Q&A: Dancing To Heartbreak, Catie Turner Brings Lyrical Quips With “Heartbroken and Milking It”
SCROLLING THROUGH SOCIAL MEDIA — you'll find musician Catie Turner's accounts as a rollercoaster ride (and one of the best ones there is). With memes, TikToks, and a sharp sense of humour interspersed with beautiful photoshoots, and stunning song covers, Turner exudes warmth and relatability. Her determination to “not take herself too seriously” is what makes the LA-based singer so easy to connect with.
It is these exact qualities that Turner's music also embodies. Her upcoming EP, titled Heartbroken and Milking It, is filled with songs about universal experiences like heartbreak, friendship, and love. Still, it is Turner's powerful voice and moving lyrics that make the EP unique and comforting. On nights when you need to dance the sadness away, Heartbroken and Milking It is the perfect companion.
An American Idol contestant in Season 16 of the reality show, Turner finished in the top seven after masterfully covering several hits, ranging from Lady Gaga's “Bad Romance” to “Part of Me” alongside Katy Perry herself. In 2019, Turner released her first EP The Sad Vegan, followed by her hit single “i luv him.”
Heartbroken and Milking It is bolder yet, more vulnerable than Turner's previous music. “Therapy,” her upcoming single off the EP, is lighthearted, witty, and relatable — not to mention a total bop.
Read on to learn more about Turner's creative process, inspiration, and future plans.
LUNA: I love the name Heartbroken and Milking It, as well as the general sound of the EP! How do you think your music has evolved since you first started singing?
TURNER: I feel like it's grown with me. When I first started singing, I'd never had a boyfriend or had my heart broken; I didn't have a lot of friends — so I was writing based off my imagination of what these things would be like. And then when these things actually happened to me — it's taken my music to a whole other level. I felt it, and I realized that this is actually how it is, and it sucks. I'm also not scared to talk about things in my music anymore. I used to think, “My mom's going to listen to this” or, “My grandparents will hear this,” but now I don't care because it's supposed to be honest.
LUNA: Did you find it hard to be vulnerable early on?
TURNER: Yes, definitely. I felt like if I was vulnerable, then I would be judged and pulled apart. I care way too much about everyone — I overthink everything I say to somebody and their reaction. Earlier, I wanted the best of both worlds: I wanted to be vulnerable but also please everyone, but I realized that's not possible sometimes. I realized that if I want to make authentic music, I have to be vulnerable one hundred percent.
LUNA: Tell us more about your single “Therapy”!
TURNER: I'm really excited about “Therapy” because it's my first song that you can kind of move to. Usually, I just release these gut-wrenching sad songs, and this is something that people won't sob after listening to. I'm learning how to experiment with different genres, but at the core of it, it still feels like a Catie Turner song. “Therapy” is about this universal experience — it's that one friend who's like “I wanna break up with my boyfriend” and you're like, “Yes, do it,” and two days later, they're still together and the friend is still complaining to you about the same situation that you've given advice on tons of times. So the song essentially says: you need therapy — I'll be here for you, but you need help.
LUNA: What is your personal favorite on the EP?
TURNER: I like “Funeral” because it's about a friendship break-up, and I feel like there's not a lot of songs about friendship break-ups, which sometimes can hurt more than normal break-ups. Because when you get broken up with, you go to a friend to complain about getting broken up with, but when you lose them too, it's like a new level of pain. We attribute love to just romance, but love between friends is so real and so important.
LUNA: Who is a musician whose work you enjoy or are inspired by?
TURNER: Taylor Swift has an album for everything — she has country and pop, and indie/folk. That's what I admire about Taylor Swift — she grew with her audience and you can tell that she grew into her sound. She never just stayed country, and moved on when she couldn't relate to it anymore.
Apart from Taylor Swift, I also love Harry Styles. I was listening to Fine Line yesterday, and it's just such a good album. Not only am I really biased towards Harry Styles because he was my first love, but I also think Harry's work as a solo musician has been so good, and he inspires me so much.
LUNA: What has been your favorite part in the process of creating the EP?
TURNER: You have all these thoughts and feelings in your head, and when you write a song, it feels like a physical manifestation of all these feelings. You get to hear what you were thinking in your brain. It's nice to actually hear what that sounds like, and put it out into the world.
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