Based in New York City, Kat Reinhert is a songwriter who deftly bridges the worlds of pop and jazz music. Known for her enthralling storytelling, keen musicianship and passionate honesty, her voice is one of truth and humour, with her lyrics being the focal point of her creative expression while crafting music that lies between the sophisticated and the simple.
Kat Reinhert made her solo debut in 2015 with the album Spark, and since then, she has released several well-received singles, culminating in her critically acclaimed sophomore album, Dead Reckoning, in 2021. Beyond her accomplishments as a musician and songwriter, Reinhert is dedicated to sharing her love of music and songwriting with others, aiming to inspire and empower them to discover their own artistic journeys.
She’s a Professor of Songwriting at Berklee College of Music and the co-founder of Songwriting for Music Educators, alongside Sarah Gulish. Following her 2021 single “Hiding In The Dark,” she took a brief hiatus from sharing her own original material until returning this year with the track “Greenlights.”
Now, Reinhert presents her latest release, “I Wanna Be Like Steve Martin,” a song that perfectly distils the sonic evolution of her artistic vision. This new single sees her exploring Americana and folk styles, drawing inspiration from elements of jazz, folk and pop music.
Taking cues from artists such as Joni Mitchell, Sara Bareilles and John Mayer, Kat also channels themes of aspiration, resilience and self-discovery into the song. Penned towards the end of the pandemic, the song was inspired by an interview Kat heard about Steve Martin, where she misattributed an idea and by her brother’s journey after a near-fatal accident.
Jumping straight in with her graceful lead vocals soaring beautifully above the shimmering strums of guitar and rhythmic punch of a kick drum, the arrangement builds up around her voice with the pulse of bass guitar and subtly lively energy of a shaker. Spinning blissful melodies carrying confessional lyricism, the song launches into an instantly catchy chorus lifted by the piquant plucks of a banjo. Flowing through a grooving folk pop scene and building to a danceable crescendo led by a slick guitar solo, “I Wanna Be Like Steve Martin” is a truly charming and catchy new outing from Kat Reinhert who continues to deliver magical musical moments that are impossible not to love.
Commenting on the single, she shares, “I wrote this song thinking about how we really perceive growth. I’d been playing guitar for only a few months and just couldn’t imagine how I could EVER get to the point where I could play with my band and not sound horrible. And how so many artists struggle with the day to day grind of just practicing the thing they want to do. I remember reading or hearing something about Steve Martin and his banjo playing – and how he said that if he just practiced an hour a day every day, in ten years, he wouldn’t suck – and he won a Grammy.”
Adding, “In hindsight, this was an accident on my part (not the Grammy part), as Martin has been playing banjo most of his life – but my mistake still inspired this song. Additionally, my brother had a really bad accident about twenty years ago and the doctors told him he would never walk – and he does – and he’s one of my inspirations – so this is for him too.”
Listen to I Wanna Be Like Steve Martin below
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