Kate Earl, born Kate Joy Smithson, October 8, 1981 "Katie" to Charles and Pomposa Smithson in Anchorage, Alaska is a Filipino American singer-songwriter, now based in Los Angeles. Her debut album, Fate Is The Hunter, was released on May 10, 2005. She has garnered moderate airplay with her single, "Officer".
Kate's music has been likened to that of Björk, Joni Mitchell, and Fiona Apple. Her songs have a similar jazzy-soul feel and progression to them. However, Earl's influences also trace back to her late father's old warped wartime records. (Her song "Sweet Sixteen" seemingly incorporates a sample of one, cleverly used as a background instrument.)
Comparisons to her Alaskan musical predecessor, Jewel, are inevitable.
Kate's parents, Chuck and Pompi, owned and operated the Circle S gas station on North Birchwood Loop Road, where Kate also worked. Thus, she became known as "the girl from the gas station." During this time, Kate discovered music as a means of escaping her cold, isolated surroundings. Kate began playing piano when she was 4, sang in choir, and at 14 became the first female worship leader at her hometown charismatic church Peters Creek Christian Center where she also received her entire K-12 education. Kate picked up guitar at 17 and left home for a baptist missionary training program in Michigan. Kate considered every major city, but settled on Los Angeles. Earl moved to Los Angeles in 2004 to pursue her dream of being a musician. Within six months, she was signed by The Record Collection. Much of Fate is the Hunter is inspired by Earl's late father, who died the day before her sixteenth birthday after a drawn out battle with cancer.
The internet radio station KGRL featured her as their Flower-Powered Artist for October of 2006. The feature includes an exclusive interview, CD Review of Fate Is The Hunter, and an on-demand audio stream of an exclusive track titled "Bright Lion."
