CoolTop20’s In the spotlight: Katanak

by Lean at https://cooltop20.com

Katanak is the brainchild of Dylan Cattanach, an Australian musician based in Brisbane, Australia. Early 2019 he opened for fellow Australian artist, Pete Murray, on his Summer Sessions tour 2019. Katanak released his first single ‘Life‘ in September 2019. His latest release and very catchy tune ‘Sunday’ can be found in our chart. Time to learn a little more about Katanak.

When did you start playing/singing?

“I’ve been playing and singing for as long as I can remember. It’s only within the last 7 years that I’ve started to play in bands and it’s only in the last year have I started taking professional vocal lessons which has been something that has turned my vocal ability upside down. I’ve always wanted to do something relating to music since I was old enough to know what music was.”

Who or what inspired you to take up singing and pursue a career in music?

“Pete Murray and Powderfinger were the two Australian artists that I listened to religiously when I was getting into trying to play and sing in bands and at school. They, in my opinion, have some of the most well written and catchy Oz rock songs out there and I wanted to be just like them. Singing was actually something I stopped doing for a while because of puberty and how bad my voice sounded and then got back into when I wanted to start my first band.”

What kind of music do you like?

“I listen to just about everything but if I had to pick a couple genres that are all over my personal playlist, they would be metal and pop. Two pretty different genres but they each have something that I love about them. Heavy bands like Avenged Sevenfold and Architects have the raw aggression that gets me hyped for my day and then when I want to practise my singing and listen to some really well crafted harmonies and talented vocalists I love 5 Seconds of Summer and Brendan Urie.”

Has your musical journey had a deliberate direction, or did it simply gradually evolve in whatever direction it found?

“Honestly, I’m kind of going with the flow. I am still so early in my career and I’m influenced by the people I meet and the bands I play with so I just see what happens. As for the music I write, I don’t have a deliberate style I stick to or genre limits it has to be within. I just want to write good music and if I write it, it will sound like me. As I find a solid audience and start to become more grounded in the industry finding a direction will just happen naturally.”

I always love hearing about the songwriting process so I could give me a glimpse into that? 

“My songwriting process is a pretty laidback, relaxed one. I don’t have any fancy equipment I just have my laptop and Logic Pro and that’s all I need honestly. I just sit on my deck with my guitar and my laptop and just see where my mind takes me. Sometimes I get a heap of ideas that I really love and sometimes I get nothing so it just depends on how inspired I’m feeling. What often happens is I’ll write a song and leave it for a couple days and be at work or on the bus and have a groundbreaking musical idea and be buzzing to get home and add it to the song I just wrote. I’ve been known to hide in the cold room at work and sing into my phone.”

Do you enjoy the process of creating? Are you creative in other disciplines?

“My favourite part of music is that I get to be creative and I get to spill all my ideas out with complete freedom. For me, writing music and performing said music is the most freeing experience because that’s all me and it’s on show for everyone to see and I love that. There aren’t many other times in my life where I’m as happy and as invested in something as I am with my song writing. When I feel like I’m onto something and the song is flowing out of me I will often times forget to eat or drink until it’s done because I don’t want to stop. I would love to say I’m also an awesome dancer & creative in other ways …. but no.”

What can you tell us about your song ‘Sunday’?

“‘Sunday’ is about how a Sunday in summer feels, how it tastes and how I experienced them. There’s something about the hot, lazy days of summer that seems to relax all the rules and this track has captured that vibe. When I hear ‘Sunday’ I get visions of driving to the beach with the windows down and the radio is playing or a friends party. Summers never far away when this track is playing.”

“Joolz and I met via social media just as COVID-19 started and it was great to combine my indie pop style with her R&B, hip hop background. I have had people say that our voices blend so well together which is great as we really enjoy working together and we’re already working on more music.”

What are you currently working on?

Currently for Katanak, I’m working on the new single that’s going to follow after ‘Sunday’ and the band and I are working on adding a whole slew of amazing new music into our live set so be on the lookout for that. 

Do you plan your music releases, or do you just finish a song and release it? What can we expect from your next release?

“As much as I’d love to just write and release, there isn’t a single thing about what we do in music that isn’t thought out in great detail first. We want to make sure that everything is of the highest quality and that we are putting it in front of the right audience. Although in saying that, money is an important consideration and I can’t afford to just head off and record 5 songs in one session. So while there is a plan, it does work out to be one song recorded at a time and released.”

“For this next single I’m going back to my indie rock roots, so it will be completely different to ‘Sunday’. I can’t wait for you to hear it.”

What are your ambitions as a songwriter and musician?

“I always have super high standards for myself so I would love to become a well respected songwriter and have some of my works get on the charts. I would also love to work with artists that I’ve looked up to and that have inspired me throughout my career. I’ve always said my ultimate dream goal that keeps me going is that I want to play at Wembley arena in London. For me that’s the pinnacle.”

What would you like to achieve in the next 5 years?

“I would like to have toured out of Australia by then and hopefully be playing some big shows around the world. I mentioned Wembley arena earlier, but that really is where in 5 years I would love to be. I hope I’m reading this in 5 years and go ‘yesssss’.”

What are you most proud of to date?

“Honestly, I’m really proud of every song I write and release and I’m proud each time we record the next single and it turned out better than the last one we released. I’m constantly trying to one up myself in terms of quality so I’m proud we keep delivering our best.”

You supported Pete Murray on his 2019 Summer Seasons Tour. Are there any other artists you’d like to open a show for?

“I’ve been a massive fan of the 1975 and 5 Seconds of Summer for a very long time now and if I got the chance to open for any of these amazing bands I wouldn’t even know what to do. I think it would make my life being able to say I stood on the same stage as these iconic acts let alone perform for them.”

What’s your favourite song from the Cool Top 20?

“The cool thing about the Cool Top 20 is that all the artists are so different. Picking one was quite hard, although I have been listening to ‘Dream of you‘ by Harry Pane and it’s a stand out song. I would also like to give a shout out to Fisj, Jeangu Macrooy, & Damien Owondo.”

What song would you like to add as a bonus track to our chart Cool Top 20 and why?

“There’s a local Brisbane band I love to play with called The Baby Breaks. A group of great musicians who are also great guys. ‘Daylight Saving‘ is such a catchy song and raw experience. It’s one of my personal favourites to come out of Brisbane.”

(This article first appeared on https://cooltop20.com on 11 June 2021.)