Name: Katy and The Null Sets
Interviewee: Katy Ohsiek
Nationality: American
Occupation: Singer, songwriter
Current release: Katy and The Null Sets's new album Troublemaker is out now.  
Recommendations for Portland, USA: If you’re in Portland you should see a movie at Hollywood Theater. It’s a super old theater, they show cool stuff, and the vibes are just correct.

If you enjoyed this Katy and The Null Sets interview and would like to stay up to date with Katy's music, visit the project on Instagram, Soundcloud, bandcamp, and Facebook.



When it comes to experiencing strong emotions as as a listener, which albums, performances, and artists come to mind?

Melodrama by Lorde, Wild by Medium Build, Spider by Mary Eliza, Small Reveal by Aidan Knight.



I have had a hard time explaining that listening to death metal calms me down. When you listen to a song or composition, does it tend to fill you with the same emotions – or are there “paradoxical” effects?

Artists cannot control how their music will make a listener feel.

The song ‘Familiarity’ by Punch Brothers is a song that makes me feel euphoric and amped, but I actually have no idea what the song is about? But I don’t think it was composed to be a pump-up song.



I think there is always the potential for paradoxical emotional outcomes when listening to music, but not always. Sometimes a sad song is just sad.

In as far as it plays a role for the music you like listening to or making, what role do words and the voice of a vocalist play for the transmission of emotions?

I do think lyrics are super important, but sometimes I simply don’t notice or care about the lyrics and the song will still elicit an emotional response.

Still though, I think lyrics are a great opportunity to say something cool, and it bugs me when lyrics seem carelessly written. You can have great music AND great lyrics!

When it comes to composing / songwriting, are you finding that spontaneity and just a few takes tend to capture emotions best? Or does honing a piece bring you closer to that goal?

I am someone who prefers to write a song in 20 minutes. I feel like that really distills the exact emotion at that exact time.

I tend toward spontaneity in art because I believe that the next good song is right around the corner and I don’t like getting stuck on one piece for too long. But everyone’s different! I could learn to slow down.

I will also say, songs that get written in 20 minutes don’t get recorded in 20 minutes. I will take my time in the studio.

How much of the emotions of your own music, would you say, are already part of the composition, how much is the result of the recording process?

I wanna say 100% of the emotions are in the composition.

By the time the song makes it to the studio, it’s been written for a while and I’ve been rehearsing and/or performing it long enough that I don’t personally feel super connected to the emotions of the song anymore. I don’t think that’s a bad thing, it’s just what happens.

For example, the song ‘Twin’ was written in 2018 and recorded in 2023. The raw emotion has mostly faded after 5 years.



I fear I’m making it sound like I’m emotionless in the studio; rather, I think the recording process is where I try to amplify the emotions that are embedded in the original composition.

New emotional layers don’t arise from the recording process.

For Troublemaker, what kind of emotions were you looking to get across?

Nostalgia.

But not nostalgia for the 50s or whatever, but personal nostalgia for a phase of life that came and went 4 years ago.

In terms of emotions, what changes when you're performing live on stage, with an audience present, compared to the recording stage?

The best thing that will happen at a live show is if the audience laughs at my lyrics. In the studio it’ll feel like the joke isn’t that funny, or not even a joke at all. It’s great feedback and sometimes gives me a new perspective on a lyric I wrote that actually is pretty funny!

I think live shows can have more levity than the studio. For example, in my song “Shouldn’t I Be Done?” the very first lyric reads as fairly somber in the recorded version, but often gets a giggle from the audience when I play live.



And I’m happy with both!

What kind of feedback have you received from listeners or concert audiences in terms of the experience that your music and/or performances have had on them?

A frequent piece of feedback I get is that I seem like I’m having a lot of fun and that I really love what I do. I think this is apt.

No matter what the emotional content of the song is, I think my love for music and performance will shine through.

Would you say that you prefer to stay in control to be able to shape the emotions or do you surrender to them and allow the music to take over? Who, ultimately has control during a live performance?

The audience has the control!