London-based Kitty Perrin writes indie-pop with heart, catchy, candid, and unafraid to dig deep. Ahead of her set at Wild Paths, she talks new music, community roots, and writing songs that make sense of the mess. NMR // Thank you for this interview, Kitty. Let’s get stuck in, how would you describe your sound to someone who’s never heard your music before? // Kitty: I think it’s best described as indie-pop. I love to write big chorus’s, catchier the better, but the storytelling in my songs is the most important thing to me. The sound is a mix of all the pop, indie and folk singer-songwriters I love. It’s a also a mix of acoustic and electronic parts, the combination of how I record with my band and producer. NMR // You switched one lanes from Brighton to another in Norwich, studying History and Politics and then becoming a fully fledged part of the local music scene. Are you still based in Norwich? And how has the creative environment here shaped your songwriting? // Kitty: I am actually based in London now, though my band are still in Norwich so I’m back pretty regularly. Norwich has had a huge impact on my music. The local music scene is absolutely incredible, I genuinely think it is one of the best in the world, and there is so much support for local emerging artists from promotors, audiences and other artists. I think that allowed me to experiment and work on my songwriting much more than I would have felt able to in another city. It’s so nice to be making music somewhere where you can build a real fanbase relatively quickly and know that you’ll have people turning up to your shows again and again. It’s given me time to ignore the idea of ‘building a brand’ and focus on making music I really love and I am really proud of. The close-knit music community has also given me the chance to collaborate and learn from artists I am a fan of, like Phoebe Troup. NMR // Like many graduates, you’ve taken a path outside your degree, from history and politics into music and radio. Looking back, how did that transition feel? And have those studies influenced your songwriting in any way, even indirectly? // Kitty: I started working in radio in my first year of university and I was performing from my 3rd week so it didn’t feel like a massive transition. My lecturers (John Street and David Gilks in particular) knew about the music and radio and really supported me in it. I am really passionate about history and politics so I guess it does influence my songwriting. For me it’s the fact that I believe that under all of my small personal feelings there is a more interesting big picture narrative, and that’s what I try to explore with my songs. NMR // Your most recent solo single ‘Death Metal’ came out in 2023. When can we expect new material, and will you be performing anything fresh at Wild Paths? // Kitty: I wanted to put Death Metal out as soon as I’d finished recording it because it sounded how I had always wanted my music to sound and I was so excited for people to hear that. That song was the trigger and I have been busy recording since. Got loads of new material on the way which I will definitely be sharing in 2026. So yes! Almost everything we’re performing at Wild Paths will be fresh. NMR // This isn’t your first time playing Wild Paths, what does it mean to be returning? And how do you think the festival has influenced or elevated Norwich’s cultural scene? // Kitty: Wild Paths was actually the first show I played with my band in 2020 and I have had the same line up since then. We have played the festival together a few times now and it means so much to see the festival returning. As a music fan, Wild Paths is a big reason artists will have Norwich on their tour dates, and audiences in Norwich never take it for granted when an artist comes this way. For local artists, it’s been an amazing space to meet similar artists from all over the country, and it’s encouraged the wider industry to pay attention to what’s happening in Norwich. NMR // What instruments do you play, and are there any sounds or bits of production gear you’re currently excited about or experimenting with? // Kitty: I am pretty exclusively a guitarist and singer, but I have been working with a producer called David Pye the last few years and exploring a more pop-y electronic sound which I’m really excited about. NMR // I haven’t caught you live yet, how do your tracks translate to a live setting? // Kitty: I play with a band who I’ve been performing with since 2020, or solo depending on the show. We translate the songs live through a combination of a full live band and SPD pad for the electronic elements. NMR // You collaborated with Kaspar Larsen and Alexander Carson on ‘Blood Thinners’, how did that come about, and how did it differ from writing your solo material? Also, who would be your dream collaboration and why? // Kitty: I have known Kaspar Larsen for years from the Norwich music scene and have always been a huge fan of his music. He has one of those incredibly emotive voices that makes me want to cry every time he opens his mouth. We have played together a few times before and that’s been really special, so it was so nice to get to work on this song with him. It’s always different working with other people, with Kaspar I like his music so much and I have complete faith it’ll be great so it just allows me to stop worrying about the outcome and write freely. My dream collaboration would be with The Japanese House. I have loved everything she’s released, her album ‘In The End It Always Does’ still blows my mind every time I listen to it. When it comes to production, she is unrivalled for me. I would never think to do the things she does on her songs so it would be amazing to work with her and see how it all comes together. NMR // Where do you tend to draw your musical and lyrical inspiration from? Are there any bands or artists right now that you feel are breaking new ground and inspiring your own work? // Kitty: Lyrically, I usually get inspiration from things that have happened or conversations I’ve had. My songs often start with one slightly confused thought that I can only understand once I’ve written the whole song and joined all the dots. But like every artist I take so much inspiration from the artists I love. I think that Katie Gavin from MUNA is one of the greatest songwriters to ever exist. She is able to say things so simply in a pop song and make you feel or think something you never have before. For similar lyrical genius reasons I would also add Samia, Lucy Dacus, and Andy Shauf. Production wise I am really inspired by artists like Dijon, Deb Never, Claud, and of course The Japanese House. I have also been in a big pop era for the last couple years and listen constantly to Sabrina Carpenter, Chappell Roan and Troy Sivan so they have definitely had an influence on my sound too. NMR // What’s the emotion you find hardest to write about, and why and have you ever written something that scared you to share? // Kitty: Death Metal was a really difficult song for me to write. It’s about unconditional love and its limits, and I still feel very guilty about the feelings I am expressing in that song. I was really scared to release it because of that. But I decided to put it out in the end because I loved listening to it so much. I’ve never heard another song about that feeling and it felt good to hear it out loud. NMR // What’s next for you, is there an EP or album in the works? Any gigs or festivals you’re excited about? // Kitty: As I mentioned, I have been writing and recording lots the last couple years and yes there is an album in the works. I am so proud of the music I am making right now so I am excited to share it.