From the first moment you talk to indie artist Catie Turner, she feels like a friend. When I call her over Zoom, I’m sitting in a park because my electricity has been out since 5:30 in the morning. When she answers the call, she has a hoarse voice. We both blame it on the summer solstice, or the planets in some way. Before we can start with the questions I have written up for the interview, we’ve already found our way to discussing the newest season of Love Island USA and how we think we could fix the show ourselves, who our favorites are and how we think all the men on the show need to step it up. She has an air of realness, honesty and coolness about her, which is also found in her music.

Turner, who is now 25, grew up watching music competition shows like The X Factor and America’s Got Talent and recalls thinking, “if they can do that, I can do that too.” When she was 18, she was a contestant on the sixteenth season of American Idol. For her audition, she sang her original song “21st Century Machine,” which exemplifies that realness and boldness about her. The song delves into the struggles of being a young woman and the changes that one encounters in being a young adult, which is easy for no one, especially not in the public eye. “I’m proud of the way that I have navigated my music while simultaneously navigating my early twenties, which you quickly come to find out are tumultuous and make the teenage years look measly and amateur,” Turner said.

Since being on American Idol, Turner has gained 200 million career streams, over 100 million streams of her viral song “God Must Hate Me,” has opened for artists like LÉON and Valley and even headlined her own tour. Her newer music still has that honest tone, but it also has more rock components sonically. She recalls thinking she wanted to go down a new avenue and gave herself the space to just try and it has paid off. Her newest single, “I Might,” is unguarded in its own right. The song, about sex, allowed Turner to be vulnerable in a brand new way. Writing a song about an intimate subject can be brave but also scary. “It is an outlet for me and you feel so much better afterwards but then it still feels weird,” Turner said. Her other recent singles in 2024, “Comedown” and “Last Name” embody this new rock era. The heavier guitar and drums add power to Turner’s already powerful and soulful lyrics. Her latest single, “Not Young, Just Dumb” is a tongue in cheek pop song about letting go of naivety that tries to answer the question, “what happens when I still feel like I’m coming of age when now, I’m of age?” The tenacity and confidence in these newer songs proves that this new era has given her more control than ever of her career, including her music, her content and visuals. The new feeling of control has been good for Turner. “It feels amazing, honestly. Well, amazing and nerve-racking. But I find that my nerves never turn off even if it is a good thing; thank you anxiety disorder. I’m still learning how to trust myself fully, but the frontal lobe has really been coming through recently and pulling its weight,” said Turner.

In 2025, Turner will be releasing more original music than she ever has before and will be going on a small tour in the US at the end of the year. The tour, making stops in Brooklyn, Philadelphia and DC in October, will be Turner’s first fully independent tour and also the first tour that she feels totally comfortable in her own skin. “Honestly, I am excited to see how that affects my performance and my presence and I can promise it will be an experience for myself and the audience,” said Turner. Performing her own songs on stage is another level of vulnerability, but Turner says that she loves seeing all of the different people in the crowd with her. “It feels awesome to have so many different people there to see me. Sometimes there’s like corporate business people in the audience and I’m like, ‘You guys like me? That’s so cool. And crazy,’” Turner said.

Through all of this growth and entering a new era, Turner is proud of herself and how far she’s come but she’s glad she’s at this new stage. She hopes that she can look back on her music and remember that growth and hopes that her music can encourage others to have more fun and to be open. “I think it’s cool to see, and hear, everything I have come to learn or experience come together on a bite-size track that I can replay again and again for the rest of time. Or reminisce over, but I doubt that I will yearn for any of those years.”

Words: Jessica Spiers

Photography: Mackenzie Ryan