It’s not everyday you find an artist who is beautiful, smart and endlessly talented; a total package.  A multi-faceted singer and performer who does not fit into just one genre.  Songs with range; from organic pop-rock flavored by modern electronica popularized by artists like P!nk to the unique, soulful styles of Nikka Costa and Janelle Monae.  The lyrics are simple and honest. The content is relatable and universal. Heartbreak. Love. Female empowerment.  The girl next-door, but with an around the way girl hidden inside. Not afraid to speak her mind and when she does, you want to listen. She is the woman that girls want to be and men want to be with. She is…Katie Lee.

Katie Lee was born and raised in the small town of Vernon, New Jersey.  A good student, with a strict, single mother, Katie Lee recollects, “My mother played both Mom and Dad, so I couldn’t really get away with anything.  She made sure I was surrounding myself with good people.” An hour drive from a mall or movie theatre, Katie Lee was often left to create her own entertainment with friends – performing songs and dances for her family.  Fortunately, her mother wholeheartedly got behind her daughter’s interest in the arts and encouraged her to practice her craft, enrolling her in a summer high school theatre arts program. “Once I was performing as much as I was, I knew that I was going to try to do it professionally. It was the one thing I loved more than anything else.  I felt like it was what I was supposed to be doing,” says Katie Lee.

She quickly landed her first professional gig performing aboard Carnival Cruise Lines.  It was an important step in her journey, allowing her to develop her sound, try new styles and hone her writing skills.   After her time on the open seas, she returned to New Jersey looking for a job.  Possessing a gambling spirit, she took a chance waiting tables at The Cutting Room, in New York City, in hopes that she might find inspiration among the many musicians who passed through the historic venue. After just a few months, very late one Saturday night during an SNL After Party, she spotted musician/producer, Matty Amendola sitting in on drums with Adam Levine and Jason Segel.  As Katie sat in the back observing, she snapped a quick picture, posting it on Instagram.  After some photo tags and hashtags, Matty and 
Katie Lee met up and were “insta-“ntly connected. 

Katie Lee and Matty are now working on her debut album together.  Matty is developing the perfect sound, image and presence for Katie Lee and she could not be more excited.  On first working with Matty, Katie Lee says, “My first reaction was, ‘there is something amazing happening here.’ He just really knew how to take what I came in with and make it into something even better than I imagined.” Like many clients of Matty’s, she continues that, “he has really helped me grow in my writing process. Everyday I learn something new from him. He knows how to challenge me and push me to go where I didn’t even think I could go with a song. We’re a really great team…I’m very lucky.”

On the flip side, Matty is just as excited to work with Katie Lee and feels like he’s found a star.  He is pulling out all the stops for this project.  Besides handling all of the production, co-writing, and core instrumentation on each track, he has brought in GRAMMY Award winning engineer, Butch Jones to assist in the mixing of the album; special guests Jody Porter (Fountains of Wayne) to bring some power pop guitar; GRAMMY Award winning, super-producer/singer, Mark Hudson, for his classic, lush background vocals on ballad “Same Mistakes;” Vinnie Zummo (Session Legend/Joe Jackson Band) and longtime friend and well-known Brooklyn R&B and jazz musician, Andy Attanasio, who each lent a hand throughout the whole process.  Matty says, “It’s a true testament to her talent and potential for these legends to want to work with an unknown artist on their debut album.”  Katie Lee is humbled and thankful for all the support.  

As Katie Lee and Matty Amendola continue to write and record, there are already some tracks that represent the album perfectly and will become synonymous with the Katie Lee name. Although each track is unique unto itself, her raw vocals and emotions carry a common thread throughout. Hard-hitting live drums from Amendola and arena rock guitars by Jody Porter on, “I Can’t Think Straight (I Wanna Give the Drummer Some)” provide a burst of energy for this upbeat, anthemic track, that is for any girl who has ever crushed on a musician (and let’s face it, who hasn’t?).  “My Runaway Baby” grooves with a 60’s soul inspired backbeat, walls of electronic synth and driving indie bass, creating a stellar summer song with clever lyrics that reference dating in the digital world. Katie Lee’s voice purrs on each lyric and you cannot help but pump your fist in the air, dance, and sing along to her infectious hooks.

Digging deeper into her songwriting abilities, “Something New” is a hypnotizing three minutes with a larger than life beat, over-compressed pianos, and ambient soundscapes. It’s a song that everyone can relate to; finding something or someone that brings you that inexplicable joy, opening up new depths of feeling that you never thought possible. Meanwhile, “Something To Hold On To” conveys the disappointment of that love slipping through your fingers.  Sorrowful vocals are backed by deep melodic bass and a J-Dilla’esque groove. 

As Matty shops Katie Lee to major labels, she is focusing on the music.  Her ultimate goal is “to make great music that people love and feel like they can relate to.  I am where I am today because I was inspired by artists before me, so it would be amazing to inspire someone else to pursue their dreams.” It’s always exciting to see the birth and rise of a new artist and Katie Lee is “something new” about to happen!

Contact: Matty@Froductions.com

TheOfficialKatieLee