Before I fell in love with the California wild child Ke$ha or Sky Ferreira's moody coal lined eyes, there was Katy Rose.
You might remember her songs showing up in some of the pinnacle angsty teen girl movies like Mean Girls and Thirteen. But I actually first saw her in Seventeen magazine spread about up-and-coming female singers who, as far as I remember, were all tan, blonde and wore lots of wide leg jeans. Think a 1977 filter before Instagram. But, along with fellow songstress Joss Stone, Katy Rose was the only teenager in the group, which in my 12 year old mind, makes her songs that much better.
Any gal that writes "I'll lick the blood right off your street" is a friend of mine
Look at that eyeliner!! Look at that smirk!! Look at that dress over jeans pairing!! How can you not fall in love? As if it isn't badass enough that she actually wrote and produced all of her songs in her debut album, Because I Can, when she was only 16 years old, the songs are actually good.
"Because I Can" (2004), also known as the Weetzie Bat Soundtrack
I'm a few years older than Katy Rose was when she first came on the scene, but she still sounds like she has it more together than I do. She knows who she is, what she wants, and how to get it. It's the kind of assuredness only a naive 16 year old can have and the kind I'm reminded of any time I play her music.
Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to need as much confidence as I can muster before I graduate, and right now, Katy Rose is on the top of my weeklong playlist.
