Today we’d like to introduce you to Kate Thomas.
Hi Kate, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
A lot of my story has come from curiosity haha I find myself in roles/doing things that I have no business doing and figure it out as I go.
I grew up in a very musical household. There was always something playing – classical music in the mornings, 80’s rock, country, pop, alt (my mom introduced me to Avril Lavigne and then wondered where my alt style came from 😂). I was always involved in church choir and would sing for kids at recess. I also started writing short-stories and poetry pretty young. Then my good friend introduced me to The Spill Canvas & The Used and it was the first time I actually felt poetry and music come together and was so inspired by them – they’re both still my favorite bands. I asked for a guitar that Christmas to start putting my own writing to music and the rest is history!
I’m very fortunate to have found a home in dance music, and have loved that career so much. I’ve collaborated with some incredibly talented people and performed those songs live for thousands of listeners. It’s incredibly humbling to hear that many people sign your vocals back to you, I’m extremely grateful.
But EDM wasn’t ever where I intended to go – I’ve always been an alt/emo kid and creating for my Solo SOUNDR project has been so fulfilling. It’s all grungy alt rock and feels like coming home in so many ways.
Most recently I’ve opened an Art Collective + Tattoo Studio with my best friend and business partner called The ATRXIA Cltv. There is such a massive need for ‘third spaces’ in our society and we’re honored to be building one. The biggest goal of ATRXIA from day one was creating a safe and intentional space for people to create art in many different mediums. We have resident tattoo artists, guest artists, music pop ups, community events, mental health support events, art events across mediums, etc. It has seriously been incredible to see the support for this space and the need for community around us. I can’t wait to watch it grow.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
I don’t think anyone’s journey is smooth! But I imagine most of it is about perspective and the support system you have internally and in the people around you.
The music industry is rough… There have been huge struggles to navigate. Especially as a female vocalist in EDM – you have to advocate for yourself at every turn and really work hard/fight for what you want and deserve. I’m so beyond lucky to have my manager Ian Hiscock in my corner. I couldn’t so this and stay sane without him!
I’ve also spent a lottttt of the last 5 years digging into my own issues in therapy so that I can have a more stable baseline existence. It helps when the gnarly things come up.
2025 was a really really hard year. It would take a novel to go into all of the loss and heartbreak that smacked into me like a brick wall as an artist. But I think after processing it all, more than anything it taught me that I’m not backing down or giving up on this career. I had to decide if I was okay with starting over again, and the resounding conviction that I wouldn’t ever stop was enough to help me move through the insane loss.
ATRXIA on the other hand has been kind of a miracle haha we opened our studio in about a month and a half (including a whole remodel) and had so many people support and help us. This is woo-woo, but it’s like ATRXIA really was needed, and something in the universe said ‘if you’re brave enough to have the audacity to try, we’ll take care of the rest.’ It wasn’t easy by any means… And Ashes (my business partner) and I both are trying to recover from burn out. But all the things that should’ve taken much longer/felt impossible came together in the best ways. It’s just a really special place.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I am a vocalist, songwriter, musical artist and business owner!
I’ve done vocals for some of the most talented producers in EDM and am so fortunate to have performed live with them many times.
I also have my own solo project under the SOUNDR name that is all grungy alt-rock and is my favorite thing. I absolutely love creating in a genre that feels so ‘me’,
I am also the co-owner of The ATRXIA Cltv – which is a multi-medium art collective and tattoo studio down town SLC. And the owner of The Yugen Cltv which runs business management for small business owners and artists.
I think I’m most proud of my adaptability and curiosity. I joke about it, but I don’t have a degree or anything. I’m not a classically trained musician, I didn’t go to school for business management, I just was curious and interested enough to mess around and find out and learn as I went.
I have so many different interests and ambitions – half of my day is spent running other people’s businesses and the other half is spent creating for my own. It’s a lot! I but melding everything together in meaningful ways has been really cool. I’m definitely still learning how to be all of these things at once. But I’m very proud of the life and careers I’ve built and am extremely fortunate to create for a living – whether that’s actually writing music or creating ATRXIA and it’s events and community involvement, etc.
Do you have any advice for those just starting out?
Be curious! And freaking play.
I think (in all areas of ambition) we tend to focus on where we’ll get, the success, if we can do it, if we fail, etc. and it takes away from the process of actually creating that thing.
But isn’t that why we all start passion projects? Because something in us says this is exciting, this is inspiring, this connection to source feels like childlike wonder. (at least one would hope).
So yeah, I’d say just find ways to enjoy the process. Find an anchor in creating and come back to that as you grow and things start to get overwhelming. Remember that living is an art form – you are an artist even if you don’t create in your preferred medium that day. It cannot be taken from you.
And maybe #2: find a great therapist and dig into your own healing + build a solid community around you that will love and support and hold you accountable through every journey.
I definitely wish I internalized more of this when I was first starting out and still am actively trying to play more! It’s the antidote to stress and burnout and writer’s block. Just stepping into whimsy and playing with your art vs telling it it needs to be xyz thing to be good enough to exist. Judgement kills art before it can even attempt to exist.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://iamsoundr.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/iamsoundr/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/iamsoundr
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@iamsoundr
- Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/iamsoundr
