Phoebe Katis is an acclaimed genre-blending songwriter, singer and musician who has just shared her mesmerizing new album A Coming of Age, her fifth studio album and her most personal statement yet. After four albums in four years and a deliberate three-year pause, Katis emerges renewed, leaning into the “mess” that once made her feel unmarketable. The result is a fearless, sonically rich body of work that mirrors the chaos, color, and constant reinvention of life itself.
In our conversation, Phoebe Katis opens up about embracing uncertainty, dismantling industry expectations, and rediscovering the joy of simply making music. From pop bangers to Broadway ballads, from existential reflection to unfiltered fun, A Coming of Age is both a sonic self-portrait and a manifesto for creative freedom, proof that sometimes the truest form of “arriving” is realizing you never really have to.
A Coming of Age marks your fifth studio album, what does this particular "coming of age" represent for you personally and artistically?
The "coming of age" is the paradoxical realisation that you never truly come of age, and at 33, I am still having an identity crisis, and that's OK haha. These songs came from a 3-year struggle with my artistic identity and purpose. The creative industry is not for the faint of heart! I'd put out 4 albums in 4 years, toured the world, and completely burnt out. Constantly comparing myself to others my age and younger. You should be further along! You should be doing this and this! You should know who you are! I was exhausted and nearly ready to pursue other things. But I knew I would never forgive myself if I let being an artist slip away. So, on the personal side, this "coming of age" was also giving me another shot as an artist. Artistically, the album is all over the place genre-wise, and the pretty unhinged production (a different producer for nearly every song) adds to the overall identity and musical chaos.
You've said this album is "unapologetically genre-less, messy, colorful, and emotional."How did you approach the production process to capture that feeling?
The genre-less, messy, colourful nature of the album emerged after the production process, rather than being the goal, with the production capturing it. I had no rules or boundaries going into producing these songs, just a wishlist of people to work with, a love for songwriting, and a desire to produce them the way they were meant to be. Hence the pop-punk song next to the broadway ballad next to the 80s disco power ballad next to the retro-pop etc etc…
You mentioned this record was "fun" to make above all else. What moments in the studio stand out as the most creatively liberating (or ridiculous)?
Working with so many friends and favourite artists on this record was the best aspect of the process. I can't believe I got to work with Bill Wurtz; that is still a ridiculous pinch-me moment. He is one of my favourite artists on the planet. Getting his production back on I'm a Kid was like Christmas on acid. Truly insane. I adore working with Dave Mackay (Runaway Train and songs on my previous album), Alex Kiel (Coming of Age, Chronic People Pleaser), Conall Mulvenna (Good Days and other past releases), Cale Hawkins (Famous, Kindred Lover), and everyone else who contributed. Getting any music or production back from anyone was so exciting. I also really loved producing The One and Time to Wake IV myself, getting to stack all those harmonies that people around the world sent in—UH, that was a big dream, and I am so excited it's out in the world.
"We are always coming of age, again and again." That's such a powerful idea. When did that realization first hit you?
When I started writing the song Coming of Age, I really loved that narrative, and it started
making a lot of aspects of the album, the process, and my life make sense. I've always had the feeling that I've never fully 'arrived' at who I am, or that I don't fit into any one particular box as an artist or performer. I've also always felt like that was a negative —that we are always told to have a strong sense of self, message, and style to really stand out from the crowd as an artist.This album, for me, feels like finding some kind of clarity from the chaos, and knowing that I'll keep changing and coming of age, so I may as well own it.
You've spoken about feeling burnt out and losing faith in your artistry before this album. How did you find your way back to yourself through the music?
Songwriting. The strength of an artist always comes down to their songs. Take out the bigger picture of your career: comparisons, reviews, marketing, social media, engagement, press, everything. Go back to the songs and start there. You and the song, no one else. Remember why you do what you do, what songwriting does for you.
The album spans Broadway ballads, funk, indie rock, pop, and jazz. How do you navigate such a wide sonic palette without losing cohesion?
I don't really know if this is a cohesive record. It feels pretty all over the place to me, but friends have said my vocals and storytelling throughout the record make it somewhat cohesive. I'm too close to the canvas at this point.
You collaborated with artists like Sam Greenfield and Bill Wurtz. What drew you to those partnerships, and how did they shape the record's sound?
Well, Sam is my husband :) and we've worked together a bunch before and really love what we create together. And Bill Wurtz is one of my favourite artists of all time. That was, and still is, a pinch-me moment. I asked if he'd like to produce a song, and he said yes, so I wrote the song I'm a Kid specifically for him, which was a fun opposite way round to what you usually do when you write a song and then find a producer to work on it.
Which song on A Coming of Age feels like the purest expression of where you are right now, musically or emotionally?
Musically and emotionally, "I'm a Kid". Honorable mentions would be the title track, "Coming of Age", as a core narrative expression of the record, and" Just Like That", the 'Broadway' song, which I hold very close to my heart musically.
You've played everywhere from Glastonbury to Royal Albert Hall (Elgar Room) to the Troubadour. Can you tell our readers a fun or wild tour story?
This isn't quite a tour story, but my first Glastonbury performance was in the Lost Horizons' nudest tent. I was not in the nude, but the majority of the crowd were, and honestly looking back, I should have also been nude; I was the odd one out! It was hilarious, wonderful, and a very humanizing experience.
Having lived and worked in both the UK and the US, how do you see the two music
cultures differing in terms of artistic freedom?
I loved London in my early 20s, but I didn't click with it artistically. There was (and is) a really cool jazz-rnb-pop adjacent scene over there that I was trying to break into, but it wasn't quite what I was making. I was artistically all over the place, too, which didn't help when it came to fitting into a scene. I started working with Americans on my music and touring, and that opened my eyes to the old-school singer-songwriter style of writing and recording that felt much more like me (Carole King, Billy Joel, etc.). I'm excited to go back to London and feel more like I know myself, more confident in what I bring to the table, having spent these years in America getting that somewhat down.
What's next for Phoebe Katis?
I just completed my debut headline tour, so I am really excited to keep touring with my band. I have East Coast shows coming up, and UK/EU next year. Working on new music, figuring out the next record, the cycle continues!
Connect with Phoebe Katis: INSTAGRAM
