Cathy Heller is the next big singer/songwriter coming at you. She has had her work licensed countless times and is now breaking through to the mainstream music scene. With a featured song on Switched at Birth, you’ll be sure to hear more from Cathy in 2014. Check out our interview with the talented sonstress below!
Young Adult Magazine: How were you approached to have song featured on Switched at Birth?
Cathy Heller: Wendy Levy, the very talented music supervisor for SAB, contacted me to see if she could use the song. She used another song of mine, Count on Me, in the show last year. She’s awesome!
YA: Have you watched Switched at Birth prior? What are your thoughts on the show?
CH: Yes, I have watched it and I think it’s a great concept. The idea of how different our lives are if we are raised with or without money and yet how similar we all are regardless of external things… All people want the same things, the most of which is to love and be loved. This show really teaches us how much more we all have in common than we think. Also it’s pretty interesting to have a leading lady who is deaf. I think that was a great choice on the writers’ part and I understand the actress isn’t playing a deaf girl, but is in fact deaf, which is incredible. The show teaches so much about tolerance and also inspires young people to have courage regardless of what’s thrown their way.
YA: Is this song about anyone or anything specific?
CH: The song We Will March On, is about everyone. We all go through challenges, some bigger than others, but we all have moments when life feels really hard. There are kids dealing with bullying, some are facing illness, others go through terrible breakups on top of countless other challenges we all face. The idea behind this song is simple: Know that we’re all in this storm together and keep going no matter what because we’re stronger than we know. Whatever it is, we can march on and we can overcome.
YA: What has this experience done for your career?
CH: It’s been great. I’ve had my music on lot’s of shows, ads and films, but I can honestly say that being on SAB stands out among the rest for many reasons. First off, the show has so much heart and Wendy Levy does such a good job of really featuring the music she chooses. As a songwriter to have your song appear in a scene with so much depth, it really brings it to life in a whole new way. Also, the fans of the show are so loyal and also such music lovers, so there was a huge response to my song the first time is was on. Dozens of videos were made for Youtube with thousands and thousands of views. I got letters from several fans wanting to know if they could use the song in their wedding, one fan asked me if I would come in person to sing it at their wedding, another used it when they proposed to their wife to be. I’m excited to have this next song on because I’m hoping to connect with the audience in a similar way and also to see the song take on such added meaning when watching it put to picture.
YA: On what other shows would you like to hear your music featured?
CH: Wow that’s a great question, there’s a lot. My top choices would be: So You Think You Can Dance, Nashville, Glee, Scandal, The Voice… Mostly because these shows are so fun to watch and because the music supervisors do such an incredible job at featuring the music.
YA: What has been your biggest success to date?
CH: It was really an honor to be featured in Billboard Magazine. It was kinda surreal to see my photo in there and a full page article all about me. That day I went to buy the copy at the newsstand was pretty awesome. The truth is that I feel so lucky to do this for a living. It’s really not a job because none of it feels like work. It’s so much fun to make music and to be paid for it–it’s like being paid to go to Disneyland! It’s truly my childhood dream come true.
YA: Do you have a favorite music artist that you most relate to?
CH: Well I grew up listening to so much music, so there are so many artists I love. So many songs that have seen me through good times and bad. It’s really hard to pick one. I can give you a few: Carole King, Joni Mitchell, Stevie Wonder, James Taylor, Sara Bareilles, Ingrid Michaelson…
YA: What else do you have coming up?
CH: I’m working on a new album and I just finished one, so both of those will come out soon. I have a song that will be in a KFC commercial and in a new movie called Nailed, which stars Jake Gyllenhaal.
YA: Where do you see yourself in 5 years? In 10 years?
CH: In 5 years, I’d like my music to be everywhere. To hear it in more movies and trailers, lots more TV shows, including the shows I mentioned earlier. I’d love to have a song be in the opening/closing credits to a movie, especially the main title song in a Disney movie. I’d love to have a song in a Mac commercial, a Coke commercial. To hear it on the radio and when walking around in stores piping through the speakers. In 10 years it would be nice for all the success to keep growing and to be nominated for Best Song in a movie. All the while, balancing being a mom and being grateful every second for all of it!
YA: What are some things you want your fans to know about you that they might not?
CH: I begin a song with the lyrics. It’s important to me to really have something powerful and inspiring to say. Also, I believe that everything is possible, and want my fans to know that if they shoot for the moon, at the very least they’ll land on the stars.
YA: What 5 songs are you currently listening to on your iPod?
CH: 1. A Great Big World’s, This is the New Year
2. Phillip Phillips, For You
3. Ingrid Michaelson, Turn to Stone
4. Katie Herzig, Lost and Found
5. Peter Cetera’s, Glory of Love
You can find Cathy at her website, CathyHeller.com, or on her Facebook or Twitter.