Meet Katlyn Conroy, an American musician, artist, songwriter, and mum who recently moved to the UK from Kansas. Now, Katlyn is helping local independent food businesses to create some truly unique content through her latest creative project.
Throughout her 20+ years of being a performing musician, Katlyn has had the privilege of touring and opening for some fantastic musicians including Florence and the Machine, Daniel Johnston, Two Door Cinema Club, and Grizzly Bear. Katlyn discovered many interests while touring, but truly discovered a passion in her exploration of food.
Since making Liverpool her home, Katlyn has been busy with what she describes as her “gloomy art pop project” Cheery; her illustration and graphic design project Ickyditch; and now, a brand new food review song project, Sing For Her Supper which combines her passion for music, songwriting and food.
“It started with my first year playing the SXSW festival in Austin, Texas back in 2010 and unknowingly walking into one of the best food truck cities in the world. From fried chicken served in a waffle cone, to Korean kimchi quesadillas, to jambalaya on a stick, a deep excitement for the endless possibilities of culinary creation revealed itself to me. I then knew trying different foods from different places was now a necessary joy in my life.”
Being an active musician, Katlyn has found innovative ways in which to financially sustain her projects through commissions including custom songs, illustrations and portraits. Since beginning her venture, she’s written over 300 custom songs and taken pride in the fact they have each been uniquely tailored to the customer’s needs from engagements and birthday celebrations, right through to a request for a divorce song! Now based in Liverpool, Katlyn is keen to discover and promote the city in a unique way.
“After I met my now husband who’s originally from Anfield, we decided that my son and I would move to Liverpool. I knew I would once again need to utilize my creativity to get a start here.”
Speaking about making Liverpool her home, Katyln is quick to draw comparisons between the city and her hometown in Kansas.
“I adore Liverpool. It reminds me in many ways of my home back in Lawrence. The way the young, old, local, and international residents alike blend to make an immensely creative and vibrant city through music, art, film, and community awareness. It’s truly inspirational. I arrived here to live permanently only a week before Eurovision took place and I don’t think I could have asked for a more exhilarating welcome. I’ve also been impressed by the scenery here, the history, and especially the food. The old stereotype of England not having the most expansive or flavorful cuisine is one I’ve heard throughout my life, though, upon visiting here for the first time, that concept was quickly demolished.”
Sing For Her Supper was born out of a desire to explore more of the UK’s food scene, however the inspiration for her latest project struck Katlyn after an interaction with of America’s most iconic brands.
“As embarrassing as it may be to admit, I got the idea for Sing For Her Supper in the drive thru of a Starbucks. I had ordered one of their five cheese toasties after being particularly starved that day and as I ate it, I began half thinking out loud and half complaining to my husband that I wish I was good enough at writing to be a food reviewer. I had grown up watching Anthony Bourdain and Iron Chef, my mouth watering at the sight of all of those various dishes being devoured and described in such eloquent, descriptive detail. On the ride home I closed my eyes and imagined with each bite of my melty, cheesy, tangy toastie that I was one of those judges on Iron Chef, trying to remember their most professional words and how I could use them to describe this experience.
It wasn’t until I got home that it dawned on me. I had recently sent off a song commission to a customer and had received a lovely email from them thanking me. Oh my god. I may not be the best ‘writer’ writer…but I KNOW I can write songs. It’s the only true space in my brain where the missing bits of language I’d normally yearn for in day-to-day writing are seamlessly filled in, tied to rhythm and melody”.
Katlyn soon realised that Liverpool and the surrounding areas present a wealth of options when it comes to restaurants, bars and cafes, and many styles of food from all over the world. She realised that she would be giving restaurants something truly unique if she could write a food review song for them, so using her very first song ‘Five Cheese Toastie’ as an example Katlyn began to reach out to local venues to see if they would be interested in having their own special song.
“So here I am now, 10 reviews in. It may not seem like many, but with the planning and production it takes to dine, write a song, record it, and make a video to accompany it, it’s not too bad at all. I’m so grateful for the welcome and encouragement I have received from establishments like Almost Famous, Noso, Big Lola’s, Hafla Hafla, Momo’s, Burgerism and more.”
Katlyn is keen to grow her latest project to become something even bigger and she’s certainly chosen the right city to do it, with Liverpool’s vibrant mix of hospitality, culture and music running through every aspect of our DNA.
“I know that there will be restaurants out there who don’t get it, or who think what I am doing is a bit too silly for them. But what I find to be so special about this project is that I utilize my experience in custom songwriting to really try and work with each restaurant to detect and capture the essence of what they do through music. I really think this idea works just as well with a 5-star restaurant as it does with a delivery only chicken shop. I have many ideas, and even more enthusiasm for all of the possibilities. Now, I just need more culinary creatives to believe in me!”
You can follow Katlyn’s adventures on her Instagram page HERE – and if you ask her nicely enough, she might just write you your own song!
