BUY / STREAM “THE WITCH” FT. AOIFE O’DONOVAN
WATCH / SHARE “THE WITCH” (LIVE PERFORMANCE VIDEO)
KAÏA KATER’S NEW ALBUM, STRANGE MEDICINE, OUT MAY 17
PRE-SAVE STRANGE MEDICINE HERE
‘‘Strange Medicine suggests that hers is a talent built to endure. ...dizzyingly fresh and satisfyingly rich" 9/10 UNCUT | Americana Album of the Month
"Over the plucky sounds of banjo and strings, the two capture the city's unique spirit in a romantic character study." Billboard on "In Montreal" Feat. Allison Russell
"Kater and Russell make a gorgeous pairing of two artists who were meant to join voices. ... two voices of folk music's future." CBC Music on "In Montreal" Feat. Allison Russell
NORTH AMERICAN TOUR BEGINS MAY 17
Photo Credit: Janice Reid // DOWNLOAD HIGH-RES
Today, Grenadian-Canadian musician Kaïa Kater is revealing “The Witch” featuring Aoife O’Donovan from her upcoming album, Strange Medicine. “I have been fascinated with old Puritan tales about witch burnings and scarlet letters for a long time,” explains Kater. “I specifically wanted to write about the way men historically have branded women as temptresses, harlots, sirens and shrews, and then sought to reflect this visually – the letter A for adulteress, the burning of flesh to symbolize evil. The first woman labeled a witch in Salem was a Black woman by the name of Tituba. Usually these women died nameless and scorned. In my narrative, the woman who is branded a witch and burned at the stake survives her pilgrim’s punishment, and now seeks her revenge on those who sought to destroy her.”
BUY / STREAM “THE WITCH” FT. AOIFE O’DONOVAN
WATCH / SHARE “THE WITCH” (LIVE PERFORMANCE VIDEO)
MORE ABOUT STRANGE MEDICINE
Produced by Kater and Joe Grass (Elisapie, The Barr Brothers), Strange Medicine is Kater’s first new album in six years (following 2018’s Grenades) and her most personal record to date. Created during a period of deep self-reflection and reinvention, the new music finds Kater expanding her creative scope as she celebrates the power of women and oppressed people throughout history, while also sharing meditations on her own life. In addition to “Fédon”, Strange Medicine also features previously released single, “The Internet”, as well as collaborations with Aoife O’Donovan (“The Witch”) and Allison Russell (“In Montreal”).
Reflecting on the project, Kater shares, “The through line for me is just stories. It was the story of my dad on Grenades, and on Strange Medicine it’s the story of people in history who might not have had their proper shrift. It’s also my chance to finally write about the times in my life when I didn’t feel like I had a voice, in order to give myself one now.”
WATCH / SHARE “FÉDON” FEAT. TAJ MAHAL
BUY / STREAM “FÉDON” FEAT. TAJ MAHAL
LISTEN / SHARE “THE INTERNET” HERE
BUY / STREAM “THE INTERNET” HERE
Since her debut, Kater has released three full-length albums including 2018’s Grenades, which was nominated for Contemporary Roots Album of the Year at that year’s JUNO Awards and long listed for the Polaris Music Prize. Released to widespread critical attention, NPR Music praised, “vivid, sensory images and poetic language…We’re lucky that Kater’s shared her fully formed vision with us,” while Rolling Stone declared, “plaintive, mesmerizing…[Kater] writes and performs with the skill of a folk-circuit veteran” and No Depression proclaimed, “You want some authenticity in your folk music or bluegrass – I give you Kaïa Kater.” Additionally, Kater has been featured as part of NPR Music’s “Tiny Desk Concert” series and toured extensively across North America, Europe and the U.K.
LISTEN / SHARE “IN MONTREAL” FT. ALLISON RUSSELL
BUY / STREAM “IN MONTREAL” FT. ALLISON RUSSELL
WATCH KAÏA KATER’S NPR TINY DESK CONCERT
Based in Canada with a foothold in Brooklyn, Kater’s music is influenced by the sounds of Canada, the Caribbean and Appalachia, reflecting her diverse background. In addition to own her work as a singer and musician, Kater took part in the Slaight Music Residency at the Canadian Film Center and wrote original music for BET’s series, The Porter, for which she won Best Original Song in a Drama Series at the 2023 Canadian Screen Awards. She also wrote music for the new film, My Dead Friend Zoe, which premiered at SXSW.
PRE-SAVE STRANGE MEDICINE HERE
TOUR DATES
May 17 Groton, MA Groton Hill Music Center
May 18 Cambridge, MA Club Passim
May 21 Hamilton, ON Mills Hardware
May 22 Toronto, ON TD Music Hall
May 23 Montreal, QC La Sotterenea
May 24 Kingston, ON The Broom Factory
May 26 Ottawa, ON Red Bird Live
June 1 Brevard, NC NC Guitar Celebration
June 5 Evanston, Il Evanston Space
June 6 Ann Arbor MI The Ark
June 7 Paw Paw, MI The Lucky Wolf
June 9 Frankfort, KY Josephine Sculpture Park
June 12 Brooklyn, NY Union Pool
June 13 Philadelphia, PA World Cafe Live Upstairs
June 14 Baltimore, MD Creative Alliance At The Patterson
June 20 St Peters, PE Festival Small Halls
June 21 Charlottetown, PE Festival Small Halls
July 11-14 Winnipeg, MB Winnipeg Folk Festival *
Aug 4-5 Canmore, AB Canmore Folk Music Festival*
++Performing with New Dangerfield
* Performing with New Dangerfield & as Kaïa Kater
MORE DATES TO BE ADDED SOON
STRANGE MEDICINE TRACKLIST
1. The Witch (feat. Aoife O’Donovan)
2. Maker Taker
3. Mechanics of the Mind
4. In Montreal (feat. Allison Russell)
5. The Internet
6. Fédon (feat. Taj Mahal)
7. Floodlights
8. Often as the Autumn
9. History in Motion
10. Tigers