Inverness Tik Tok sensation Katie Gregson-MacLeod has revealed chart topping star Lewis Capaldi offered valuable advice… over a pint.
The 21-year-old singer-songwriter’s profile went stellar when a 45-second video for track Complex (demo) went viral on social media.
Katie posted the raw, stripped down track of just piano and vocals one night from her parents’ home. She woke up the next morning to 100,000 views.
Within days Complex (demo) exploded online and now, a month after that post, has racked up 7.2 million views on Tik Tok, and counting.
Nine different record companies travelled to Inverness in a bid to sign Katie, who was working a part-time summer job at a coffee shop in the city centre.
One person was watching the craziness unfold from afar and could relate… Capaldi.
The fellow Scot rose from obscurity to top of the British and USA charts with Someone You Loved in 2018.
Out of the blue one of the world’s biggest stars contacted Katie and invited her for a pint.
Katie explained: “A few weeks ago Lewis got in touch and said ‘your song is great, you should be proud of yourself’.
“Then we went for a pint. It was nice because I had been speaking to so many people from the music industry. It was great to talk with an artist who has actually been through it all and isn’t trying to sign me or something. Lewis had an overnight whirlwind experience.
“He said to me ‘so much is changing for you and it is so exciting’.
“Lewis also said ‘its okay if you don’t feel super excited and super happy all the time because it is so much to process’
“His advice was not to feel guilty for not being 100% happy all the time. Even though you have hit so many goals for yourself. That was important. Because it is just so surreal and you can’t process it all.
“Lewis is a great guy.”
‘The ground has instantly moved beneath my feet’
A full-time history student at Edinburgh University Katie was working part-time at Perk Coffee and Doughnuts in Inverness when her world changed.
On August 4 she posted the 45 second long chorus to an unreleased song she had written only days earlier – Complex (demo).
Singers Tom Walker, Madison Beer and Camila Cabello have covered the song. Stars Gracie Abrams, Lennon Stella and Maisie Peters also praised the track. And clearly Capaldi – who has just told his fans he has Tourette’s Syndrome – is also a fan.
Katie said: “The ground instantly moved beneath my feet. I’ve been working as a musician and building up as an independent artist for a few years now.
“That previously steady upwards trajectory has turned into absolute mayhem and skyrocketed. Every hour something new and crazy is happening.
“I only wrote the song four weeks ago. I wrote it at the start of the week then on the Thursday posted a wee bit of the chorus, not thinking much of it.
“When I woke up there next morning there were a lot of views although it wasn’t crazy viral yet. However it was growing at a pace.
“There were also comments from Gracie Abrams, Lennon Stella and Maisie Peters – huge artists who I have been a fan of for years. That’s when I realised something unique was happening and it has not stopped since.
“I was working (at Perk) for a couple of weeks after the song started to blow up. It was nice to have that normality of working during the day then going to meetings with label execs in the evening.
“It was very strange.”
Years of dedication finally pay off
Columbia Records eventually won the race for Katie’s signature and she penned a contract with the label that also has Harry Styles on the roster.
It has been a remarkable four weeks for Katie, however the singer is no overnight sensation.
Katie has been a gigging musician on the Scottish scene for a number of years.
She has self-released music with the support of BBC Introducing as well as BBC Scotland, who made her debut release their Single Of The Week.
Complex a source of comfort to many
Amidst the recent maelstrom Katie has received many messages from fans saying Complex has helped them through tough times.
She said: “When I wrote this song I wrote it for myself and about myself.
“About what was happening. It was like a stream of consciousness. Now it has a life of its own beyond me which can be weird and scary.
“But it is also one of the best parts of it because people have really adopted it as their own. I get messages all the time from people saying it has really helped them.
“That is a very special thing as a writer, to have people care about the words.
“I swore to myself when all this was happening that I wouldn’t change anything about the song. It worked because it was a moment, and is raw.
“The temptation is always there, to write reactively and change things. It was really important to stick to my guns and leave the moment be.”
Why has Complex touched a nerve?
Complex (demo) has been streamed five million times on Spotify to follow up the seven million plus views of the short video on Tik Tok.
Such is Katie’s popularity a seven-second Tik Tok clip with the comment ‘What if I just Released This Song?’ has been viewed 1.3m times.
What is it about Complex (demo) that has touched a nerve with so many people?
“That’s the million-dollar question,” said Katie. “My guess is that it is the rawness and honesty.
“It was a very quick write and a cathartic, emotional moment. Lyrically it is unguarded and the performance is quite vulnerable I guess. This is just me retrospectively trying to analyse it.
“I know as a music fan I really love when artists are very honest and raw with their writing. That is maybe the thing because people can relate to it without any flash or guard on it. “It is just there for people to connect with.
“People can connect with this song for different reasons. They can apply the words to their lives in whatever way they feel.”
Joy at entering the UK singles charts
Complex entered the UK charts on Friday and is tipped to rise higher this week.
Katie said: “I am blown away at being in the charts. I’m just a small indie artist from Inverness and that doesn’t happen.”
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