Katie Love
- Caitlen Odell
- Jan 6
- 6 min read
Time for Moving On, the debut album from local musician Katie Love, was written during a long season of recovery, when making music was no longer a given. These songs reflect what it means to keep creating through uncertainty, and to choose hope even when the future feels unclear. We talked with Katie about returning to music, the mentors who carried her through, and the story behind an album that means so much for her. She'll be celebrating her album release Saturday January 10, 2026 at MidCity Ballroom.
Caitlen: Your debut album Time for Moving On was written during a period of significant recovery from illness. How did your experiences with chronic pain influence the themes and songwriting on this album?
Katie: Well, the album is definitely influenced by those experiences, even if not directly in every song, because my ability to play guitar and sing enough to write seven songs for the album felt like such a milestone. Even though I was having and still have ups and downs, it felt like I was finally starting to move past the last two years of my life, which were dominated by my struggle with chronic pain, not being able to play guitar, and not being able to sing as much as I wanted due to some vocal cord issues. But the first song on the album is specifically about my experience with chronic pain. The title of the album, Time for Moving On, comes from a lyric in that song, which is called “Carry You,” and I wrote the song as sort of an answer to the uncertainty I was having about whether the pain was ever really going to go away for good. Writing it was very cathartic for me because I didn’t really realize my answer until I saw it all written out on paper. It helped me understand that no matter what happens with my pain, I’m going to fight for a life that makes me happy, even if it doesn’t look the way I thought it would. And by now, I am feeling more optimistic that the pain flares will continue to go away over time, but that song still rings true to me. That was the second song I wrote of those seven songs, and as I continued to write and realized that I wanted to make an album, I knew that “Carry You” was going to be the centerpiece of the album because it really does encapsulate the last two years of my life so perfectly.
Caitlen: After multiple surgeries and periods of not being able to play guitar, what was it like to finally return to making music, and how did it feel to hold your guitar again?
Katie: Honestly, it wasn’t super black and white. I had and continue to have some mixed emotions around music, specifically playing guitar, because even though I’m doing much better than I was, I still have fairly regular pain flares that make it hard to completely relax and enjoy being able to play again. But a couple weeks ago, I went to see a Pain Management Specialist, and she’s been in the process of helping me figure out medication to treat my flares so that they don’t have to be so disruptive to my life and my music. That appointment was a big game-changer because even just knowing that I have access to medication now has helped reduce a lot of the stress and negativity that I’ve been feeling when it comes to guitar, and I really think that if I give it time, I’ll find my way back to trusting music again. But even if I don’t trust it yet, that doesn’t mean I don’t love it. I never stopped loving it.
Caitlen: Mentorship seems to have played an important role in your journey, especially working with Clay Parker and Jodi James. How have they shaped your sound and your approach to songwriting?
Katie: I want to start by saying that Clay and Jodi did so much more than shape my sound and my approach to songwriting. They are a big part of why I never gave up on music during the two years when I couldn’t play much of it myself. They never stopped believing in me even at the times when I did, and that love and support helped me get to where I am now. But in terms of the musical side of things, I always say that I want to be able to play guitar like Clay and sing like Jodi. A couple summers ago, Clay introduced me to a thumb pick and the Travis-picking style (fingerpicking while keeping a steady beat with the thumb by playing alternating bass notes) and I’ve never looked back. I nearly always play with a thumb pick now and you can hear fingerpicking in a lot of the songs on my album. And I plan to keep learning as much as I can from Clay because he’s really just an incredible guitar player. And as for Jodi, she sings like an angel. Her singing style is “plain,” but don’t mistake that as an insult, because her plain singing allows the natural beauty of her voice to shine through, and that simplicity is what I aspire to. And in terms of songwriting, Clay and Jodi’s songs are beautiful melodically and lyrically, and that has helped shape my standards for my own songwriting.
Caitlen: You wrote seven songs in just two months: how did that creative burst feel, and did you expect it to turn into a full album?
Katie: It felt really good to be writing so much and coming away from it with songs that I was proud of because it had been a long time since I had written a song, and I wasn’t sure if I would even still know how to do it. Also, I felt like my understanding of music and songwriting had continued to evolve even when I wasn’t actively creating music, and I wasn’t sure if my actual songwriting skills would meet this new standard that I had set for myself. In addition to dealing with my chronic pain condition, I was recovering from a year-long period of not really being able to sing much due to nodules on my vocal cords and some pretty serious stress-related acid reflux, so a lot of aspects of my music had been on pause. When I first started writing again, I didn’t expect it to turn into a full album. I started writing the songs after meeting up with Clay Parker at his studio space last summer. He said it might be fun to help me record a few songs, not necessarily to release, but just to do it. When he said that, I knew that I needed to go home and get to work, and I wrote two songs that week, including “Carry You.” That was really the motivation that I needed to just jump back into it, and after a couple of months, I realized that I had enough songs to make an album.
Caitlen: What do you hope listeners take away from Time for Moving On, both musically and personally, and what can fans expect at your album release show at MidCity Ballroom?
Katie: I place myself in the contemporary folk genre of music, and for me, that means thoughtful lyrics and real instruments. You’ll hear songs that explore some very personal yet universal experiences, and some that contain commentary on current issues. In terms of instrumentation, the whole album is just me singing and accompanying myself on acoustic guitar.
But beyond the music itself, I hope listeners hear an album that sounds human. In a world where AI music and art are trying to take hold, I hope the people who listen to this album hear the creak of my guitar, the wavers in my voice, and the occasional buzz of my guitar strings, and think: this is art that was made by a real, living, breathing, person. All the songs tell different stories, but I like to think that they all lead back to hope: hope in life, in love, in humanity, and in the future. We are living in a crazy time. I guess that’s what every generation says, but it’s true, and I just hope that people hear my songs and feel a little less alone.
At my album release show, Luke Blanchard is going to open with a solo set of original songs and covers, then I’ll play. The first half of my set will be covers that meant a lot to me when I couldn’t play music, and the second half will be all the songs off my new album Time for Moving On. I’m super excited for this show and I can’t wait to share my new album along with some of my favorite songs.
Time for Moving On is a reminder that music is most powerful when it is honest, raw, and rooted in real life. A real connection is made when you hear someone who never stopped loving music, even when it was hard. Katie Love will celebrate the release of the album Saturday January 10 at MidCity Ballroom, joined by Luke Blanchard, sharing both the songs that carried her through and the ones that mark a new beginning.
Follow her on Instagram at instagram.com/katie.love.music to stay updated on her latest shows and music.
Written by Caitlen Odell
Founder & Owner, Red Stick Music
Caitlen curates the Red Stick Music live music calendar with a focus on excellence, integrity, and community building. She’s passionate about supporting local artists and strengthening Baton Rouge through music.
