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Kate Voegele's music career blossoms
Twenty-one-year-old singer-songwriter Kate Voegele has been on an amazing journey since she started writing and playing music at age 15.
She's a veteran of Farm Aid. She auditioned for the WB's "One Tree Hill" (to "humor my manager," she says) and was hired for the role of Mia even though she had no professional acting experience. And she's touring with pop heavyweight Natasha Bedingfield beginning in June.
But Voegele sees her greatest accomplish in being the first artist signed to fledgling MySpace Records in 2006. MySpace made her debut, ''Don't Look Away,'' its first release and she hit the road to promote it. MySpace then re-released ''Don't Look Away'' with a new cover on Jan. 22. They also repackaged it with three acoustic tracks for a Target exclusive.
"MySpace was on board two years before 'One Tree Hill' ever came about," Voegele said. "They believed in me from the beginning. Without them and my management--everybody on my whole team--I think it would be impossible to be where I am now. That's probably been one of the greatest milestones in my career."
That career has also been a hectic one. Last fall, she juggled her tour with Matt Nathanson and her starring role on "One Tree Hill." She toured with Nathanson on the weekends, and acted during the week.
"I would fly out to play gigs with Matt," she said. "I wracked up so many frequent flier miles because I was just in a different city every weekend. It was, like, fly to Lawrence, KS, and then we drive up to Missouri then I'd fly to Wilmington [NC] to shoot 'One Tree Hill,' then I would fly to Chicago. It was insane. I figure if I can lead the double life thing and do it sanely and give 100 percent in both areas, why not?"
Although the acting gig is fun--she gets to perform her original music on the show--music is her first love. A prolific writer, Voegele said she has enough material for 10 more albums.
"I have so much stuff," she said. "As an artist, I'm always writing because I'm always inspired by everything that's going on around me. I'm having all these amazing experiences, now that I'm on tour and meeting people and hanging out with everybody and seeing new places; it's incredibly inspirational. I'm always writing. I can't wait to get in the studio again, although I'm definitely still really excited about doing this record and riding it out."
After she wraps up the dates with Bedingfield, Voegele hopes to headline her own tour and continue her work on "One Tree Hill." (The dates with Bedingfield are listed below.)
"There's something awesome about opening and gaining new fans and getting in front of people and being on a great bill with someone like Natasha," she said. "But, then, it's also amazing to headline your own shows and see your fan base come out just to see you. That's a great thing, too."
