Kat Harlton
Christee Palace is a star on the rise, she has had over half a million career streams to date and in 2019 she won the Jim Beam National Talent Search which is hosted by Canadian Music Week. Her first singles Out of Time and Light It Up charted on Canada’s Most Active Indies chart in their first weeks on radio. Later on, Harden My Heart and Love Me In the Dark gathered over 125,000 streams each on Spotify.
Christee just recently released her new single “What Have You Done To Me?“, and we had the opportunity to chat with her about inspiration behind the track, her creative process and what’s next.
Kat: Can you talk about the inspiration behind your latest single “What Have You Done To Me?”
Christee: “What Have You Done to Me” came about one night when I was completely overwhelmed with how this certain person was making me feel. I couldn’t believe the power they had over me and my emotions. I remember saying to myself “What the hell have you done to me?” I wrote that line out in my phone and then started writing the song around that concept— being so lost in someone that you barely recognize yourself anymore.
Kat: What do you hope fans will take away from the track?
Christee: I think in a lot of ways this song can represent different kinds of addiction. In my case, it was a love addiction that I was writing about, but I hope that whoever listens to this song can relate to it in their own way. I think we have all experienced a certain type of addiction before, and how it felt internally (and even externally) being consumed by it. I hope anyone listening knows they are clearly not alone in feeling this, and that it is totally possible to win yourself back.
Kat: What do you find is the most challenging part of your creative process?
Christee: Overthinking. I have always been that way, partially because I want to put out the best music possible. But I have to remind myself that as much as I want others to love my music, I need to love it first. The internal battle that I feel sometimes is difficult to overcome. I do my best to be honest and authentic in everything that I write, and honestly, I find that gets me the best result.
Kat: What has been a career highlight for you so far? What have you learned along the way?
Christee: I have had many that have contributed to where I am now, but I’d say the one I loved most that got me the closest to where I want to be forever was opening for Walk Off The Earth. The entire experience gave me a taste of the life I have been dreaming of since I was a little girl— the back to back shows, the large crowds, the opportunity to connect to and meet new fans after the show…it was all so incredible. The one thing I learned from that though is that it takes insane hard work to maintain that type of status and life as an artist. You will have extreme highs and extreme lows. One day you can go from feeling on top of the world, having a taste of your dream, then having absolutely nothing going on. It’s a strange rollercoaster ride. But it motivates me to continue to work hard.
Kat: What’s next?
Christee: With the current situation regarding COVID, it’s hard to really know what’s next. As always, I continue to write and record new music, and find new ways to connect to my fans, and gain new ones through the various social platforms. I think that although there have been some extreme lows during this time, there have been some silver linings— it’s really taught me that at any moment your way of living can be taken from you, and you must find a way to continue on and make things happen with the smallest of means possible.
For more on Christee Palace visit: www.christeepalace.com