Kate Leahy’s Smile reaches number one on the AMRAP Regional Chart

After taking a six year break to raise her two daughters, singer songwriter Kate Leahy is back with her latest single Smile reaching number one on the AMRAP Regional Chart. She opens up about the challenges of balancing motherhood and her music career.

After taking a six year break from music to raise her two daughters, Yeppoon singer songwriter Kate Leahy is back doing what she loves, with her latest single Smile reaching number one on the AMRAP Regional Chart.

Smile is described as a smooth tale of unconditional love, complete with hope, imperfection, and honesty.

Kate said the song was about her journey through motherhood.

She said she wrote the song in Germany when her daughter Sophia was a baby.

Yeppoon singer songwriter Kate Leahy’s latest single Smile has reached number one on the AMRAP Regional Chart. Picture: Contributed

“We moved to Germany in 2015 for two years when my first daughter was eight weeks old,” she said.

“I was taken out of my comfort zone in so many ways, I had a baby and didn’t know what to do and I was in a country where I couldn’t speak the language and didn’t have any friends or family around.

“I was coming to terms with motherhood in a really challenging way.

“This song is about being overwhelmed with the massive task of being a mother and trying to work out how to be a good one and wanting to be perfect and realising that is not possible.

“This is a song that helped me come to terms with that and say, ‘I am going to do my best and as long as we can still smile at the end of it all I am doing okay’.”

Kate said she had never planned to stop doing music but having two daughters made things quite tricky.

Kate’s last release Stone to the Ground also saw radio success in Australia being playlisted by ABC Radio nationally, as well as many other radio stations across the country. Picture: Contributed

“Before I had kids I thought my musical life could just carry on but my eldest daughter, Sophia, didn’t sleep,” she said.

“She woke up every 45 minutes every single night for two years and I was just getting by.

“To do music you have to be in a different space and I didn’t feel creative in the slightest.

“At that point it had been so long already and I was confused about how I would get back into it because everything was different.

“When you don’t have kids you are free to do whatever you want but I just couldn’t work out how music and motherhood could work together.

“The demands of motherhood were a huge shock to me. I didn’t realise how busy mothers were.”

Kate is currently in pre-production with her next EP which will be released mid 2022. Picture: Contributed

Kate said getting back into music was all about picking the right moment.

“In 2017 I was going to go on tour and six weeks out I realised my child was not going to cope if I was away for that long, I had to wait,” she said.

“I was asked to do a show called Women in Voice at the Pilbeam Theatre in July 2021 and that was my first show back after that massive break.

“When they said they wanted me to do it I couldn’t see how I could make it work, but we just made little change by little change.

“You have to pick the right moment and know your children and whether they are going to be emotionally okay.

“I was waiting until my family was at a stage where everybody would be okay with me getting back out and doing music and working again. It was a much longer break than I expected but we are finally here.”

Kate has toured both East Coast Australia and Europe, performing in festivals and venues across Germany and the UK. Kate’s music has also been used on TV commercials and well-known TV series, including Winners and Losers. Picture: Contributed

Kate’s last release Stone to the Ground had radio success in Australia in 2021, being playlisted by ABC Radio nationally, as well as many other radio stations across the country.

She said Smile maintaining its number one position on the AMRAP Regional Chart for the past two weeks was “amazing”.

“It was only about six months ago I was still saying to people ‘I don’t know if I will ever do music again’ and now I have a song at number one,” she said.

“I can’t even tell you how cool it is.”

Kate is currently in pre-production for her next EP which will be released mid 2022.

“I was lucky enough to get a $6000 grant to help pay for my EP, so it will be a nicely produced set of four songs,” she said.

Kate Leahy’s Smile is available across all streaming services. Picture: Contributed

“There’s going to be some songs in there that are quite different to Stone to the Ground and Smile.

“One of them in particular is a real bright, pumping kind of a song. It will be a lot more energy and more upbeat.”

Kate said she couldn’t thank her fans enough for their support.

“What I have come to realise coming back to music is the most important thing is connections with your fans,” she said.

“I am so appreciative of people being here and supporting me, particularly after such a break.

“It’s totally heartwarming and I just can’t thank them enough. I am so incredibly grateful.”

Kate Leahy’s Smile is available across all streaming services.