Kate began writing songs at the age of 14 and won an Exhibition Award from Trinity College of Music at age 18. Abandoning a music degree at Bristol in favour of live gigs, she began playing solo all over London.

 

Signed as a songwriter to Sony/ATV in 2005, she produced her first album 'Kate Daisy Grant', with producer Ken Rose, later released on the 'Telescopic Baby' record label - a toyshop bonfire of toys instruments, junkyard percussion, found items and songs of innocence and longing. The album received UK-wide airplay including from Steve Lamacq (Radio 2),  live sessions on Radio 5 and 6, Stuart Maconie's 'Freak Zone' (Radio 6) and was favourited by Tom Robinson (Radio 6). She was also featured on 'The Strand' on The World Service.

 

Kate was asked to contribute new songs and additional score for feature film 'Mr Right' in 2009 and had several songs used in the 'Voices in the Head' episode of Jon Ronson's BBC Radio 4 show. She continues to have music featured in TV and film internationally.

 

Kate performed in award-winning runs at the Edinburgh Fringe and Brighton Fringe with her partner Nick Pynn - since 2011, they have developed a twin live-looped show: a two-person orchestra combining their folk, toy, found item and invented instruments: piano, 5 string violin, toy instruments, theremin, singing saw, wine glasses, glockenspiel, kazoo, banjo and antique floor cymbal.

 

Awards

 

'Best Music Act' Latest Brighton Fringe and Festival Awards 2013

(co-winner with Nick Pynn)

'Spirit of the Fringe Award' Mervyn Stutter's Spirit of the Fringe, 2012

Herald Angel 'Little Devil' Award, The Herald 2012 (co-winner with Nick Pynn)

 

 

What people have said

 

'Mesmerising...with fearless creativity' Clash Magazine

'Fresh, engaging and gorgeous...one of our favourite artists' Tom Robinson, BBC R6

'Kate Daisy Grant has a mesmerising voice and songs that seem like exotic birds. Go see her. She is very, very good.' Rich Hall, comedian/ musician

'Extraordinary sound...terrific' The Strand, BBC World Service

 

Live reviews with Nick Pynn:

 

'Wit, warmth and something a bit like magic' Time Out

'Some of the most electrifying music to be found at this festival' ***** ThreeWeeks

'Two of the finest musicians around...not to be missed' ***** Edinburgh Spotlight

 

 

Other work

 

PRODUCTION MUSIC (FILM/ TV/ THEATRE):

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Kate writes production music, used internationally on film and TV for companies including Cavendish/Ole, PMOL, Twisted Jukebox and Lift.

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She also writes for theatre, adding her multi-instrumental junk and toy live soundtracks to 'Spacetacular' at The Leicester Square Theatre (with Sarah Angliss and Nick Pynn) She also  wrote and performed music in a two person show of 'Pinocchio' with award-winning 'Indefinite Articles' puppetry company in 2014.

 

In 2016, she wrote and recorded a multi-instrumental soundtrack (feat. Nick Pynn) for a new puppet-based production 'Love Versus Trauma', written and performed by acclaimed puppeteer/ activist  Raven Kaliana. The premiere was performed live by Raven and Kate at The Little Angel Theatre and Raven continues to tour the show internationally. 

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In 2017, Kate wrote a musical soundtrack for the Victorian-themed puppet show 'The Sorrowful Tale of Sleeping Sidney' by puppeteer Daisy Jordan of Barely Human Puppets. Daisy continues to perform the show at festivals around the UK. 

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In 2022, Kate began a collaboration with Ignite Theatre, writing an original live-performed soundtrack for their original show 'A Grandmother's Grimm', by award-winning storyteller, Xanthe Gresham-Knight. 

In 2023, this collaboration continues with new music for Ignite's December production of 'James and the Giant Peach'. 

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SESSION MUSICIAN: 

Kate has guested live and on record, with award-winning instrumentalist Nick Pynn, 'God of Hellfire' Arthur Brown, comedian Rich Hall, soul/jazz diva Sarah Jane Morris and Mike Heron (The Incredible String Band). 

She was a live singer/ musician for 'Women Beware Women' at The Globe at the beginning of 2020.

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ARTS FACILITATION AND TUITION:

Kate was an Associate Artist/ tutor for 5 years, at  Sir Richard Stilgoe's Orpheus Centre, which teaches independence skills through the arts to talented young people with disabilities. Kate leads songwriting, writing for production and was Music Director for three professional multi-media shows.

 

She has led groups of Orpheus students presenting their original works at The International Youth Arts Festival, DAISY festival and in 2015 worked with collaboratively with Orpheus students and people in prisons to produce songs for 'The Birdsong Project' - songs by prisoners for loved ones on the outside.

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She continues to facilitate music and mixed media workshops in Orpheus's collaborations with organisations involved with people with disabilities and those facing exclusion. 

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In June 2016, she facilitated soundscape and music writing for a collaboration between students of Orpheus and the QEII school (for children with severe learning and physical disabilities). The multi-sensory 'haunted house' installation, entitled 'They were hidden in the roof of the house' was exhibited at The Royal Albert Hall.

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THERAPEUTIC TRAINING AND ARTS INTEGRATION

Kate is an integrative somatic psychotherapist and somatic coach, using neuroscientifically- informed approaches. She finds the worlds of arts and psychology mutually inspiring and is planning integrative projects for the near future.