5 Minutes With… Katy Tiz

Katy Tiz: “Play an instrument, truly. It gives you independence.”

We discover an artist’s journey that’s travelled from major-label pop star to in-demand songwriter and rediscovering her voice through collaboration

Best known for her breakout hit Whistle (While You Work It) and her success as part of the duo NEEKA, Katy Tiz’s journey has been anything but linear. Over the years, she has collaborated with the likes of Tiesto, Robin Schulz, Martin Jensen, and R3HAB, just to name a few. From performing wedding gigs to signing with Universal and Atlantic Records, to finding her rhythm again as a songwriter, she’s learned to define success on her own terms.

As a frequent collaborator of Cutfather – co-host of the Dream Songwriting Camp at Sea Breeze Resort in Baku, Azerbaijan – we caught up with Katy Tiz as she shared her path from forward-facing artist to behind-the-scenes writer, how she stays organised between songwriting camps and sessions, and why she can’t imagine doing anything else… 

Can you tell me a bit about how you got started in the industry?

“Well, I usually say I started in the wedding scene. I think that’s where it began. My brother George [Tizzard], Rick [Parkhouse] from Red Triangle, and I would write together all the time. I’d do gigs on weekends, just trying to get by. Then we wrote this one song called Fire Fire, and my brother’s manager, who’s been a massive part of all our lives, sent it to a blogger called Arjun. Arjun put it on his blog, and literally, Universal called me. It was crazy.

“But it wasn’t overnight. I’d been working for years, just grinding; doing wedding gigs on Saturday, open mics on Monday, anything. Then I was going on holiday to L.A., and they asked me to come by. Before I went, I sent a few more songs, and that Friday, they called and said, ‘Are you sitting down? We’re offering you a record deal.’ I didn’t believe it. I’d never even spoken to anyone in America before. My lawyer called and said, ‘It’s real.’ My brother told me, ‘Turn your phone off and go have the best night of your life, just in case none of this is real.’ So I did.

“I signed with Universal Republic/Lava for about a year and a half. It taught me so much. I was shy, nervous – wouldn’t even go into a bar alone. Suddenly, I was living in America. When that ended, iHeartRadio was amazing and featured me on On The Verge, which put me on every Top 40 station, unsigned. That led to my Atlantic deal, and that’s where Whistle (While You Work It) came from.”

How long were you unsigned between Universal Republic and Atlantic?

“It felt like forever, but really only four or five months. When you get dropped, your whole focus becomes getting re-signed. It feels like failure, even though it isn’t.”

When the deal with Atlantic ended, you said it was really hard. How did you find your way back into songwriting?

“Yeah, it was heartbreaking. I came back to the UK and just started songwriting. I found it hard at first. There’s that stigma of, ‘Oh, you were an artist, now you’re a songwriter, so did it fail?’ I probably put that on myself more than anyone else. But I just kept writing with everyone, any session I could.

“Through my brother, Ross, and just meeting people, I built a network and finally found my place in London. I love what I do now. My boyfriend always says, ‘Not many people love what they do.’ He’s not in music, he works in telecoms, but he’s so supportive.”

You mentioned feeling like a failure after being dropped. How did you get through that?

“He actually made a really good analogy. He said staying on a label that isn’t right is like sitting on the bench of a major league team and never playing. You don’t get to do what you love. That helped me so much.

“And I’ve always had really positive exits. When Atlantic ended, the president was so kind. That almost made it harder, but I’m grateful. Looking back, I’ve been doing this forever, but I still love it.”

When you were doing your artist projects, were you writing all your own music?

“I wrote all of it. The label supported me, which was great. Then weirdly, in 2020, I fell back into it. My friend and co-writer, Negin Djafari and I started a duo called NEEKA, and my brother and Rick started Super-Hi. We put out Following The Sun, and it became my most successful song ever, which was amazing because I got to share that with them.”

Do you remember your first cut as a songwriter?

“It was Fight On with Cheryl Cole in the UK. We wrote it about my dad. When my brother told me she wanted it, I couldn’t believe it. Later, during lockdown, I had another one called Beautiful Escape with an artist named LIVVIA, and I remember walking outside – when we weren’t supposed to – just looping it on repeat. That feeling never gets old.”

You’ve been to a lot of writing camps recently. How do you stay organised with so many sessions?

“I write a song list: who was in the room, the title, everything. I probably listen to my own songs too much, but I love it. My manager and I go through what we really believe in, and he lets me dream big, like ‘Let’s send this to so-and-so.’ We do four sessions a week, sometimes two or three a day if it’s dance music; that’s a lot of songs.”

Looking ahead, what do you envision for your future?

“Honestly, I don’t think too far ahead anymore. As long as I’m happy and love what I’m doing, that’s it for me. I’ve got projects like NEEKA and work with DJs that keep every part of my musical brain active. I can’t really imagine doing anything else.”

Is there an artist you’d love to write for?

“In the DJ world, I’d love to work with Swedish House Mafia. In pop, someone like Dua Lipa would be a dream. I get so excited about new artists. That feeling never goes away.”

And what about a songwriter you’d love to work with?

“I haven’t worked with Neil [Ormandy] yet, and I’d really love to. But honestly, I work best with people I know well. You can take risks and be like, ‘Ha! That was terrible, let’s try again.’ That’s when the magic happens.”

Last question: what’s one piece of advice for someone starting out as a songwriter?

“Play an instrument, truly. It gives you independence. You can sit alone and work out an idea. I wish I could present my ideas like that more. And believe in yourself. It sounds cliché, but confidence is key. If you believe in what you do, it will take you so far.”

You can follow Katy on instagram.com/katytiz

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