Pulling on heartstrings one song at a time:
What to expect from Kaitlyn Martin’s debut Grounded set.
Her voice was described as beautiful and raw by judges on one of Australia’s
biggest singing shows.
Now, audiences at Grounded will get to hear Kaitlyn Martin in the flesh.
Ahead of her Dookie Quarry debut, we caught up with her to talk therapy through music and what she’ll be bringing to the stage at Grounded.
Her biggest gig yet
For Kaitlyn Martin, music has always been deeply personal. And therapeutic.
Living with a rare bone condition, she turned to music at a young age as not only a healthy outlet, but a way to self-soothe.
‘I’ve always used music as a form of therapy,’ she says. ‘If I’m going through
something or feeling overwhelmed, I’ll sit down and write a song. It helps me make sense of things.’
Her connection to music (and her raw talent) eventually led her to The Voice
Australia, where she stunned audiences with her take on Somewhere Over the
Rainbow.
The experience marked a turning point and gave her the confidence and momentum to pursue music. And on her own terms.
‘A goal of mine is to record my own, original songs and start getting them out into the world,’ she says. ‘Even just one track – that’s what I’d like to work towards.’
Amidst it all, she’s now preparing for a live, opening set at Grounded Festival.
Or as Kaitlyn calls it: ‘my biggest gig yet’.
A new chapter on a big stage
The performance will mark another milestone for the musician, who’s just wrapped up her final year of high school.
‘This has been the highlight for the entire year,’ she says. ‘Whenever I’ve felt
overwhelmed with studying or whatever, I’m like, ‘you know what? I’m going to be
fully graduated, I’m going to be a free woman when I go out there.’”
Her set will feature a mix of originals and well-loved covers – a blend she’s honed through local gigging.
‘I plan on having ones that I’ve found in my gigs have really got the crowd up and
dancing,’ she says. ‘So, I’ll include a couple of my favourites that I’ve written and
then keep the energy up with covers that people know.’
So, what’s next?
Kaitlyn has already written a handful of original songs – some on piano, and some on guitar.
And they capture something that brought her to music in the first place: a moment, feeling or experience she needed to process.
‘If I’ve had a bad day, I come home and I write about it,’ she shares. ‘ I like what I’m creating to pull on the heartstrings.’
Her music has explored loss, connection and resilience.
One of her most meaningful tracks was written after the passing of her childhood dog – a deeply personal grief that struck a chord with others.
‘I sung it at school and people came up to me saying it reminded them of things they’d lost to,’ she says. ‘I really appreciated that people made it their own.’
Music that holds space
At Grounded, expect a set that will give you something to feel, reflect on and sit with. But also uplift you.
And whether it’s through a familiar cover or her own songs, her goal will be the
same: to offer something real, honest and a little bit grounding.
‘I’d love for people to be present, to really focus on the music and the surroundings and just be in the moment,’ she says.