Katie Pruitt and Jess Nolan

Katie Pruitt: A Transformative Musical Journey

Katie Pruitt is living proof of music's power to transform the way we experience the world. Soon after the arrival of her acclaimed debut Expectations, a 2020 LP on which she documented her journey in growing up queer in the Christian South, the Georgia-bred singer/songwriter/guitarist heard from countless listeners that her songs had impacted their lives on an elemental level. A lot of people told me how the record helped them navigate their relationships with family; I even had some parents tell me that it helped them understand their children better, she recalls.

Exploring Identity and Self-Compassion

With her sophomore album Mantras, the Nashville-based musician now looks inward to explore such matters as gender identity, self-compassion or the lack thereof, and the struggle for peace in times of chaos and uncertainty, ultimately arriving at a body of work that speaks to the strength in undoing harmful self-beliefs and fully living your truth. One of the big themes of this record is the idea of building a home inside yourself rather than seeking it in others, says Pruitt.

Changing Internal Dialogue

Over the past couple of years, I've tried to change the way I speak to myself and turn my negative internal dialogue into a kinder voice because that ends up influencing everything: the kindness starts with us and ripples outward into the world. Mantras is about finding that light within ourselves instead of falling into the trap of chasing validation from our parents or friends or religion or social media.