For this yearâs virtual Folk Alliance International and SXSW conferences, BGS collaborated with Yamaha Guitars to film performances from some of the artists we are most excited about in 2021. After several weeks of publicly releasing these exclusive videos, we are down to our penultimate performance!
Growing up in a very musical family in Australia, singer-songwriter Katie Cole taught herself to play piano and guitar. After gigging across Australia, a stroke of good luck put Cole in touch with producer Howard Willing, and thus began her American music career. After moving to Los Angeles, Cole landed a gig touring with Smashing Pumpkins and later recorded with country legends like Glen Campbell and Kris Kristofferson. Currently based in Nashville, Cole will be releasing new music later this year.
Cole begins her performance with her 2020 single âHands Tied.â In the chorus she sings, âAnother crash and burn I wonât survive/ What can you do with your hands tied?â capturing the fear and hesitancy someone with a broken heart may experience when falling in love again, but still falling all the same.Â
Next, Cole sings âTime On My Handsâ off of her 2018 EP, Things that Break, Pt. 1. While initially written about heartbreak and loss, the song has taken on new meaning in the last year. In the second verse, Cole laments, âLike a bird sings in a cage/ Trapped by my own mistakes/ This too will pass, all my friends say/ Guess itâs just a waiting game,â evoking all the time weâve spent sitting in our apartments and homes over the last year wondering when things will return to any sort of recognizable normal.Â
The performance concludes with Cole’s latest single, âIâm Gonna Love You,” which paints a portrait of a supportive and loving relationship: âWe all fall down/ We all make mistakes/ And youâre there to save me/ With each word you say/ You are who you are/ You make me who I am/ So Iâm gonna love you/ the best that I can.â
You can discover more about Yamaha Guitars and the Yamaha Custom Shop at YamahaGuitars.com.