Watch: Rising Scottish musician Katie Gregson-Macleod performs an intimate gig at the Edinburgh Fringe

From steady support slots in basement bars along the central belt to recording studios in LA in just a matter of weeks, Katie Gregson-Macleod’s music career was propelled during the summer of 2022 by the viral success of a video she shared online. Since then the Inverness-native has moved to London, wrote songs with established artists such as Matt Maltese and released two commercial projects, all while adjusting to widespread interest and fame she had not previously known. 

“It was a really crazy thing I was just in the middle of a shopping centre but it still felt intimate. Weirdly haha,” said the singer-songwriter following an intimate performance in Edinburgh’s St James Quarter, part of Fringe celebrations. 

Katie was set for a headline show in Glasgow’s Broadcast in August 2022 which was cancelled following the video’s release due to the rapidly growing audience.

“Playing live at all I think is probably the most important thing,” she said on honing the skills vital for a career in music. “You learn a lot about yourself as an artist and what sons feel the best to play and what songs feel the most truthful playing live. I played so many gigs when I was younger.

“Scottish artists punch above their weight if I’m being honest and festivals such as this really highlight that because there’s just so much great music on show. We should platform Scottish artists.

“What the last year and a half has taught me is to follow my guy and there have been times I feel I didn’t do that. And you feel it straight away. I’m so conscious of it now. The band I’ve got, they’re some of the best people ever, some of my greatest friends. They’re so fluid and can move with what I want to do and what I need to do for the next part of my life. I think the one thing I’ve come to be at peace with is just to change and evolve. I had to grow up in public a bit because I released one project but I was only 18, and then the video went viral and I knew the next thing I did had to be something that was me. 

“I took that pressure off by thinking about it in different chapters and that this chapter I’m about to release is different sounding than my last but I feel it’s the most me so far.”