Get To Know... CATTY • Neu • DIY Magazine

Hello and welcome back to DIY’s introducing feature, Get To Know… which aims to get you a little bit closer to the buzziest acts that have been catching our eye as of late, and working out what makes them tick.

For our first GTK feature of the year, we’re catching up with CATTY: the hugely charismatic, punchy pop newcomer who stormed her way into the hearts (and headphones) of her now-devoted fanbase with last year’s ‘Healing Out Of Spite’ EP. Irresistibly catchy without being basic, and empowering without being twee, her tales of sapphic love, breakups, and bad exes have truly struck a chord - something we were lucky enough to witness first-hand when she headlined the latest night of DIY’s Hello 2025 gig series. To celebrate the show, we asked CATTY some quick fire questions…

Describe your music to us in the form of a dating app bio.
CATTY likes long walks on the beach and tormenting her exes.

You hail from rural Wales - musically-speaking, what was it like growing up there? What was your first gig?
There’s a beautiful quote in Welsh - forgive me, I don’t know where it’s from: “Braint yw cael dy eni’n Gymro, nid â llwy arian yn dy geg ond â chân yn dy galon a cherdd yn dy waed”. Roughly translated, it means that it is a privilege to be born Welsh, not with a silver spoon in your mouth, but with music in your heart and poetry in your blood. And that’s exactly what it was; I was always surrounded by music and poetry (it still took me until about 25 to get good at it, but it was always there).

My first gig was Girls Aloud and I loved every second of it - extremely poetic, 10/10.

Even though you’re just getting started, you’ve already amassed a devoted cult following. Do you have a collective name for your fans? What should they expect from a CATTY live show?
They’ve started calling themselves a coven, which makes sense. I think a lot of the opportunities that have been given to me have been because they manifest it with me: they called on Earth, Wind, Water and Fire to help me get the Stevie Nicks gig. And it worked. That’s what to expect at a CATTY live show - myself and those lovely lovely people at group therapy.

“2024 was the best year of my life, so I’m just excited to keep doing my thing.”

Last summer saw you perform at BST Hyde Park - on the same bill as Stevie Nicks! Can you tell us what this meant to you? And if you could support or collaborate with any other artist, who would it be?
She has no idea who I am, obviously, but that’s mother. I listen to [Stevie] when I’m celebrating, when I’m crying, when I’m on the way to work and when I’m at home. She’s been around as much as my parents have, that’s mother!! She’s my obvious answer, but I also LOVE St Vincent - does anyone have her number?

If you could take one album, one book, and one film to a desert island, what would you pick (and why)?
Album: Donny Hathaway, ‘Someday We’ll All Be Free’. My partner introduced me to ‘Jealous Guy’ recently and the album has been playing in my kitchen ever since. Masterpiece.
Book: Love Letters, by Virginia Woolf & Vita Sackville-West. I love love.
Film: Burlesque. Whoever put Christina Aguilera and Cher together, I owe you my life. And this film basically gives me two albums… I’ve hacked the system.

Musically or otherwise, what are you most looking forward to this year?
Honestly, 2024 was the best year of my life so I’m just excited to keep doing my thing. I feel like I’ve established my sound but the visual aspect has always been missing, because I’ve been an independent artist using my waitressing money - for me, there’s an entire world in my songs that I’m excited to show people.

I also heard that Aubrey Plaza and Margaret Qualley are starring in a sapphic film together, so I’m excited about that too.

Finally, DIY are coming round for dinner - what are you making?
Listen DIY, you’re the kind of person I want to see again, so I won’t be cooking. How does a pinot grigio and a vogue by candlelight sound?

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