Songwriter's Tales Featuring Katie Warner
I had the privilege of meeting Katie Warner when she came to my Joelton, Tennessee writers round, "Behind the Songs". She was so eager to share her music, and after working through the different rounds and networking for the past year, it was definitely something my soul needed to feel. An excitement and love for music.
When asked to describe her musical path, Katies said, "I've loved music since the day I was born. I have wanted to be a musician since as long as I can remember. When I was in middle school, I played the violin and was even in chamber orchestra. I was 13 when I took guitar lessons through community ed. I begged my mom to sign me up. After just one lesson, I wrote my first song. I picked up on guitar very quickly. I don’t really know how to explain how I write a song; it just comes to me. Almost like I hear it in my head and then have to run to my guitar. I’ve been doing it all for 15 years. Ever since I wrote my first few songs, I always said that I would move to Nashville when I grow up and be a musician."
That word fearlessness came up again when Katie discussed her main source of inspiration. "Taylor Swift has been my main inspiration. I remember watching the Journey to Fearless documentary and hearing her say that Nashville is where dreams come true. That was basically when my decision was made that I would be moving to Nashville someday. Every choice I've made in life has been because I knew I was going to make this dream come true. I've been through a lot of hard times and heartbreak in my 27 years, and I'm very introspective. I've always been a writer as well, and love putting words into feelings. I love using analogies in lyrics. Writing has always been very healing to me; especially growing up, I never really felt like I had anyone to really listen to me."
One of my favorite questions to ask other songwriters is about sharing a song they wrote that is special to them. When I asked Katie about her favorite, she said, "I wrote a song when I was in the 8th grade called Jack and Emily. It is about my friend at the time Emily, and her crush Jack. I would say it's a good song for being written by a 14-year-old. I received a lot of praise for that song; and my mom loved it, and she is no longer here. When I sing it, it makes me think of her."
Some highlights of Katie's career include recently winning Song of the Year 2026 at the Northa American Country Music Association. She also won first place in Songwriting in September 2025 at the Tennessee Music Organization State Competition.
Another highlight she added was, "The biggest highlight of all is all of the musicians and people I have met throughout the years. I have met so many incredible and talented people; and have so many great experiences. The first producer I ever worked with was Eric Gordon Berg. I met him through Soundhouse (a community music school) in Minnesota. He was teaching music production lessons. He is a phenomenal composer. I am also glad I met Chelsea, my first vocal coach. I feel like I owe a lot to her. Being in Nashville, I've met a ton of amazing musicians. My current highlight is working with producer John Pineiro. He is seriously the best." That is the same producer I am using for my Pieces album so I can definitely agree.
The latest release coming out for Katie includes the song, "You ain't sorry" coming out May 1st. When asked about it Katie said, "You Ain't Sorry is coming out (willfully) May 1, 2026!! It is about a guy I was so down bad for. We had a little fling, but nothing ever came of it. We remained friends, even though I still very much had feelings for him. The ending came with a lot of emotions, and thus, You Ain't Sorry came to be. I recorded it with John Pineiro, and Kevin Stiles on drums. Both are great guys to work with. They both helped me create the emotion I was looking for. To prepare for the release, I have been learning a lot on the business side of things such as distribution, registration, promotion, photo editing, social media, etc."
You can catch Katie at these upcoming events!
May 12th at 7:30 Front Street Pub in Smyrna
May 16th- Shoals Riversong Music Festival
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