Coupdekat is a 21-year-old singer, songwriter, founder, designer and generally good person. Born and raised in the small town of Bedfordshire, the comforts of her home town played a part in her upbringing but “As soon as I could I wanted to move to London or a city”.
At only 21 Coupdekat only began her solo career 2 years ago in 2021 but was previously part of a band alongside school friends in 2016 at around age 14. An obvious passion for music it wasn’t until the national lockdown that led Kat to begin her solo journey, Kat told me that Lockdown felt like “This is the end” but ultimately “We were a few months into lockdown and I was like why don’t I just do it myself … to not have to do anything for months and months and months allowed me to just sit there and write a load of tracks”, this process ultimately leading to Coups debut EP ‘Imaginary girls’ an EP that perfectly reflects the time in which the project was made, exploring loneliness and love through isolation and the internet during that confusing time.
Influences ranging from indie/bedroom pop artists such as Clairo and Beabadoobee to random artists or sounds on the internet, “ [My music has] got that bedroom pop influence because that’s where its roots are … [As a contemporary artist] there’s so much you’re exposed to online with TikTok and everything you get influenced from all different sides. I feel with my music I’m very much allowing myself to get influenced from whatevers around me”
While Coupdekats debut EP was born from isolation for her follow-up project ‘For Entertainment Purposes Only’ Coup almost reverted back to what she know best. She moved back home citing that she was unable to write in London and needed her comforts back home. Despite reverting to somewhat isolation for her newest project she was allowed to see other people and set up her self-titled ‘Coupdekat Camp’ where she and her friend Dom locked themselves away in her room and for 7 days straight worked on creating Coup’s latest release.
I spoke to Kat the day before the release of ‘For Entertainment Purposes Only’ and spoke about how her last EP was about life but through a phone isolated away from people, whereas her newest project is almost the pendulum swinging to her new life in London, exploring identity and sexuality, real feelings rather than e-feeling. ‘For entertainment purposes only’ saw Coup work with a small group of creatives, Kelly Ficarra created all the project artwork while Phoebe Dowling shot and edited all videos for the project, “It was like that for the first EP, kind of like working out who I work with well and who gets it. I think I’ve semi-found that with this EP. I knew from the start I wanted to work with someone on all the singles and EP. I wanted it to be very consistent and similar vibes visually”
Away from her musical career, Coupdekat is the co-founder of one of London’s most exciting creative groups Loud LDN which celebrates and supports female and non-binary musicians in London. “I felt like moving to London, I didn’t know anyone, there wasn’t any sort of community… I was finding it hard to meet anyone that was going through the same things and had the same routine, I just kind of wanted to make friends but like friends who were going through the same thing”. The group has been running for just over a year and currently has 117 members including Molly Burman, Piri and Charlotte Plank. The group’s popularity has exceeded all that Coup could have imagined with application forms being introduced for new members due to Loud Ldns popularity. “[It’s] Something that must have been lacking, I didn’t realise how much it was lacking … any question I have that are personal to music, I ask them, my friends from home don’t get it or wanna be bothered”.
With so much going on for the 21-year-old songstress, there are seriously no barriers to where Coupdekat can go, whether it’s her well write upbeat catchy tunes or her army of female/non-binary musicians with Loud Ldn. Kat has so much more she wants to achieve for Loud LDN with hopes to “Turn our online space into a physical space” and will only continue to grow. Coupdekat is also very focused on her music and “Would like to go away and write an album … I would like to make something big and conceptual, something that tells a story”. Coupdekat is 21 and only started releasing solo music 2 years ago, her second EP is out and full of hits, while “Loud Ldn is growing in a way we don’t even have to try”.
Listen to ‘For Entertainment Purposes Only’ here:
