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GEORGE NEWS - George Herald attended the lively performance of Katy O., a musician from Switzerland, at the Market Community Theatre on Friday 20 March.
Known for her bold fusion of rock, soul, blues, R & B and jazz, Katy O. delivered a heartfelt performance, with songs that were raw, unapologetic, deeply universal and tenderly melancholic.
Her vocal range, depth and tone carried the audience through the highs and valleys of the emotions expressed in her music.
Through storytelling, Katy O. creates vivid scenes brought to life by her beautiful lyrics and voice. Interestingly, she prefers writing in English, although she performed one song in her native Swiss German. Even with unfamiliar words, the audience could still feel the emotion; Katy O. has a profound ability to convey depth and meaning, even in a foreign language. Most of her lyrics are written by herself, proving her personal touch and authenticity.
Video: In this candid interview, Katy O. opens up about writing her own lyrics, choosing to sing in both English and Swiss German, and how her personal experiences shape her music.
Katy O. is also highly engaging. She surprised the audience with an interactive session, asking them to write down words and sentences describing their experience of the theatre. With the help of the audience and the Siyakhona Youth Development Choir, she created a song from scratch on stage. The choir, who had no idea they would be performing that evening, harmonised beautifully, adding to the spontaneous magic of the night.
The Siyakhona Youth Development Choir delivers an unexpected stage performance, singing the chorus of the newly improvised song.
Photo: Sanjay Lalwani
In a backstage interview, Katy O. shared that although many of her songs are melancholic, she is a happy person. "Of course, life isn't always perfect," she said.
She said her lyrics are autobiogra-phical and representative of her life, though slightly altered to protect her privacy - making her work both personal and universally relatable.
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