OUR COVER
Embedded in her DNA
twice over
WHEN TWO CULTURES CONVERGE ON ONE URBAN ARTIST
‘I like to write my songs at night.
And when I write, I like being alone.
I turn the lights off, except for one
mood light, and just ‘vibe’ to whatever
I'm working on, whether that's a
new beat or a tune I have written on
the guitar or piano. Then I let the
lyrics come to me, let the magic happen.’
THE Filipino and Irish deep love
of music and dance has been well
recognised across the world, and they
have come together in an attractive
package born in Australia: Catherine
Bartolome Thompson.
Now popularly known as ‘Cat’
Thompson, she’s an urban artist who can
dance as well as she sings, and writes most
of her music.
Cat released her latest single ‘Be Mine’
early this year, and it has been on the music
charts and played at music bars across the
USA, Europe, the Philippines, the Solomon
Islands, and Australia.
She is also working on an album, ‘All I
Need’ with Dutch producer Melandru.
It must come naturally for Cat, a product
of two distinct cultures from opposite sides
of the world that share the distinction of
having music and dance embedded in their
DNA.
Her mother Leila is from the Philippines,
where almost every Pepe and Pilar can sing
and dance. Cat’s father Bernard is from
Northern Ireland, where song and dance are
almost an Irish birthright.
And fancy this: Cat was born in Brisbane,
Queensland, spent her childhood in Japan,
returned to Brisbane when she got older,
and settled in Sydney in 2014 with her
family.
Cat’s first taste for making music was at
age seven, when she took piano lessons. “I
also started to sing as a kid,” she says.
“Growing up I was inspired by Michael
Jackson, Janet Jackson and, of course,
Whitney Houston.”
Cat has been a front act for international
stars including American hip-hop rapper
Eve, Billboard’s Hot R&B/hip-hop Top Ten
singer Lloyd, New Zealand hip-hop artists
Savage, and MTV America’s best dance crew
The Jabbawockeez.
She also has been the opening act
for Philippine star performers including
multi-platinum recording artist Dingdong
Avanzado and one of the Philippines’
www.kalatas.com.au
biggest-selling female recording artists
Jessa Zaragoza
Cat went on three singing tours
of the Solomon Islands and performed
before members of the Solomon Islands
Parliament.
..When she started serious singing and
dancing in Brisbane, Cat featured in almost
every Filipino community function including
Barrio Fiesta and Mutya Ng Pilipinas.
Indeed, Cat grow up doing gigs for
charities.
“I like helping people out,” she says. “In
fact, my ultimate goal is to help people out
with my singing and dancing.”
Cat takes inspiration for songwriting
from her own life-experience and from
people around her.
“I like to write my songs at night,” she
says. “Inspiration always seems to hit late at
night.
“And when I write, I like being alone.
“I turn the lights off, except for
one mood light, and just ‘vibe’
to whatever I'm working on,
whether that's a new beat
or a tune I have written
on the guitar or piano.
“I let the lyrics
come to me. You
can never force
creativity.
“I just let the
magic happen.”
Cat Thompson’s
minders are a team
from Australian
management company
Ariz Point headed chief
executive officer Nick
Adelino.
Ericka Lorenzo
is artist manager,
Quentin James
public relations-
marketing manager,
and James Deane
choreographer. n
AK NewsMagazine, Vol 8 No 7 | APRIL 2018
03