"I Hope You Know" is one of those songs that makes you stand up and dance because no one should listen to it sitting down.
Within a few moments, this pop cut starts off as infatuating and heartfelt, then swiftly glammy and melancholic. With an electronic house backbeat, a wholly saturated bass, echoing adlib harmonies, and vocals from the superlatively monochromatic, Kate Gala, has taken dance-pop, and new-wave sound from her influences of the past, and charged them up a bit.
"I Hope You Know," is rousing, groovy, and extra carbonated, it's easy to lose track of time and space amid all the dancing your feet will demand. Using the right tempo for swinging your hips from side to side as you strut to a dance floor, you'll certainly get lost in.
"I Hope You Know" echoes the songwriting style of Taylor Swift, and craves out unspoiled terrain in the sandbox of radio-ready pop music. Gala—who began writing songs as an outlet to cope with the drudgeries of growing up, takes the reigning head of her anthem with a tonality that naturally blending into the prismatic and open-wide spaces of the verse, with a measure held tight by crispy snaps, and a mystifying synth pad melody. Here, she turns on a whim from the fluttering heartfelt lines, "he gently kissed my scar, make it all okay again" relating to her melancholic distress, and into an oddly contrasting chorus that sounds blithe over the biting words: "I'm forever broken."
As the surge of sonics concentrates over an audible climax, Kate Gala issues a grand proclamation in her testimony to become the next pop star to flourish out of the Virginia state. It's like a personal trauma from the past, transformed into a testimony for her audience: an audible effort to remind listeners that they're not alone.
Hello Kate and welcome to BuzzMusic. Can you walk us through the recording process behind "I Hope You Know?" Was this a remotely done project? Something you did in the studio?
I recorded “I Hope You Know” in the middle of quarantine from my home studio. The idea for the song came to mind, and within 24 hours I was recording the vocals.
What was the influence behind 'I Hope You Know's' upbeat energy synergizing over your lyrics' heart-broken narrative?
My biggest influence for the track was the Chainsmokers— I was going for something similar to their upbeat style while encompassing my lyrics.
What emotions enveloped your vocal performance throughout 'I Hope You Know,' and is that the same emotion you want your audience to feel or understand more clearly through this track's core message?
I had the inspiration for the lyrics to “I Hope You Know” when I decided to stop waiting for change to happen in my life and take action myself. When I did, the universe had a funny way of positive reinforcement by sending someone into my life who's very special to me. This song was a result of everything coming together at the right time, acknowledging life is hard, relationships are hard, but it’ll all be okay.
What's been a newly learned skill you have found yourself incorporating in your artistic workflow after the production experience behind 'I Hope You Know'?
One newly learned skill is my ability to get vulnerable in my writing, and therefore connect better with listeners.
What has been keeping you inspired in 2020?
Definitely my friends and family have been keeping me inspired. With all the craziness going on in the world in 2020, support and loved ones are more important than ever!