KATIE HARDER

Heartfelt, smooth and down to earth, Alice Springs singer/songwriter and mother of four, Katie Harder embraces you with her music. Her lyrics have a depth that resonates long after the final chord. Her folk/roots melodies etch into your mind. Her stories carry a warm authenticity and humour.

Katie Harder is a storyteller. Her songs have a disarming honesty and their recording is warm and intimate as she and her band enfold you with their sound and soul. 

Katie’s sound has evolved over 20 years from joyful rock/pop to a more mature and thoughtful folk/roots sound. From humble beginnings writing songs at the age of 8 in the classroom to performing to imaginary audiences on the back of her Dad’s truck with a tennis racquet, writing and performing has always flowed through Katie’s veins. This journey is beautifully showcased in the nuanced production of her latest single Sing it Out.  Encouraged by great songwriters like Paul Kelly, The Waifs, Crowded House and Missy Higgins, Katie’s music has that all Australian sound. She explores ideas and emotions with a joyful rawness that inspires her listeners to get the most out of life. Her songwriting gives voice to an earnest female perspective that contrasts vulnerability, strength, independence and commitment. Love, the giving of self and the struggle for balance as a mother and woman are common themes in her song writing, as well as the contrast of life in the centre’s red dirt and the south’s lush green. 

Katie’s career highlights are impressive - including performing alongside Claire Bowditch and Warren H Williams, touring the Northern Territory as an ArtbackNT artist (baby in tow!), being shortlisted in the 2010 Australian Song-Writing Awards and supporting The Waifs, Ash Grunwald, Blue King Brown and Jeff Lang. Other achievements involve running Alice Springs Desert Music Club for 2 years and regularly involving herself with the women of Alice Springs through workshops, Desert Divas, and recording sessions. Over the years she has been a regular performer at Alice Springs Wide Open Space festival, Desert Song Festival, Desert Festival and the Darwin Festival. 

Katie Harder has released 3 EPs and 2 albums. Her last release was in 2017. An EP titled ‘Beloved’ recorded live with her band ‘the Artful Dodgers’ whilst heavily pregnant. While spending a lot of time writing instead of gigging over the last year Katie penned her next single ‘Sing it Out’. Recorded in 2021 by award winning producers Ben Allen and Dave Crowe she also put her hand to grant writing and secured funding from Alice Springs Town Council to aid in its recording. Released through Sing Hum Records in April,  ‘Sing it Out’ is a song for the times. The song calls the listener to find healing from the hardships of the past year by giving voice to them and ‘singing them out’!