Katie Belle is an American pop artist, musician and international model who appeared on American Idol Season 17. Her breathy voice and playful stage presence caught the attention of mega stars like Katy Perry and Luke Bryan. At age 14, Katie joined the Teen Nation Tour and consistently captivated audiences from small theaters to stadiums.
Her new single “Back To California” evokes the promise of California fleeting summer love, carefree ocean drives, and the feeling that everything is somehow trapped in an endless summer.
We had the chance to sit down with Katie Belle and talk about her career.
Hi, Katie! Thanks for taking the time to chat with us. You appeared on Season 17 of American Idol, catching the attention of both Katy Perry and Luke Bryan. How would you describe your experience on the show?
Thank you for having me!!! I had an amazing experience on Idol! I learned so much about myself and what it takes to be an artist and survive in this industry. I’m really grateful for my time on the show.
You recently released the music video for your single "Daughter." Can you give us a little background into what inspired the song and what the video means to you?
"Daughter" is a very special song to me. I didn't write it, but it told one of my stories to a T. I had chills the first time I listened to the song, and knew it had to be mine haha.
The music video was just as special, it was created by a dear friend of mine Joe Crognale. I played him the song and he immediately had an idea for the video so it was super fun collaborating with him on that.
The Covid-19 pandemic put the industry on hold, cancelling tours and live performances. Now that things are starting to open up again, do you have a dream venue you'd like to play? Who would you love to go on tour with?
An overall dream venue would be my home arena in Atlanta, but for now I would love to do festivals like Music Midtown and Bonnaroo!!! And I’d love to tour with artists like Taylor Swift, Dua Lipa or even Kacey Musgraves (she seems like so much fun).
Who were some of your biggest inspirations growing up?
I loved Miley Cyrus growing up and Hillary Duff was my first cd. But I also listened to CCR and Fleetwood Mac because of my dad, Vanessa Carrolton and jazz because of my mom. And my older brother was always keeping up with what was on the top 20 charts and making me learn the songs so I could sing them. And, of course, we went to church so I heard a lot of hymns and traditional keys. I was surrounded by a lot of different music and influences early on. It was great.
What else can we expect from you in 2022?
Lots of new music and fun things!! I’m so excited for this year. I can't wait to see what happens and I'm so excited to have you guys along for the ride.
