Page 6 - Black Velvet Rock Magazine Issue 111

BV111 pg 04-09 Kat Von D Interview.qxp_BV111 pg06 17/12/2024 01:13 Page 3

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he’s just repeating that. But I think we have such “I’m a quick learner in some ways, but I think, when it came to love,
an awesome, loving family environment. Leafar
is a very lucky kid.” I was repeating a lot of the same stuff… I haven’t had that many
Kat has such bright, happy, sparkly eyes
when she talks of her family. Married to Rafael boyfriends, but when I look at my relationships, they don’t look alike,
Reyes since 2018, the couple have one son,
who means everything to Kat. Even just watch- but they’re the same character over and over again until I broke a cer-
ing small clips on Instagram, you can see what tain pattern. Dating people that don’t love me, or seeking love in the
a great mother she is.
“I do try and post some of the real moments places there is nothing for me.” - Kat Von D
too, you know,” she says. “It’s not always this
perfect setting. But, I will say, I don’t know what
we’re doing as parents that’s different from my
generation, but I feel like Leafar, I don’t know,
maybe he’s just a special kid, but he seems so stopped exploring different artistic outlets. I still feel like that way.”
empathetic and genuinely interested, whether think, when it comes to regret, or looking back ‘Truth In Reverse’ includes the lyric ‘Take
you’re a baby or an adult, he kind of gets along at my career, I’m very proud at the things that me to church,’ with the ‘I swear that I’m worthy’
with everybody, so it’s pretty cool. I love being I’ve built, but I do regret not making music my line continuing ‘of his crown of thorns’. Kat ex-
his mom.” first and foremost focus. I think, when I had the plains, “‘Truth In Reverse’, to me, was, on my
We ask what Kat would say to today’s makeup line that took up so much time and it faith journey, I didn’t feel like I belonged to any
teenagers who might want to run away from didn’t really leave me with room for nurturing part really, at the moment that I wrote that song.
home, like Sam Gribley in ‘My Side Of The healthy relationships, I was just so focused on I feel like there’s a struggle within my marriage,
Mountain’. business. And there’s good things; I’ve learned us not being equally yoked, or having a decla-
“On the topic of running away, I can’t speak how to build empires. But, at the end of the day, ration of faith, a lot of my fans and followers may
a blanket statement because I don’t know what I wasn’t doing what I loved. I’m not passionate not understand that. And then, going to a church
people’s situations are. I think running away about makeup. I think I’m good at it, or I’m good and not really feeling like I belonged in that
from your problems sometimes sounds easier, at designing, but I don’t really care about lipstick, church. At the end of the day, I’m not sure I really
but I did a lot of that, and then, later, being you know. Whereas making music is something need to find a place… I mean, I HAVE found that
forced to face them as an adult takes even more I deeply care about, and I also see it connecting place now,” she smiles, “but, at the time when I
work to unpack, so I’m not sure if that’s a solu- with my fans and followers so much more than was writing it, I was still feeling like, I do feel that
tion.” the makeup did. I think people appreciated a I’m worthy of certain things, but the world says
here’s a song on ‘My Side Of The Moun- good eyeliner at one point, but it’s not like, peo- that I’m not. And I just don’t believe the world.”
Ttain’ called ‘H.A.T.E’, where Kat sings ple are getting lyrics tattooed now, or feeling less On the subject of worth, we wonder if there
‘Sweet dreams become regrets’. With the album alone in a world. And that, to me, feels more im- is such a thing as musical worth. Are there any
including songs about love, plus, of course, her portant than makeup, if that makes sense.” particular markers that might symbolise musical
previous album, released in 2021, being called Kat’s passion thrived during the songwriting worth, now that Kat is spending more time work-
‘Love Made Me Do It’, Black Velvet asks if Kat process of the album, which, she has said, is ‘a ing on music?
thinks love can make us do things that we later love letter for all the hopeless romantics, the out- Kat says, “I think music, to me, is just, I al-
regret. siders, and lonely hearts trying to find their place ways say that I come at everything from the
“Oh, of course,” Kat replies. “I think that’s in this cold and divisive world’. She tells us, “I standpoint of being a fan, so I’m writing things
been my entire life story up until my marriage. I like to get microscopically close to a moment in that make me high. I want to listen back to
look back at some of my relationships and I just time and make a song about that. And so, there something and be like, ‘Oh, this is cool,’ and kind
shudder. But I feel that you would be hard are a lot of melancholy, sad, love song mo- of keep the noise of what the expectations are
pressed to sort of feel that way. And I think that’s ments. I think that’s my favourite genre. But it out, because then I feel like I start sacrificing
part of figuring it out. I’m a quick learner in some doesn’t necessarily reflect my marriage, and so, certain sincerities, and I think that my fans, in
ways, but I think, when it came to love, I was re- Rafael, my husband, we would laugh during that particular, are so smart, and they don’t fall for
peating a lot of the same stuff… I haven’t had time, because I would be coming back from Fer- just marketing. They’re going to respond to the
that many boyfriends, but when I look at my re- nando’s studio [Fernando Garibay, who has things that are authentic and that really speak to
lationships, they don’t look alike, but they’re the worked with Lady Gaga, Bruno Mars and Kylie them. And, like I said before, I was just the kid
same character over and over again until I broke Minogue] and I’d be, ‘Hey babe, I wrote a song that, I was a loner, I didn’t really feel like I be-
a certain pattern. Dating people that don’t love I’m really excited about, but, just so you know, longed, definitely in school. I just didn’t feel con-
me, or seeking love in the places there is noth- it’s not necessarily about you,” she laughs. “It’s nected to anybody and music was that for me. It
ing for me. I have a lot of friends who have gone like, ‘Don’t take offence to the lyrics,’ and he’d made me feel less alone in the world, so that’s
through the same thing. But I think you can look just laugh because he understands the song- my ultimate goal. If I can make people feel like
back and still have sweet memories. It’s hard for writing process. Not to say that our marriage is they’re not alone, I think that’s a beautiful thing.”
me to have bad things to say about my exes. I perfect, but when we do have little carbuncles,
mean, I could if I really tried. I’m grateful for it’s easier for me to write about those things than at’s first ever public live performance
those experiences in a sense. Some were more ‘Oh, we’re so happy, and it’s great.’ I don’t know, Kwas back in 2012, at An Evening With
painful than others. But, at the end of the day, I I’m not a fan of happy love songs. I don’t really Women 2012, in Los Angeles, California, an
feel that it’s lead me to the Gomez to my Morti- know how to write songs like that, so… Yeah, so event co-chaired by singer/songwriter/producer
cia,” she laughs, referring to Rafael. I guess that’s the basis of a lot of songs.” Linda Perry.
It is often said that we will repeat the same “That was a charity evening where Linda
lesson in life or love until we learn it. n ‘Truth In Reverse’, Kat sings ‘I wanna be Perry had asked me to sing a song,” remembers
“I know,” Kat replies. “I’m so hard-headed. Iadored. I swear that I’m worthy’. Growing Kat. “There was a nervousness about what that
Why did I have to see that movie ten times to up, some of us don’t always realise our worth. might feel like, because I’d never performed in
figure it out? But it’s part of it, it’s part of it.” Some of us have insecurities or lack confidence. front of people, and then, also, too, I had to
Kat says, “I don’t know if I had that issue for my- come on after Aimee Mann, who is like an epic
icturing the mountain in the album and self. I always feel like, I don’t know how my par- singer. I think she’s so great. I don’t know, it was
Pbook title, we ask Kat, who is quite the ents instilled that in me, but I always kinda, I still very exciting, but, yeah, that was my first
entrepreneur, if she feels like she’s climbed the didn’t really care too much what people thought. time ever performing in front of a crowd, and I
mountain now and reached the top of the moun- I felt callings to things, and sometimes I was did a cover of ‘Smalltown Boy’ by Bronski Beat,
tain. very wrong and I’ve had to take back things I’ve which I love. That was a lot of fun. Danny Lohner
“I don’t know,” she replies. “I think I’m still fought for and said, but that’s also growing up, was on stage with me for that one.”
climbing. I think I’m going to forever be, maybe too. I don’t struggle with the insecurities. I feel Compared to then, Kat sees singing and
I’m Sisyphus or something.” like I oftentimes don’t belong. And I never really performing live now as night and day. “I feel like,
In Greek mythology, Sisyphus was forced to felt that I belong in my own family unit. Like I al- because I’m performing my own songs, and I’m
roll an immense boulder up a hill only for it to roll ways felt that something didn’t click, in some getting to be able to design the show and do sto-
back down every time it neared the top. ways. Now, I have a better relationship with my rytelling in that sense, it’s a lot more exciting.
“I feel like it’s the beginning of everything parents, but I don’t talk to my siblings or any- That Evening With Women was just playing one
right now. It’s kind of exciting. I don’t feel like I’ve thing like that. But, I think, feeling like an alien, I song, it wasn’t an entire performance, so I think
KAT VON D