After graduating with honors from the Creative Advertising program at Seneca College in Ontario, Canada, Katie Dauson has always had a passion for music and writing. No matter where life took her on her creative path, she always found her way back to music.
What started as a hobby quickly took over for Katie Dauson and her guitar. Taking a chance on herself in May of 2022, it was an open mic sign that enticed her to perform in front of the public and write her music.
Giving us a taste of her recently released single, “Not Good Enough,” it’s apparent why Katie Dauson has such a flair for conveying prominent melodies. With an old-school style in the empire of country music, the grooves that are professed in “Not Good Enough” have us stomping our feet and snapping our fingers.
Unapologetic energy rises from her persona as she whisks us into a medley built on her character and what she has her eyes set on in life. Katie Dauson effortlessly professes each word confidently and has us nodding our heads in assurance. As you hear her amusing demeanor, fun is high on the radar of Katie Dauson’s creative process.
As the lyrics of “Not Good Enough” paint imagery that suggests the people in her life have shut down the actions she chooses to take on her life path, Katie Dauson has other news for them. Perseverance is in her nature, and with lyrical motifs such as “I pounded the pavement. Knocked on so many doors. Thought I could make it - to all the top floors,” we don’t take her witty diction lightly.
“Not Good Enough” will have you bobbing your head along immediately; it’s time for you to click play and immerse yourself in the music.
Welcome to BuzzMusic, Katie Dauson! Congratulations on the release of your latest single, “Not Good Enough.” Debuting with such a strong start, we have to know – what inspired the confident nature of this single?
Thank you. This single is a true story. I tried to get a job as a copywriter in the advertising industry for almost ten years, off and on, to no avail. The lyrics in the song tell you the story of what happened to me in a nutshell during those years. At one point, I was even laughed at by someone in the industry for my ideas. As I started to get more serious about pursuing a career in music, I began, with trepidation, to write my own songs. I was still carrying a lot of anger and personal bruising from being so badly rejected over the years, and this cathartic idea of a blues song about my trials and tribulations came to me. It's funny because when I originally wrote the song, my self-confidence had been completely destroyed by the advertising industry. But, as I started writing the words, my inner confidence emerged. I knew deep down that I had the skills to make it with writing, and I'm glad I could pair that with my other passion, music.
Being fairly new to sharing your sonic creations with the public, have you had a chance to perform this song in front of an audience? What has the reception been like?
Yes, I have performed the song twice in front of a live audience. The first time, it was just me, my resonator guitar, and a harmonica, so it sounded quite different from the track's recorded version. I got a great reception from the audience, and there was a lot more harmonica in the song. In the second "performance," I showed off the recorded version to a live audience as a special preview before the release, and the reaction was more than what I ever dreamt it could've been. Everyone was bopping and dancing to the song! And when I spoke the last line at the end of the recording, the crowd gave a massive cheer of encouragement. I was shocked and humbled at the same time.
What can your listeners expect to hear from your sound in future releases?
There will always be something different and new. I don't want my sound or style to grow stale, and I always want to keep my listeners on their toes in a good way. I don't want people to get comfortable with a specific sound, style, or genre of music. There is so much out there to experience, and I have just as much fun learning new genres and styles that I haven't experienced myself yet.
If you could send your audience on their way with the main message of “Not Good Enough,” what would you tell them?
Don't give up; follow your passion. Sometimes that can take you in a completely different direction than what you originally thought you would do. Also, don't be afraid to adjust to what you think your path in life should be. One last takeaway is to be respectful to others, whether you are in a position of power (i.e., hiring someone) or not.
What's next for you?
I have another single dropping on December 9, 2022, but I will not spoil that for you. You'll have to watch out for it and listen. You'll be very surprised by how different it is from my previous releases, including "The Not Good Enough Blues." My next project after that is a big one: my first studio album. It's going to be a folk album consisting of ten songs. I recently finished writing the tracks and am looking forward to recording them in the studio. I'm not sure when it will be released, probably early 2023, but it's at least a few months away. While recording the album, I hope to record and release an EP so that the gap between releases isn't too large.