Katharine McPhee will release her next studio album, Hysteria, on September 18, but you can listen to a full stream of it now on Soundcloud via Billboard.com.
It’s been a long road to Hysteria. The American Idol season 5 runner-up began working on the record during Smash’s run on NBC from 2012-13. After the series was cancelled, she was immediately cast in the CBS drama,Scorpion, and didn’t get back to recording until the hiatus.
“Making this album was definitely a journey into exploring more of the artistic artist side of myself,” she told Billboard. “I have made records in the past but I’ve always felt that I really didn’t get the full experience of making an artist record. I often times felt rushed for time or uninspired.
“Working with Isabella Summers [of Florence + the Machine] and Kelly Sheehan in the studio every day was such a treat for me and ultimately where I felt I really found my stride. I was under the guidance of Teresa Whites who A&Red and executive produced. She definitely allowed me to make lots of different kind of music and that is where I ended up finding a ‘sound.’ I had to try out lots of different rooms with different writers with different styles to ultimately figure out what I wanted it to sound like.
“And even now to this day if you asked what is the style, I don’t really know. I love pop music. I love to sing. I wanted to make a record that was going to allow me to do all of those things in a record and also give me great satisfaction singing the songs live. What makes me so excited is all of the possibilities of live shows… I get to continue my creative journey with the record now on stage. That’s ultimately my goal; being able to sing live and perform and entertain.”
Could Katharine be putting together a tour? Maybe a few one-off dates in between her Scorpion schedule.
Katharine wrote with Sia, Ryan Tedder, and Florence + The Machine’s Isabella Machine for Hysteria. Listen to the full album below. Via Billboard Magazine.
