Today we’d like to introduce you to Kaitlin Cassady.
Hi Kaitlin, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
I come from a family with a strong musical background; my father is an accomplished songwriter and musician who has performed in bands and toured since his early twenties. I started playing guitar at age thirteen and participated in jazz bands/ensembles in high school and college. In my early twenties, I joined various folk and rock bands as a guitarist or bassist, though I did not begin writing my own songs until my mid-twenties.
Relocating to Ann Arbor, Michigan, in 2014 for graduate studies presented challenges, including feelings of loneliness and isolation. After establishing connections with other musicians, I started songwriting for our band and instantly fell in love with it. We played shows all over Ann Arbor and neighboring cities from 2016-2019. My subsequent move to Berkeley in 2019 for postdoctoral work provided the opportunity to record and produce my first collection of original songs written during my time in Michigan, culminating in my debut album “Home Away From Home.” Aside from essential mixing and mastering assistance from my father, I independently wrote, recorded, and produced the entire project.
Following my introduction to piano during the COVID pandemic, I began writing and recording a new collection of songs, which would later become my second album, “North Star”. These songs were inspired by personal experiences of love, loss, trauma, resilience, motherhood, and mental health. The birth of my child in summer 2022 led to a brief hiatus from music as I devoted time to my son, though I continued to write poetry and lyrics. By early 2023, I resumed songwriting, and in 2024 moved back to Minneapolis to be closer to my parents and sister. Upon returning, I assembled a band featuring my father, Paul Cassady, on bass and lifelong friend, Milo Weil, on strings, performing original compositions across the Twin Cities. Concurrently, I continued self-recording and producing “North Star,” completing the album in the summer of 2025.
Supported by sponsorships from local radio stations, Radio K and KFAI (WomenFolk Radio), I performed at the Cedar Cultural Center in Minneapolis on September 4, 2025, for my album release show. Since then, I have appeared on multiple radio programs, and been interviewed by magazines, journals, and both regional and national media outlets. The official release of “North Star” is scheduled for October 24, 2025.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Throughout my life, I have encountered numerous personal and professional challenges. Notably, I have struggled with mental health issues, including depression, obsessive compulsive disorder, and anxiety since I was a kid. I have also suffered from chronic pain issues, including severe lower back pain and stomach/digestive pain. Although the lack of energy and pain caused by my health issues can be debilitating, music and songwriting have consistently served as therapeutic outlets, allowing me to process and understand complex emotions associated with such adversity.
As an artist, financial stability has also been challenging, prompting me to pursue formal education in a different field; I obtained a PhD in cognitive neuroscience after studying science throughout college and graduate school. Despite these academic commitments, I continued to engage in music composition and performance. And in spring 2024, I made the pivotal decision to resign from my post-doctoral position to concentrate fully on my musical career. This transition has presented significant challenges, particularly in balancing creative integrity with financial sustainability.
Marketing and promotion do not come naturally to me, and I have found it necessary to actively develop skills in self-promotion to advance my work. Ideally, my professional focus would be exclusively on creation—writing, composing, recording, and producing music with occasional performances. While creation remains my primary passion, I am committed to enhancing my abilities in marketing and promotion, and I aim to continue progressing in this area. At the same time though, I will inevitably need to find a paying job (most likely in science) to support myself and my family financially.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I am primarily a songwriter. Although I have played instruments—particularly guitar—for a longer period than I have been composing songs, I regard both the guitar and piano principally as tools for my songwriting process. As previously noted, much of my writing is inspired by challenging life experiences and emotions, often stemming from my enduring struggle with depression. Consequently, my music is frequently characterized as melancholy and somber. However, I believe that audiences connect not solely to the sense of sadness, but more so to the unfiltered honesty conveyed through my music and lyrics. This authenticity resonates with listeners on a relatable level.
My passion for writing has been a consistent thread throughout my life. Even during my career as a scientist, writing was among my foremost strengths. In my current artistic pursuits, I take particular pride in my songwriting, considering it the avenue where I can express myself with complete and unabashed honesty. Additionally, I am proud of my capabilities in self-recording and self-production. For the vast majority of my work, I have independently written, composed, arranged, recorded, and co-produced (with support from my father, Paul Cassady) my songs. While my friend Milo Weil contributed strings and my father provided bass for my second album, I have yet to employ professional recording studios, producers, or other industry services in the creation of my music. This decision has largely been due to financial constraints, rather than preference, and may evolve in the future. Nonetheless, I am proud to have developed almost every aspect of my music independently thus far, which I think distinguishes me from others.
Furthermore, my distinctive approach as an artist is shaped by my appreciation for and inspiration from earlier generations of music and poetry. Although I admire countless contemporary artists, a lot of my creative motivation is drawn from music created 30 to 60 years ago. Influences include 1960s and 1970s rock and pop artists such as The Beatles, The Beach Boys (especially Brian Wilson), Elton John, Pink Floyd and Fleetwood Mac; Motown legends like Marvin Gaye, Stevie Wonder, The Temptations, and The Supremes; and Laurel Canyon artists of the 1970s, including Carole King, Joni Mitchell, Linda Ronstadt, and Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young. I also value the contributions of 1990s female singer-songwriters, such as Aimee Mann, Sheryl Crow, Lauryn Hill, Bonnie Raitt, and Tracy Chapman. Some of my lyrical inspirations also stem from both classic and contemporary American poets, including Langston Hughes, Maya Angelou, Emily Dickinson, Amanda Gorman, and Rupi Kaur.
What makes you happy?
MUSIC! I’m genuinely obsessed with music – from listening, watching, and learning to writing, arranging, recording, producing, sharing, and connecting – I love it all. If there was one purpose for me in life, it would be to make music. It feels so natural to me, yet I also work incredibly hard to perfect my work. And I love every minute of it. It feels like this is what I was meant to do in life.
I also love my family, including my three-year-old son, my parents, my twin sister, and my two nephews. My sister and I did not have close relationships with our grandparents growing up, which fostered an even stronger bond with our parents. Given their own challenging upbringings, my parents were committed to creating a supportive, loving, and nurturing environment for us. While disagreements occurred as in any family, our household was primarily defined by kindness, acceptance, and encouragement. Additionally, I appreciate many simple pleasures in life. Below is a poem I wrote a while ago that lists some of those simple pleasures.
REASONS TO STAY
Freshly fallen snow in the night
Major 7 and Minor 6 chords
My sister’s magnetic laugh
Caffee Lattes with almond milk
Summer nights in Minnesota
Horror movies with an IMDb rating above 6
Leaves changing color in the fall
Falling asleep to the sound of rain
Sunsets in Michigan
A cool breeze on a hot summer day
Playing music with my dad
Local bookstores with a poetry section
Driving around the Minneapolis lakes
Muir Woods Beach Overlook
Band T-shirts
My son
Random acts of kindness from strangers
The Berkeley Hills
French Silk pie
Dancing to 70s rock music with my mom
The smell of nostalgia from a summer grill
Road trips along the California coast
Losing myself in a great book
Bell’s Two Hearted IPA
Bioluminescent algae lighting up the Caribbean waters
Therapeutic conversations with my best friend
Singing in perfect harmony
The soothing vibrations of my cat’s gentle purr
Expressing my emotions through art
The promise of tomorrow
Contact Info:
- Website: https://kaitlincassady.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cassakait/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kaitlin-cassady-b08959151
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@cassakait
- Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/kaitlin-cassady
- Other: https://open.spotify.com/artist/6z8plzON1HJgleDm0Ern5N?si=lgwjtXP9TryCkGp4wXi8eg
