Kaitlin Riegel On Making Music, Learning To Beatbox [EXCLUSIVE VIDEO]

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Singer and songwriter Kaitlin Riegel released her 41.9 EP earlier this week, offering up more alternative pop tunes infused with her unique sensibility.

Kaitlin Riegel Exclusive

Riegel’s 41.9 EP includes tracks “Fluorescent Lighting,” “Rock Into My Spaceship,” “La Paradox,” “Fools Gold” and” Doormatt,” which are testaments to Riegel’s ability to pair the lyrics she’s penned with perfectly matched music.

“A great song to me is where the music is a reflection of the lyrics. When I write a song I set out to create more of an environment and a suspended reality that the listener can kind of chill and vibe from for three to five minutes,” Riegel explained to uInterview in an exclusive interview. “I think the whole point of music is to make the world a little bit of a smaller place and realize that we can empathize on very basic levels and on very specific levels. And so to me a good song is where the music supports those lyrics; supports those specific experiences, and works together to bind or form this atmosphere.”

Part of the music that Riegel uses to support her lyrics comes in the form of beatboxing. Riegel admits that getting the hang of it didn’t come easily, and that her first efforts earned her the derision of her close pals. But, after a bit more practice, the singer is happy to say she’s now proficient in the skill.

“I just started doing it, figuring it out, and playing with things and I was like okay if I’m going to keep using this I gotta learn how to beatbox, and eventually my friends were like, “Kate, you can’t beatbox at all,'” Riegel revealed. “So I went into YouTube and tried to watch some videos and stuff, took and notes and did a bunch of research. So obviously I’m not beatboxing competition level, but you can get the basics out there.”

In addition to music and lyrics, Riegel likes to keep images in mind when developing her songs. While the “Silhouettes” music video drew on another’s take on the song, for the “When I Fall Asleep” video, it was Riegel’s vision coming to life. As an artist, she admittedly appreciates seeing her tracks explored through other artistic mediums by other kinds of artists.

“The ‘When I Fall Asleep’ music video was my concept, and that was sort of what I was thinking when I wrote the song,” Riegel told uInterview. “I can’t dance at all and it was really awesome having [James Luck] come in and create exactly what I was picturing in my brain. Images are interesting because like I’m a musician; I can’t paint and I can’t dance. I play and I create one aspect of the art and it’s really cool when people can draw images out of that and see what you’re trying to convey.”

Riegel’s 41.9 EP is available for streaming at KaitlinRiegel.com.