BIGSONG:
Known for his reflective musings on love, life and vices, singer-songwriter and platinum-award winning producer Garrett Kato’s unique style of folk-pop is catching fire around the globe. A string of powerful releases, including his sophomore album hemispheres, has seen him perform sold-out shows alongside Damien Rice and Ziggy Alberts and amass over 65 million worldwide streams.On his new EP Kumamoto, the Canada-born, Australia based artist pays tribute to his Japanese heritage with a powerful look at triumph and trauma, past and present. Written during the turmoil of 2020, the songs were a way of coping with an uncertain future.The EP title, Kumamoto, is a nod to the city where the Kato bloodline began in southern Japan.“Australia was on fire, and soon after, a world wide pandemic hit that changed the world for the foreseeable future,”says Garrett. “I began thinking of what generations before us went through, about my grandparents; victims of internment camps of World War II. How strong people can be, despite overwhelming odds.” Australian tastemaker triple j dubbed Garrett the “producer and musician behind some of the most prominent sounds coming out the Byron Bay’s booming buskers scene,” and rightly so; the EP was self-produced by Garrett at his home studio, where he has also worked with a string of artists including Julia Stone, Pete Murray, Tones and I, Kyle Lionhart, Riley Pearce, Pierce Brothers, Jack Botts and more.