With her debut album, Weary vocalist Kate Lahey aims to empower women and create an inclusive environment in an often male dominated industry
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Recently described as serving up her own ultra-modern, brooding spin on folk pop by The Overcast, this is exactly what Newfoundland and Labrador’s very own Weary has been doing. With the release of their debut seven track EP in December, Feeling Things, Kate Lahey has been making a name for herself in the local music scene.
Lahey is the lead singer and the brains behind Weary. She’s also a PhD candidate at the Women and Gender Studies Institute at the University of Toronto, co-director of St. John’s Women in Music, and band manager for Girls Rock NL, and an overall community educator.
“This is my first album, and I only started playing music two years ago,” Lahey shared in an interview with The Herald.
“I feel like everything that I’ve done through this process has been like, me trying my best to figure things out. Like, it’s not a perfect album and it hasn’t been a perfect process. It’s been more about me just going out there and doing something without being self-conscious, or scared, or worried and just sort of letting a community of people support me through this weird process. I haven’t really necessarily known what I’ve been doing, but I’ve been doing it anyway. It’s been really empowering.” 
‘Bruise’
The debut single off of the EP titled Bruise was released a few weeks prior to the album drop.
“Bruise is definitely about healing from challenging relationships,” she admits. “It’s about that struggle to figure out who you are and how to heal, and how to take care of yourself when we’re in situations where we don’t feel like they’re doing that for us anymore.”
The entire album reflects a process of self-care and healing, which is a strong and empowering message for any woman, and anyone, for that matter. The entire album exceeds expectations, and has received the support and approval from two local grants, courtesy of MusicNL and the City of St. John’s.
“I find when I’m writing, I’m not thinking about like ‘this is gonna be on the album! It’s part of some grander narrative!‘ For me, I was just writing songs and learning to play music,” she says.
“I was never in a million years thinking that all of this was gonna come together. So, for me, I was just sort of in a really visceral time in my life where I was just writing music, and I didn’t notice until it was all done, how much the album was about healing and about my process of becoming myself, and a better version of myself. It’s so funny because you don’t always know that that’s happening, while it’s happening.”
Empowering Others
Lahey definitely didn’t execute this large accomplishment all on her own, and she showed an incredible amount of gratitude for the ones who helped pave the way, especially Joanna Barker. Lahey hopes the music of Weary will help empower others, especially women in the male dominated industry.
“I grew up with boys playing music in garages, and dating musicians and stuff,” she explains. “I never felt like I could in a million years do that. Then it all sort of started unfolding and a big part of me making this album has been about trying to empower other women in the industry and who aren’t in the industry, to feel invited and necessary to this community, and this industry.”
Check out Weary’s music at www.wearyy.bandcamp.com and follow them on social media for updates x, instagram: @wearyband.