the studio - people told me: you have an excellent voice, you look great, you have personality and write beautiful music, so you have everything to be successful - just do it!

Back in Germany Katja was always thinking about her next trip. She wanted to do the first demo recording of her original songs. But also her Mom told her she would love to have a CD of "the old songs you have been singing so nice". So the idea was born to cut a mixture of original and coversongs and to release the album "For Mom" in 1999 in Germany.
Since then Katja is going back and forth between Germany and America and has started to produce other artists too. She found friends in Nashville who support her, not just with words. The very successful songwriter Kostas (wrote hits for Patty Loveless, MartinaMcBride, Dixie Chicks, Joe Dee Messina and many others) gave her some great songs for her new album "On My Way".

And when the value of the German money went rapidly down because of the dollar exchange rate musicians and engineers who were working with her helped her out and worked for free.
But also in Germany and Europe Katja can be happy about her friends and fans. They support and encourage her in many ways. When she was performing at a festival in Germany on her birthday in June this year, she was surprised with a great birthday gift. She was standing in the middle of the audience when she was looking back to the stage and discovered the most beautiful autograph booth with her name on it.
This was a great moment and she had to fight the tears from overwhelming joy.

In 2000 the German American Country Music Federation honored Katja Kaye with the German Newcomer Award in Country music. She performed as a winner of a singing contest in Nashville at the radio "Front Porch Theater" which was broadcasted all over America, she has been singing at the most famous skandinavian festival in Silkeborg/Denmark and she was invited to Sri Lanka to perform at the traditional UNICEF "Country Roads Concert".
In 2001 she received another German Country Award for special commitment in the German Country music scene.

Her new album "On My Way" is released in October 2001.

And this is what a music expert from Nashville says about it:
"On My Way" (Katja Kaye) - if you had told me that a German Girl could arrange, produce and sing Country music and make it sound like she was an American Girl from the Country and had one of Nashville's top producers record her album, I would have laughed til I cried. Well I am crying, but because this is a beautiful album arranged, produced and sung by a very talented singer Katja Kaye. Katja's album is warm, lively, soulful, and truly pure Country.
Maybe Nashville should listen to this album and find out where they got off the track. Guys she is available to produce your projects. If you love Country this is a must for the collection.
Barye Cassell - Nashville Music Guide - September 2001

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