Kate Fitz is a Utah Valley based musician, educator, and artist grounded in an important truth: humans are meant to create, and music and art are an innate part of who we are. "There must be auditions in heaven to get into your family" remarked one friend after hearing about her family’s annual messiah sing along. Raised in a family rich in both casual and professional musicians, Kate grew up surrounded by classical and sacred music, recording and performing alongside parents, siblings, aunts, uncles, and cousins. Her journey into commercial genres opened up when her parents gifted her a guitar so she’d have an instrument to play when there was no piano around. Since then, her deep-rooted versatility led her to study at both Brigham Young University and Utah Valley University, where she built a strong network of collaborators, including her producer, Ethan James Young, whom she met in line at a local gig.
Today, Kate blends her deep musical foundation, extensive jazz training, and commercial sensibilities into a soulful mix of pop, R&B, and jazz. Her rich performance background spans solo piano/vocal sets, small jazz combos, big bands, and studio sessions, both locally across Utah and with collaborators as far away as Pakistan. She recently released her EP, October Surprise, with her band, Kate Fitz and the Romantics. They are currently working on a full-length album, Hell and Back. Kate balances her artist projects with an active freelance calendar and a thriving teaching studio. She is always driven by a mission to lift people up, foster connection, and remind us of the art inside all of us.
Kate began writing songs in a youth rehabilitation center at 16 years old, while dealing with complications from schizoaffective disorder. After dozens of hospitalizations and an intensive 14-month therapy program, she turned her life around, thanks in large part to her music.
Inspired by her complicated relationship with religion, dating history, plethora of mental illnesses, and a passion for human rights, Kate creates music with powerful honesty and strong emotional substance. She is grateful to all of the men and women she’s loved for the songs they helped her create.
“A powerful voice full of emotion with deep lyrics that make us think about love and life, along with amazing musicians that created an atmosphere of soul pop with RnB influences! Definitely a promising band,” writes local photographer Joe Lopez in a review of one performance at Provo’s favorite venue, Velour Live.