Kath Bee is one of New Zealand’s most loved children’s songwriters. A generation of Kiwi kids have grown up with Kath’s songs, including ‘Individuality’, ‘Dad I wanna be a Camel’ and ‘Dragons Under My Bed’. More recently she has drawn in 100s of schools and new young fans with ‘Sprinkle A Little Sunshine’, ‘I Love Life’, ‘E Tū Tāngata – We Stand Together’ and ‘Magic in Me’.
Kath has a list of awards including 3x winner of the APRA Children’s Video of the Year, winner of the 2020 APRA Children’s Song of the Year, finalist 2018 APRA Children’s Song of the Year, 3x finalist in the Australian Songwriters Association Competition and a 3x finalist in the International Songwriting Competition.
Kath is unique, in that her songs are loved by children of all ages. She loves writing for the 5-10 year age group and enjoys the challenge of capturing them all, in one hit. She has a way of crafting clever lyrics and melodies that get inside the hearts and minds of children - songs that tend to stick with them into adulthood.
Kath is releasing two albums this year, with a bit of a catch - she is releasing them all as singles. From the 21st July, she will release one song per week for 20 weeks, alternating between each album. ‘It’s a musical feast’ says Kath, with both albums being quite different from each other and each song being very different from the next. Kath is creating simple lyric videos to accompany all 20 songs on her YouTube Channel. “The best thing you can do is to Follow me on Spotify and Subscribe to my YouTube Channel and get notifications – then you’ll stay up-to-date with each new release.”
“In 2020 I received funding from Creative New Zealand to write 10 songs, from ideas given to me by children and their families, about their feelings and thoughts during our first COVID Lockdown in April-June 2020.” Kath was inundated with suggestions and from them, wrote 10 very different songs. A good chunk of the funding was for producing the instrumentation for each song so hired on of NZ’s best, Doug Stenhouse from Doghouse Tunes. “Doug is an incredibly talented musician, writer and producer who has lifted each song to another level. The album is a roller-coaster ride through different emotions, genres, feels and creativity, with each song being such by different children.” The songs and instrumentation were complete by the end October 2020, as per the terms of CNZ’s Funding.
The album is called, ‘Children: Our Voices IntertwineD’, a play on the acronym ‘COVID’. “The songs are definitely enhanced by the children’s vocals and each voice is so different and interesting. Most of the children had never been in a recording studio before, so the experience was new and exciting and one they will never forget. Each child embraced their song and could relate to it in their own way. They made it their own. The children will be listed as ‘featured Artists’ on online platforms and each will get their own Spotify Artists Profile, which will be cool for them to share with their friends and family.”
Kath says “I wanted to recreate the feelings of the 2020 Lockdown period, but also wanted each song to stand alone. Two songs however, directly relate to that time, ‘The Teddy Bear Team’, a song about the soft toys placed around to cheer people up on their walks, is written from the Teddy’s point of view (a video, funded by NZOA will be released for this song later this year) and a song called ‘So Quiet’, a goosebump-inducing, haunting tune about the emptiness and quietness of playgrounds, schools and streets.”
The album has been a year in the making and a labour of love, coordinating and recording all the children and for Doug especially, editing, mixing and mastering each song. ‘We are both so happy with the finished product, knowing that listeners will be taken on an emotional, musical ride. We have pushed the boundaries of children’s music on this album, but totally love the diversity.’
The first song to be released on 28th July is a pop song called ‘Sisters & Brothers’ and is sung by Doug’s daughter EMIKA. Kath wrote it from the idea given to her, that you can be friends with your sister/s and brother/s because in lockdown they were the only friends children had to play with.
Kath’s second and solo album is called ‘Something for Everyone’ and has some songs that came to her in a flash and also unfinished songs she’s had sitting in a folder in her drawer for a while. ‘In Winter’ is her first release on 21st July, a warm, cozy, folk-meets-blues song.The album includes some action songs, a fun upbeat country counting tune about Pear Pickin’ (inspired by the fact that Kath really does pick pears in the summer!), a meditative number called ‘Waterfall’ which will mesmerise young and old, a song about our beautiful shadow and a wistful song about paper planes.
Produced by The Sound Room in Auckland with Kath on guitar and ukulele, Tom Fox on slide, acoustic guitar and bass, Marshall Smith on piano, Thomas Botting on banjo and Rosalind Manowitz on violin, this album has got, well, something for everyone!
Website: https://www.kathbee.nz/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kathbeesongs/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kath_bee_songs4kids/
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/5pYeD8r1vE9mMyA9qAs7qk?si=T8Jr-ZqoTuevQG94CvJLFQ&dl_branch=1