Chasing Your Passion with Singer-Songwriter Katrina Woolverton

They say it's never too late to pursue a dream and singer-songwriter Katrina Woolverton is living proof. Before she was a teenager, Katrina seemingly had the world at her feet with record deals and offers for tv and film, but family  circumstances forced her to walk away. Years later, she couldn't deny her passion for performing, deciding to jump back and start her career from scratch. Having toured with names like Meatloaf and John Popper and collaborated with the likes of Amy Wadge (Ed Sheeran's Thinking Out Loud) and Rita Wilson, she is now celebrating the success of her new single with GRAMMY-winning producer Val Garay, a dance remake of the word famous "Bette Davis Eyes". Check out the visualizer for the song here  and learn more about Katrina's latest projects by visiting her website. 

Thanks for checking out the podcast! If you like what you hear, I would love for you to leave a review to help others find the show ... and please be sure to subscribe to the podcast to hear more conversations like the one you heard today. For more information on upcoming episodes and new content, you can check out my website. Thanks for your support!

Transcript

Katrina Woolverton: [00:00:00] I knew it wouldn't be easy going back in to music. I knew the opportunities wouldn't be there. And I knew people wouldn't really care what I had done before that I had to start from scratch in some ways. I wish I had continued, but I don't regret having walked away . 

Michelle Dawn Mooney: Hey, it's Michelle. Welcome to conversations.

I'm excited to introduce you to some new guests in the coming months. But in the meantime, this conversation is from the vault. If you've ever questioned whether it was too late to chase one of your dreams. This conversation is definitely for you. Before she was 10 years old, Katrina Wolverton was wowing crowds with her vocal talent.

At the age of 12, she was given a huge launching pad to help secure a successful career in music. But due to a series of circumstances that no child should ever be faced with, she was forced to walk away. It wasn't until years later that Katrina found she couldn't resist the calling of what had always been her passion, music.

In this interview from 2023, she talks about her song Grind, but fast forward to [00:01:00] today, she's celebrating the success of a newly released single produced by legendary Grammy Award winner Val Gouray, known for his work with Linda Ronstadt, Dolly Parton, Bonnie Raitt, and Kim Carnes. The voice behind the number one song, Betty Davis Eyes, Gray, who had produced the worldwide hit, had been approached numerous times to do a remake, but passed.

That is, until an opportunity arose that included Katrina Woolverton. You can check out Katrina's visualizer video for the remake in the show notes. Not only does Katrina talk about living her dream, but how it was realized with the support of family, especially her mom, or momager, as she calls her, and her husband, who shares a similar heartache seen in Katrina's childhood.

Together, they have now had the opportunity to help others in similar situations. Hope you enjoy my conversation with Katrina Woolverton. You have been singing professionally since you were nine years old. You were on this little show called Star Search, and you kept winning, and you [00:02:00] kept winning, and you kept winning, and you were beating out a lot of people, and you were meeting a lot of cool people, and then all of a sudden you're a champion, and you have some.

really amazing honors right at your feet. So tell me about that experience. 

Katrina Woolverton: Gosh, it feels like yesterday. And at the same time, like it was a thousand years ago, you know, that feeling, I'm sure it was, it was a wonderful time. I had so many people. Surrounding me who were a big part of the happiness in my childhood, like Elizabeth Howard.

She went to Juilliard. I was a member of her studio. She had students of all ages. She really took me under her wing and I just learned so much from her. And I still carry a lot of that with me today. A lot of my performance techniques, my microphone technique came from Liz and, you know, I was, I was on star search when I was very small.

Um, But because of this project that we're working on right now, my mom is momager, is helping me find images [00:03:00] from when I was very young and I The pictures that she's finding. I mean, I obviously had met Ed McMahon on multiple occasions. I had performed with Lou Rawls. She's chronicling all these things I did from the time I started singing when I was nine until I stopped when I was, um, just before 13 years old.

And I did have a lot of opportunities. After Star Search, I had offers for recording contracts, films, TV shows, all sorts of things that I, as you know, and other people may know, my family life was really difficult and, um, my mom was always amazing though, and so, I didn't feel like it was the right time, didn't want my dad to be my manager.

Come to find out as a grown up, a lot of people who were around me at the time who were on the other side of the offers didn't want him to be my manager either. And so here we are. 

Michelle Dawn Mooney: Yeah. So you came off of [00:04:00] that, as I said, a star search champion. And you had a lot of these opportunities, record deals, and even a doll.

They were going to make a doll after Katrina and you chose to walk away. Tell us why, because obviously not an easy decision and the emotions of what you were dealing with to be able to make that decision at such a young age. 

Katrina Woolverton: I've talked about it so much and it doesn't get any easier to talk about. It was a very dark time.

Um, the stage was my escape, my music life and my music family. It was part of my escape. He was very physically abusive towards my mom and then the fights started turning towards me as the subject because I was the little star and I didn't want that kind of attention and it was horrible that I quit. I should not have quit, but I didn't want to be the center of that kind of negativity and I didn't see it getting any better.

better. A lot of things have happened between then and now. Interestingly, my husband and I were [00:05:00] honored for some of our charitable work through our law school. We both went to the same law school, different years, and the law school randomly chose a charity. to be, uh, the recipient of the funds because the event was a fundraiser.

And oddly enough, they chose a fundraiser for, um, abused women. And his mom was also physically abused by his biological dad. He was raised by a different, uh, Man, the man that he always knew only as his father, who was Wolverton. So we proudly carry the Wolverton name. And it's so amazing to come out on the other side and realize that it actually was a better choice.

I knew it wouldn't be easy going back in to music. I knew the opportunities wouldn't be there. And I knew people wouldn't really care what I had done before that I had to start. From scratch. 

Michelle Dawn Mooney: Think one person can't make a difference? Here's 60 seconds to change your mind. What happens when a [00:06:00] Hollywood casting director and a Rock and Roll Hall of Famer realize they both discovered the secret that they were adopted?

Three words. The Felix Organization. Emmy award winner Sheila Jaffe, known for Sopranos and Entourage, was 11 when she discovered her family secret. Run DMC co-founder Darryl McDaniels found out he was adopted at the age of 35. After they connected through their shared experiences as adoptees, they were inspired to share their good fortune with children who had not been taken home as they had since 2006.

The Felix organization has provided a variety of camps and events to enrich the lives of foster children. For more information on activities or to help the cause, visit the felix organization.org and to hear more about Darrell's personal. story that led to the founding of the organization. Check out my interview with McDaniels in episode one.

This Make a Difference Minute was brought to you by Tackle Direct, the world's premier fishing outfitter. Visit TackleDirect. com to gear up for your next adventure. 

Katrina Woolverton: In some ways, I wish I had continued, but I don't regret having walked away. I feel like I have a [00:07:00] healthier balance and I was able to find a really wonderful relationship.

as a result of not pursuing it at that time. You left the music business, but oh yeah, you went to law school. And then you not only went to law school, but they happened to have this new degree that was connected with entertainment law, which you decided to go and take that extra step. You are now providing counsel for a radio syndication company, is that correct?

Yes, I can give them a shout out. They're called Benztown. Benztown. You know? 

Michelle Dawn Mooney: So you clearly were not slacking off after you decide, okay, we're not doing music, but we are definitely doing something. You are continuing to grow from a scholastic standpoint, and then you decide to get back into music. The last few years you've been touring with some huge names.

You've written with some big names. You have been recording a [00:08:00] number of songs that have been out there that have received a lot of great play. You just kept pushing on, which is a perfect segue to talk about. You've got some new music. Talk about Grind. 

Katrina Woolverton: It was really about the hard work that goes into. a success.

And sometimes all people see is the success. They don't realize how much sacrifice or hard work or tearful moments or failures went into having that ultimate success. And it's, it's all about the grind. It's all about just being unrelenting in your drive. And the struggle. And, you know, I talk about my mom in the very beginning of the song, you know, she, she told me like, if you want it, you got to go get it.

You go visit radio stations. Sometimes you're in three different cities in one day and you visited five different stations in one day. Sometimes you have five different visits in the same [00:09:00] city. And it has brought a lot of beautiful people into my life. At times I was very exhausted and people would say, oh my gosh, Katrina, aren't you exhausted?

And I'd say. I get to do what I love, so I can sleep later. Right now, I'm just going to seize this opportunity. So in, in that way, I feel like Grind is really an anthem about all the times that have gone into what people see as the glamorous moments. It's the unglamorous moments that in their totality get you to where you want to be.

Think of how you and I met. Music brought us together. And I, I definitely feel like you're my friend. And I'm very blessed to have been able to collect. people and turn it into friendships along the way. 

Michelle Dawn Mooney: And you talk about connecting. You have had some big connections. You've opened for Meatloaf and John Popper with Blues Traveler.

You have performed with and written with Rita Wilson. You have written with Amy Watch. You have written with really immersed [00:10:00] yourself, not only in the field of music of you personally getting back into the game, but really connecting with these major players and making those connections. How important are those connections?

Katrina Woolverton: They're everything to me as a musician to have the opportunity to. Create with someone else who I love and respect and enjoy listening to. It's a gift. And, you know, I always say music connects us. We say that you and I say that, but, but I mean it. And so I had worked with Rita and I had worked with John Popper.

And then I found out that Rita and John were doing a project together. And so I just thought, Oh my gosh, here we go. Here we are. Here we go. It's a perfect circle. 

Michelle Dawn Mooney: Yeah, it's perfect. Well, some things just come together. It's just amazing how big this world is, but how it's really not as big as we think it is.

And it's, it's really [00:11:00] awesome when we find those connections, closing things out here. What's in the pipeline? 

Katrina Woolverton: More music. I wrote some songs. It's for other people that they chose to not record. And I feel like it needs to be out there. So I'm cooking something up, pun intended, share with folks that might not necessarily be the kind of song you would expect if you're familiar with my body of work.

Yeah. Just for fun.

Michelle Dawn Mooney: I hope you enjoyed my conversation with Katrina Wolverton. You can visit her website KatrinaWolverton. com for more information on all of her music and some projects on the way. If you liked this episode, I would love it if you would leave a review and be sure to subscribe to hear more engaging conversations like the one you heard today.

Thanks again for listening, and remember, one person can make a difference, and that difference maker could be you. We'll see you soon.