Independent pop singer-songwriter Leah Kate first caught the attention of millions of fans at the end of 2020 after her infectious single “Fuck Up the Friendship” went viral on TikTok and racked up the streams. As of this writing, the 2-minute-52-second bop has gathered in just under 32 million plays on Spotify and over 50 million in total.
Throughout 2021, Kate has been releasing single after single and has taken her songs on the road across North America. She runs her own label from her bedroom and recently partnered with the owner of Reddit, Alexis Ohanian, to take her career to the next level. While continuously keeping listeners fed, Kate has delivered a new EP, What Just Happened?, that is filled with a variety of flavors and catchy songs. Long story short: if Leah Kate isn’t already on heavy rotation, you need to start thinking about changing that.
The seven-track project is Kate at her best and showcases the different sides to her personality through different sounds. Read below what the bopstar told EUPHORIA. about each of the songs from What Just Happened?
1. “F U Anthem” I was SUPER pissed at someone the day I wrote this and randomly just thought to myself, I wish I had a fuck you anthem to blast to get all of my feelings out, so I literally just wrote one right then and there.
2. “Shit Show” My boyfriend was annoyed at me for something I forgot to do. He didn’t really care but he lightly said something in passing and I realized I’m just forgetful and do stupid shit all the time. So I wrote down in my notepad, “I’m sorry I’m a shitshow.” A few weeks later, it turned into a song!
3. “Veronica” This is a story about meeting the other girl my guy was cheating on me with this one time. It was a crazy experience, however, instead of me turning against her, it’s about coming together with her and joining forces with her.
4. “Calabasas” My boyfriend went out to lunch with someone else once in El Segundo, right at the peak of the pandemic when no one was doing in-person stuff. I for sure was overreacting and was like, “Who are you going out with!?!?” It was an innocent work lunch, but of course, got in my head like I always do so wrote a song about it. I thought Calabasas sounded cooler than El Segundo, so I went with that.
5. “Fuck Up the Friendship” This is a true story about starting to catch feelings for my friend and it turning into a relationship. This song holds a special place in my heart as it really did its thing and got over 50 million streams. It’s a song about when you know you just can’t be friends with someone.
6. “Told U So” I wrote after I felt like every guy would ask me why I didn’t warn them that I was a little crazy sometimes. So I was like, “Cool, fuck it, I’m writing a warning song!!!”
7. “Cry Baby” I wrote “Cry Baby” when this guy ended things with me and then came literally back crying. I was like, “OK no. We aren’t doing this.”