Leah Kate has had quite the year. Soon after the musician released her explosive single, “10 Things I Hate About You,” a song about finally breaking free from your ex, Kate became an inspiration for her generation. The track immediately went viral on TikTok and before she knew it, Kate was living out every aspiring musician’s dream–she had millions of listeners on Spotify, new collaborations requests, and a multi-city tour with the industry legends. However, as the songstresses made her foray into the pop-punk realm, she also had to grapple with its challenges. 

“Last year, I felt like I was living my dream and had all these exciting things happen,” she shares with V. “I had a hit song, and everything was just going crazy. But at the same time, shit was hitting the fan.” 

This contrast between her external success and internal turmoil inspired her latest EP, Alive and Unwell, which is out today via 10K Projects/MDDN. Having been in the works for over a year now, the EP chronicles the musician’s experiences coming up–both the good and the bad. Pairing booming beats with brutally honest lyrics, Kate creates a project that’s fun, infectious and painfully relatable. Lyrically, it’s blatant. Emotionally, it soothes. And as for Kate, that’s what matters. 

“There are songs that helped heal me on this project, so I hope it can do the same for anyone who listens,” she reflects from her home in Los Angeles. “I hope it inspires and empowers my listeners to bring out their inner strength and not be afraid to go after what they want.”

And as 2022 comes to a close, Kate not only ushers in a bolder, more confident version of herself, but also a new sound to go with it. Before we conclude our conversation with the emerging rockstar, we inquire about this ever-evolving sound, to which she laughs and says, “I’d say it’s anthemic, brutally honest pop-rock that will make you stop in your tracks when you hear it.” And as for the latter–we can’t help, but agree.

For more on Kate’s creative process and experiences this past year, read the full conversation below.

V MAGAZINE: Congrats on your new EP, Alive and Unwell! Where did you start with this project?

LEAH KATE: It kind of started with “10 Things I Hate About You,” and I found that my sound was changing like a year ago–now, I’m more into rock-driven pop anthems. The EP is really my journey through the year, going through the ups and downs. It’s about really living your best life but also being miserable at the same time. Last year, I felt like I was living my dream and had all these exciting things happen–I had a hit song, and everything was just going crazy. But at the same time, shit was hitting the fan, and I felt like there was no better way to phrase it than “alive and unwell.” So the EP goes through that journey of life and relationships–being at your highest but also your lowest.

V: How long has the project been in the making? 

LK: It’s been like a year and a half in the making. It’s been a long writing process, but projects take so long. I’ll write for a year, and then it takes months to decide which songs were going to make the cut and which fit the vibe the best. So it’s definitely no overnight process. It’s been over a year and it was very difficult to choose the songs that we’re going to make it. Every day on tour this year, I would re-sequence the songs–throw five songs out, put five new in. But yeah, songs got added up until literally a month ago. “Hot All the Time,” got added in, and that is my favorite song ever. That’s coming out this Friday, and that’s one of the focus tracks on this EP. So yeah, it’s been a long, long process. Now I’m starting the album-making process, which is so weird because EP hasn’t come out. It’s been a long, long road, but I’m really excited about the songs. I’m super proud of them. 

V: And speaking of “Hot All the Time,” why that song to kick it all off and announce your upcoming EP? 

LK: It just felt like the start of a new era. I think it encapsulates the feeling in every song. The song is about, obviously, being hot all the time, wanting to be your best self at the end of the day, and fuck everyone. But it is also a song about a relationship and wanting to make someone regret leaving you or make them miss what they ever had. It’s about taking your power back and I love that. It just feels like the start of something new and that’s how I want to kick off the new EP era with.

V: That’s awesome. And as you’ve been making the project for a year and a half, how do you know when you’re done? 

LK: When you have way too many songs, and everyone’s yelling at you to stop writing. In my experience, I had, like, hundreds of songs, and it was just ridiculous at that point. But I guess there was no moment where I was like, “This is done.” I don’t know. I could keep doing it for years and years and years and work on it for a whole decade. I guess you just have to be like, alright, “I want to put out a body of work now, so I’m going to have to stop being insane and put it out.”

V: Yeah, I feel like, with anything, you can always keep honing it and keep perfecting it. It’s definitely tough. So how was your songwriting process for this EP? 

LK: I write a bunch by myself, but I also have a couple of collaborators who I work really closely with. This round, I feel like I got more honest. I feel like you can’t try to be someone else or be cool when you’re writing a song. So during this whole process, I was just like, “What’s truthful to me right now? What story do I want to tell?” Because I feel like the more honest you are, the more people connect with it. 

V: I also want to talk about the EP art, what was the creative direction behind that? 

LK: I wanted it to feel apocalyptic like the world was ending. There are a lot of dark red tones to symbolize heartbreak. I was actually really torn between two titles for this EP. I was torn between “Breakup Season” and “Alive and Unwell.” I ended up going with “Alive and Unwell,” but I planned the shoot with both concepts in mind. So you have the dark tone sky, which makes it look like the world is ending, but I’m still looking hot. It kind of illustrates that message we were talking about earlier, of being at your highest, but the world is ending. 

V: What’s the significance of the album title, Alive and Unwell? 

LK: I feel like all of these songs fit under the category of being “Alive and Unwell,” like “Breakup Season” goes under that umbrella of being “Alive and Unwell.” Because breakups can suck, but they have good outcomes in the long term. I felt like this EP is not just about breakups, it’s about life, relationships, the internet, and all of these other things. 

V: And how would you describe your sound in this EP? 

LK: I’d say it’s anthemic, brutally honest pop-rock that will make you stop in your tracks when you hear it. I really don’t settle for anything less. If it doesn’t capture you in one second, then I’m like, “Okay, it’s not good enough.”

V: Yeah, for sure. If there was one thing listeners could take away from this new EP of yours, what would it be? 

LK: I would say don’t ever take shit from anyone. Don’t listen or care what anyone thinks. I hope it inspires and empowers my listeners to bring out their inner strength and not be afraid to go after what they want. There are songs that helped heal me on this project, so I hope it can do the same for anyone who listens.

Stream Alive and Unwell below.