Alum Kate Stephenson has already had a rollercoaster of a music career journey. Through the ups and downs, her drive and persistence keeps pushing her forward. This Saturday, Stephenson will embark on a nationwide tour as an opener for the popular alternative band, Summer Salt. 

In high school, Stephenson fed her creativity through many outlets. She participated in orchestra, chorus, and was a part of the Madrigals group. Even in school, she found ways to express her creativity.

According to LFHS social worker, Daniel Maigler, one of many ways she expressed herself was through her note-taking.

“My favorite way she expressed her creativity was in the way she took notes. I’ve never seen anything like it. She would open a notebook to any random page and just start writing. Not across the page, but in different shapes and patterns. She wasn’t doing it for anyone but herself but it just showed how this girl approaches the world with a different kind of vision,” Maigler said.

Her old English teacher, Jennifer Van Skyock, also witnessed her creativity in class.

“Her projects were always punctuated with her personality and musicality,” said Van Skyock. “Whether she is writing or creating, Kate understands the concept of audience and knows how to connect with the emotions and experiences of others.”

After LFHS, Stephenson went to Chapman University for Film school. She planted her soil in Orange County but struggled with college as a whole. After a beach walk with her roommate, she decided to leave Chapman. 

“One day, I was panicking about how behind I was in all of my college classes, and my roommate took me to the beach. We walked along the beach, and I cried, and she said ‘Have you considered dropping out?’ And I felt this huge weight lifted off of my shoulder just at the thought,” Stephenson said. “I stayed up through the entire night writing and producing my song “Future Dropout.” The song was finished by the time the sun came up, and I realized at that moment, ‘Huh. Maybe I shouldn’t be studying film, maybe I should be making music full-time.’”

Maigler contributes this change to Stephenson’s “nonlinear” thinking.

“​​Kate is very bright but she is a nonlinear thinker and she constantly had to stoop and contort to fit herself into the box is a standard public education,” Maigler said.

Since then, Stephenson has been pumping out music that has captivated many. At age 20, she has put out two albums, two extended plays, and nine singles. Also, she has toured twice and has amassed a total of 6.4 million streams on Spotify.

Stephenson’s success is due to her strong ability to craft music. She has been writing her whole life and be able to transfer the words on paper into works of art. 

“Kate understands both the beauty and power of language. She knows how to capture the nuances of life with the words she chooses in her written pieces and lyrics,” Van Skyock said. 

Alum and long-time friend Caroline Zeeman currently works as her agent.

“She is just so talented. She comes up with songs daily and I have no idea how she cranks them out. She has such a talent to arrange a song, to hear it in her head, and to make it happen,” Zeeman said.

Going forward, Stephenson has plans for beyond the Summer Salt tour, and for the rest of her career.

“I have another tour coming up this summer, which I am really stoked about. My plan is to continue opening for other artists and releasing music until it makes sense for me to headline my own tour,” Stephenson said. “I really like being an opener, but hopefully one day I can tour with a band.” 

Her invitation to open for Summer Salt is almost one from out of a movie, and It all started with a TikTok. Stephenson took a spontaneous road trip to Florida when suddenly, a massive pothole took out her back tire. She was stranded in South Carolina. With her newfound free time, she shared her trip with her followers and posted this TikTok.

The video caught the eyes of a booking agent who met with Stephenson and decided to work with her. Soon after, Summer Salt was looking for an opener and the agent helped Stephenson fill the vacancy. On tour, Stephenson will have 30 minutes of stage time and perform seven songs.

Stephenson said, “I’ve heard Summer Salt is a group of really kind people, so hopefully on some days off I can convince them to go bowling with me.”

She attracts attention not only through her music but also through her social media. Her Instagram has 15 thousand followers, and her TikTok has 180 thousand. Zeeman believes her infectious personality reels people in and her story hooks them.

“I think the main thing people seem to be drawn to about Kate as an artist is her authenticity. How she presents herself on social media is who she really is,” Zeeman said. “She comes across as your friend who makes music, whether you know her personally or not. She is reachable and relatable. She is honest in the way a friend would be when they think of something random or funny, or have an interesting or weird experience.” 

Stephenson is looking forward to a lot on her tour but is especially anticipating returning home for a concert. 

“I’m most excited about the traveling and performing aspects, both are things I absolutely love to do. Most specifically, I’m excited about the Chicago show. It’s at home, I get to see friends and family, and that’s the same day that my new single, “Sick of It” is coming out, so it’s going to be a really great day” she said. 

If you want to watch her live, purchase a ticket for the Summer Salt concert on March 18 at Beat Kitchen in Chicago.