Cat Rea Releasing New Single 'Soldier of War'
Cat Rea will be releasing her second single 'Soldier of War' on 12 June 2020. Cat is a soul-filled force to be reckoned with. Her voice carries anthems and her heart carries freedom; with songs as powerful as the story she lives. Having spent her career singing for other artists, Cat Rea is now empowered to claim her own voice, sound and message.
Her first single ‘Freedom Reign’ (ft. Joshua Luke Smith / remix by Influxx) - a deeply moving cry of a soul that believes, against all odds, pain is not in vain - was met by critical acclaim in January of this year, gaining her the #1 spot in the UK Christian Music Chart.
And now, on 12 June 2020, she will be sharing another piece of heart, in the form of her second single ‘Soldier of War’. This brave expression about battles of mental health. A topic close to so many, this record is an inspiration to anyone who has ever felt they are losing a war with themselves.
Cat Rea on her single: “This song began as three simple, ascending and descending chords. Once we were ready to track, I wanted to build anticipation into the production from the start - to reflect internalised anxieties - so the verse is intentionally spacious, with reverb on the percussion, and arpeggiated guitar to build up to the chorus. The pulsating synth in the chorus is an extension of the song’s metaphor, with harsh explosions, sonically emulating war. In the final chorus, we added a top line synth following the melody to draw out the eeriness of post-battle silence - as an 80s baby, this use feels particularly personal. I was adamant that the melody for this song would be a statement of my own emotional journey, which is why I didn’t add any backing vocals to the mix. We then layered the lower vocal octaves with higher registers, each with its own effects - this gave my vocals a really fat sound and again, forcing the message of power and how possible it is for us all to overcomeâ€
Originally from Middlesbrough, Cat started singing backing vocals for local artists and churches at 12 years old. She grew up around lots of live music, and adored writing and singing from an extremely early age. After finishing music college at 17, Cat started gigging, taking musical inspiration from Whitney Houston, Sia, Lauryn Hill, and Sting.
Cat was signed to various dance labels, including a deal with Hedkandi that included an album feature. After that, she worked as a session singer, and over her long career racked up performances at North East Live, gigs with The James Arthur Project, the American Gospel Tour, television adverts and corporate events.
On top of all this, Cat managed to write, record and release two pop albums. But her favorite performance was a Nashville gospel choir performance for 800 homeless men - a moment that marked her with the drive to bring hope and encouragement to anyone who hears her voice.
