singer/songwriter/AM radio enthusiast
Kate Herald is a singer/songwriter from Bloomington, IL. Influenced equally by the Grand Ol’ Opry and Dr. Demento, Kate’s songs tell simple stories about life’s big moments. Her voice has been compared to k.d. lang, Susan Tedeschi, and Natalie Merchant, which Kate takes as the highest of compliments.
Easy Listening
Kate grew up on the south side of Chicago listening to the oldies station and singing along to reruns of Barbra Streisand musicals that her mother played on weekend afternoons. Her dream was to become a Broadway star, one she abandoned after a teacher told her that “big girls” don’t get cast as the ingénue in musicals.
Kate spent the next couple of decades keeping her voice contained singing in the car and, later, at karaoke bars. One fateful day, Kate met her She Said So bandmates and never looked back.
Now Playing
After five years as the lead singer for She Said So, Kate picked up a guitar and wrote her first song, “One More Good Night.” Now she’s taken her singer/songwriter show on the road and plays for small bur appreciative audiences at every farmer’s market, happy hour, library, craft fair, or outdoor festival that will have her.
Kate is also a co-host of the Tiny Refuge, a folk circle and house concert series out of Bloomington, Illinois. Her favorite musical moments are full of surprises, like the time she was on a work trip and stumbled into an open mic and got to play “Gentle on My Mind.”
“One More Good Night”
Live at nightshop (Bloomington, IL)
This is a song about being a working mom. // w&m by Kate Herald
“Don’t Take Me There”
During the first pandemic year, She Said So had a chance to make a music video for a livestream concert series. Kate directed the music video and mastered the track. // w&m Karen Donovan
So many musician bios have a long list of collaborations, albums, awards, and press mentions. Kate doesn’t have any of that…yet. She’s looking forward to updating this site to include all kinds of cool projects and accolades but she can’t do it alone.
Kate is booking for 2024 and would love to bring her stories and songs to a stage near you. She also believes that live music shouldn’t be save for late nights (remember that song about being a working mom??), so let’s talk about your happy hours, brunch jams, and weekday municipal concert series.