Edinburgh Tradfest: Kaïa Kater

“Kater's music is somehow ancient and brand new at the same time” – Tom Power

Montreal-born Grenadian-Canadian Kaïa Kater's jazz-fueled voice and deft songcraft have garnered acclaim from NPR's Tiny Desk, The Guardian, Rolling Stone and No Depression. Through her artful banjo playing and lush song writing, Kaïa draws on influences rooted in Quebec, the Caribbean, and Appalachia, all of which reflect the diversity of her background; her ties to the Canadian folk music scene; her college years spent soaking up Appalachian music in West Virginia, her father’s experience growing up in Grenada, and her recent work in film composition.

Kaïa’s new JUNO-winning album, Strange Medicine, celebrates the power of women and oppressed people throughout history, while also sharing deep self-reflection, reinvention, and meditations on her own life. Taking the helm as co-producer, alongside Joe Grass (Elisapie, Barr Brothers), the album finds Kater expanding her creative scope with cinematic arrangements, and working with guest artists such as Taj Mahal, Allison Russell and Aoife O’Donovan. Its release has provided her the foundation for touring across North America, the UK, and Europe with notable performances at Reeperbahn, Junofest, Celtic Connections, Newport Folk Festival, Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Festival, the legendary Cayamo Cruise, and many more!

Kaïa released her first EP Old Soul (2013) when she was just out of high school. Since then, she’s gone on to release several albums, SorrowBound (2015), Nine Pin (2016) and Grenades (2018) and Strange Medicine (May 2024). For the JUNO-nominated and Polaris Music Prizelong-listed Grenades, Kaïa leaned into a wide array of sounds and styles in order to convey a broad range of emotions and topics, most notably her Caribbean ancestry and her father’s experience as a refugee in Canada.

In 2020, Kaïa took part in the Slaight Music Residency at the Canadian Film Center, leading her to write original music for The Porter (BET+2022), for which she garnered a Canadian Screen Award. She also wrote and performed music for the new film, My Dead Friend Zoe (March 2024).

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