About That Song: Katy Vernon of Favourite Girl
About That Song #50
In our special series, singer-songwriter Sarah Morris interviews artists about the songs that shaped them.
Hi! I’m Sarah Morris. I’m wildly in love with songs and the people who write them. There have been a few songs in my life that have been total gamechangers—songs that made me want to be a songwriter and songs I’ve written that made me feel like I am a songwriter. About That Song is a space where I can learn more about those pivotal songs in other writers’ lives.
In the 50th edition of this series, I connected with Katy Vernon, a British longtime Minnesotan songwriter and ukulele player known for her beautiful voice, heartfelt lyrics and melodic folk-pop tunes. She’s got lots of exciting things going on, including a brand new band, so I was thrilled to sit down with her to talk songs and songwriting!
Katy Vernon. Photo credit: Darin K.
Sarah: Hi Katy Vernon!! Over the years, I’ve had the good fortune to share many a stage with you. Whether performing solo or leading your own band, you have a profound ability to draw the listener in through your songs and storytelling. Additionally, you’re constantly bringing people together through events you curate, such as Morningside After Dark, the Summer Fridays series at 50th and France, and summer lunchtime concerts at Peavey Plaza. And then you bring audiences to their feet through ABBAsolutely Fab, the ABBA tribute band that you are a part of.
This year, you’re set to release music with a new project, the band Favourite Girl. My ears are ready! In celebration of all the places your music has taken you, I’d love to chat a bit about the steppingstone songs along your way. Do you remember the song that you heard that made you want to be a songwriter? Tell us about that song.
Katy: First of all thank you for taking the time to do this—not only for me but for all the songwriters you support and shine a light on. Writing is such a solitary thing and for me, it’s just a gift to feel seen and heard.
I grew up listening to a lot of Beatles music. My mum loved them and it was always a part of my soundtrack at home. The first song I really listened to and took apart to see how it went back together was “Yesterday.” I was around 11 and sang it in the school choir. The sadness and beauty of the words combined with such a memorable melody made songwriting feel accessible. Verse verse, bridge, verse bridge verse. With minor changes to the words for each and then a repeat. It’s deceptively simple and yet says everything it needs to say. I had no idea it was about Paul McCartney’s mum, and his grief. When I found that out years later it solidified for me what a song can do.
Sarah: Oh, “Yesterday.” It might be one of my top 5 favorite melodies of all time. And the lyrics too—I want to throw all manner of superlatives at it, but really the truth is…it might be perfect.
Katy: As a teenager I loved to bounce around my bedroom to Madonna, Kate Bush, Eurythmics, and when Madonna released the Like A Prayer album I felt a huge and unexpected connection. Until then she just seemed like a bubble gum pop act and that was great, but then that album just blew me away. There were songs about her grief and her relationship with her Dad that really spoke to me. My mum had died 5 years earlier (when I was 12) and my Dad died a few months after it came out. I literally grieved as I sang along to “Oh Father” and “Promise To Try” on that record.
It was incredibly cathartic to sing and cry at the same time. I’ve always been drawn to the dramatic. It was a pivotal step in feeling like I could not only survive loss but make something of myself. It also felt great to dance around and belt out “Express Yourself,” which is a song that still hypes me up. Whenever I feel like I’ve written a banger that also makes you feel something, I feel like I’m making my inner sad little child happy.
Sarah: YES! I’m glad you’ve written songs for that younger Katy. I think of your songs “23” and “Latest Disaster” right away…
Katy: It’s also why I love performing ABBA songs. Their songs are catchy as hell, but the lyrics can be darker than you’d expect. I literally have to pinch myself that songs I sang into a hairbrush as a little kid are now songs I get to belt out to packed theaters and see how happy they make people. It’s the most fun I’ve ever had on stage.
Sarah: Yeah! That is a beautiful thing. Once you began writing, did you feel like a writer immediately? It took me a few years of writing before I believed it—was there a song that gave you that “a-HA! I AM a songwriter!” moment? Tell us about that song.
Katy: I truly didn’t feel that confident as a writer until my last record Suit Of Hearts! And I’m still trying to take myself more seriously, but that’s a lifelong struggle! An early song I wrote that really clicked for me was “Empty House.” It was inspired by the opening of a book I was given called Motherless Daughters. There was a phrase that said “Losing a mother is like a loud sound in an empty house, it echoes on and on.” It hit me so hard that it described how I felt. Rattling around in a house full of grieving people that don’t want to talk about anything. Stepping on eggshells and pretending nothing was wrong. All the while the absence of the mother was being felt by everyone.
I used that line as a chorus and wrote a song that conveyed that feeling. It was difficult to perform for years and I felt like I had to apologize for making listeners sad. I eventually pushed past that though and began to feel like it was worthy of being heard. In a beautiful full circle moment I connected with the author of that book, Hope Edeleman, many years later and sent her the song. She loved it and has invited me to be a guest on her Motherless Daughters events online. I hope to meet her in person someday.
I felt another huge leap as a songwriter when I wrote the album Suit Of Hearts. It was the first deep dive into writing an album instead of just a random collection of songs. I had the privilege of a self imposed writing retreat as part of my UK tour that year. I stayed in a little flat in Brighton and walked to the seaside each day with my ukulele and my notepad. I was dealing with serious depression and was newly sober. I had huge scary feelings and self-judgment to deal with. I wrote one of my favorite songs that week, “Undertow.” I knew I wanted to write about getting sober, and I liked the image of being caught in an undertow (I was in one once when I was 12) and knowing that you can’t fight it, you just have to let it spit you out somewhere along the shore.
It’s a situation I’ve only had a few times, where I have a rough idea of a song but know I’m not ready yet to do the idea justice. So when I was in Brighton I sat there on the pebbles, watching the waves, feeling like I had to try and capture what it felt like to not want to continue the life I was leading. Wanting to give up any feeling of control and just trust that things would get better. It’s a song that said everything I was scared to say out loud, and music is the best way I know to communicate that. It was also the first time I felt like I wrote several songs that might make me seem unlikable. Which is a strange feeling. I didn’t write lyrics that I thought would be clever or funny, or even solicit sympathy. I just wrote honestly and unflinchingly about how I felt like I’d made mistakes and was trying to claw my life back into something I could be proud of. It was a huge turning point.
Favourite Girl. Photo credit: Randy Vanderwood.
Sarah: I have moments where unflinching honesty comes easy to me in a song, and then moments still where I start to censor myself. In a desire to be…more palatable? Moving past that has been near as much of a journey for me as “becoming a songwriter.”
You have an unreleased song “Partner for the End of the World.” The first time I heard it I thought, oh, this is a classic! What can you tell us about that song? Are there any thoughts about recording it?
Katy: Aw! I love that you like it. It was written VERY early in the spring of 2020 when we were all just trying to adjust to COVID restrictions and had no idea how long that would last. Every show was canceled, my UK tour was put on hold, and all my little part-time jobs went away. I wanted to capture the feeling of getting through that difficult time with someone and sharing the unknown future by leaning into how we could help each other.
I posted it to a Facebook group called the Self-isolating Strummers and it got picked up by an Oregon news station. They played it at the end of the broadcast with images of hearts in windows, and people visiting their loved ones through closed nursing homes etc. It was incredibly moving to see something I wrote spread a little joy (like confetti) at such a surreal and scary time. I should record it. I’ve actually always wanted to hear YOU sing it, Sarah! It’s one of my more country songs. So that would be a fun collaboration.
Sarah: It would be!! Let’s talk about your song “Lily.” It’s a joyful celebration of one of your two daughters. I know motherhood is such an important part of your musical journey. Can you tell us about that song?
Katy: “Lily” was inspired by my oldest daughter. She literally bounced up the stairs every day of her life wanting to experience everything the day would offer! I marveled at that. I tried to always get out of the house each day when she was a baby and she would always stop to stare at the flowers and the bugs and the rocks. We could never get anywhere on time and it used to frustrate me until I realized this is it! This is life.
I needed a way to illustrate the colorful attitude about the way she lived and the art she made. So I literally googled Crayola names and it’s the only time I have ever used a word list to write a song. I thought it would be fun to use as many different color names as I could in one song. It’s amazing to me to see that kids are just born with these personalities. Also, this little girl who constantly made art just graduated with a BA in Fine Art this past week! My other daughter Daisy sang backing vocals for the song on the record.
Sarah: Aw, congrats, Lily! Is there a song that you think of specifically as “for Daisy”?
Katy: I wrote a song called “In Your Shoes (For Daisy)” when she was going through a tough time at school. It was also inspired by a Mother’s Day card she gave me. One of the things she wrote was “Thank you for never giving up on me, I will never give up on you either,” which was so intense and moving that I felt like it had to be in a song! It’s all about being there for your kid and reassuring them that you can't always fix everything but you are there with them and for them. I need to write another song for Daisy that’s more upbeat lyrically as the songs get unfairly compared, which I guess I set myself up for.
Sarah: “Favourite Girl”: It’s a title track to an upcoming album, and now a BAND! “I want to be that favourite girl that made you want to sing.” Can you tell us about that song? How did it turn into that band?
Katy: Yes! I am so excited about the band. I honestly felt during 2020 and 2021 that my music career might just fizzle out. I felt like I had great momentum after Suit Of Hearts came out, but then after a year of no shows, the band never felt the same. People had gone in different directions and, after a busy summer of playing rescheduled gigs, it just ended. After that I had a massive bout of self-doubt. I didn’t know what to write and I also felt like I was aging out of the music scene and was irrelevant. Which is something I would give anyone else a strict talking-to about but when it’s yourself that’s harder. Internalized ageism is a tough nut to crack. I don’t want to be any part of that.
So I took the feeling of being a washed-up nobody and wrote myself empowerment anthems. The inspiration for “Favourite Girl” as a song, and as a band, is that everyone deserves to be somebody’s favourite.
Sarah: Oh yes, they do! We do!
Katy: Even if it’s just your own! Don’t let anyone tell you that you have nothing to say. Don’t practice music in your basement and wait until it’s perfect to get out there and share it. Don’t let anyone tell you that you’re too old or not pretty enough, or any of the awful messages we receive online and in society. Just do it! I have a pin on my ukulele strap that says “Lord grant me the confidence of a mediocre white man” and I try to embody that everytime I write and play. I’ve held myself back and apologized for my own ambition for too long. Now I want to celebrate that. It’s inspired me to write songs that make me feel better about myself and hopefully translate that to the audience.
We recently played a show at The Parkway prior to a screening of 9 to 5 and it felt like a perfect pairing. Sexism should be a thing of the past—that movie should seem like a relic—but it’s not. I think there’s power in a woman in her 50s having the most fun of her life and inviting others along for the party!! I also wanted to capture some of the feeling I get when I perform ABBA songs. Even when I was in a folk/Americana band I kept writing pop/rock songs and needed an outlet for them.
It’s such a privilege to have a band. I never take it for granted that people climb onboard to play the songs I’ve written. They are such a talented and, more importantly, supportive group of humans. I’m really inspired by the wave of female bands in town and globally, and it’s exciting to be a part of that with a mostly female lineup. (Shout out to the sole man in the band, Paul Odegaard! He’s been a collaborator and friend throughout the band lineups change and we also play as a duo often.)
Sarah: I’m so ready to be a Favourite Girl superfan! Do you have any Midwest shows coming up in the next few months where we might hear FG sing that song, or any other song for that matter?
Katy: Yes. FG has two June shows. I’m excited for them both as they’re really unique. The first is Music In Mears, which is one of my favorite series. It’s outdoors, which is always fun, and I love the vibe they create. Then the Crooners show and podcast with Sue Scott is going to be really special. The band will play and I’ll also do a couple of solo tunes. Including the newest one I wrote about my mum, which I think might be the best song I’ve written so far. It’s such an honor that someone as talented and experienced as Sue is interested and supportive of what I am doing. Beyond that, we’ll be releasing our debut song and recording more in the fall. It’s so exciting to have something new to work on. I also play regular shows as a solo or duo act.
Go see Favourite Girl at Music In Mears in St. Paul at 6pm on Thursday, June 6, or at Sue Scott’s Island of Discarded Women on Thursday, June 13, at Crooners! Katy’s cover band ABBASolutely Fab will be playing lots of free outdoor shows in parks; check her website for details. They’ll also play the Hewing Hotel Rooftop in Minneapolis on Sunday, August 25, so get your tickets now!
Listen to “Undertow”
The Favourite Girl band:
Katy Vernon – Ukulele/Vocals
Barb Brynstad – Bass/Vocals
Allie Pikala – Lead Guitar/Vocals
Alyse Emanuel – Drums/Vocals
Paul Odegaard – Trumpet
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Sarah Morris. Photo credit: Tom Smouse.
Sarah Morris is a superfan of songs and the people who write them, and a believer that certain songs can change your life. A singer-songwriter / mama / bread maker / coffee drinker who recently released her fifth album of original material, she’s been known to joyfully sing with people in her Big Green Bathroom.
