Introduction
Katie Herzig is an American singer-songwriter whose folk-pop songs have appeared often in movies, TV shows, and commercials.
Biography
Early life
Katie Herzig was born in California to a musical family. When she was one year old, her family moved to Fort Collins, Colorado where she attended Rocky Mountain High School. In her senior year, she got an acoustic guitar from her father, which prompted her to begin playing the instrument. She attended University of Colorado Boulder and majored in journalism with an emphasis in broadcast production. In 2000, she graduated with a bachelor's degree in journalism.
Early career
In college, Herzig formed the band Newcomers Home with Tim and Laurie Thornton and Andrew Jed in the summer of 1997. Newcomers Home's music was a combination of bluegrass, folk, and pop. Herzig suffered from stage fright, and confined herself to singing backing vocals and playing the drums, but eventually she began to play the guitar and became lead singer. The band broke up in 2006, leaving Herzig free to pursue the solo career she had already begun in 2004 when she released her debut album Watch Them Fall.
Solo career
Two years later, Herzig released Weightless. She produced the album herself, recorded it at home using Pro Tools software, and played most of the instruments: electric and acoustic guitar, banjo, keyboards, and percussion, in addition to her singing and songwriting. The song "Jack and Jill" was featured on the TV shows One Tree Hill and Pretty Little Liars, while several others appeared on Grey's Anatomy.
In 2007, Herzig was nominated for a Grammy award for Best Country Performance for the song "Heaven's My Home," which she co-wrote with Ruby Amanfu and which was performed by The Duhks.
Her next album, Apple Tree (2008), was more pop-oriented. Its emotional songs, like "I Hurt Too" and "Wish You Well", again found a home in TV drama, on shows like Bones, Grey's Anatomy, and Bored to Death. "Forevermore" appeared in a commercial, as did "Two Hearts Are Better Than One". In 2010, her single "Hey Na Na" was featured in the movie Going the Distance.
Herzig's fourth solo album, The Waking Sleep, was released in 2011. "Lost and Found" appeared in the movie Family Weekend and was used in a commercial for the movie Saving Mr. Banks.
In September 2012, she was featured in the campaign "30 Songs / 30 Days" to support Half the Sky: Turning Oppression into Opportunity for Women Worldwide, a multi-platform media project inspired by Nicholas Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn's book.
In 2014, "I Hurt Too" was used in the movie Unfriended.
In October 2015, "Say It Out Loud" was included in My Feet Keep Moving Still: Songs to Benefit Steps of Faith Foundation an album to benefit Steps of Faith, a group that assists amputees.
Discography
Studio albums
- Watch Them Fall (2004)
- Weightless (2006)
- Apple Tree (2008)
- The Waking Sleep (2011)
- Walk Through Walls (2014)
Live albums
- Live In Studio: Acoustic Trio (2009)
Singles
| Year | Single | Album |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | Free My Mind | The Waking Sleep |
| 2014 | Walk Through Walls | Walk Through Walls |
Music videos
| Year | Song | Album | Director |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | Sweeter Than This | Weightless | |
| 2011 | Hey Na Na | ||
| Free My Mind | The Waking Sleep | Shih-Ting Hung | |
| Make a Noise | Jeremy Cowart | ||
| 2012 | Lost and Found | Becky Fluke | |
| 2014 | The Waking Sleep | Shih-Ting Hung | |
| Walk Through Walls | Walk Through Walls |