Check Out Kate DeL’s Story

Today we’d like to introduce you to Kate DeL.

Hi Kate , can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
I’ve always been drawn to music that feels timeless — the Great American Songbook, jazz, Broadway, old Hollywood, and the kind of songs that make you feel like you’ve stepped into another era. I started performing professionally at a young age and spent years working across theater, live performance, and music, while also building a life and family in Northeast Ohio and traveling to New York for work.

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Definitely not. I don’t think there’s really a “smooth road” in this business, especially when you’re building an independent career and creating your own opportunities.
There have been plenty of moments where I’ve questioned whether I was doing enough, going in the right direction, or whether the next opportunity was ever going to come. I’ve had to learn how to keep moving even when there isn’t a clear roadmap — booking my own shows, creating my own music, reaching out to people, building an audience, and constantly figuring out how to turn an idea into something real.
One of the biggest challenges has been learning to trust my own voice. It’s easy to look around at what everyone else is doing and feel like you need to fit into a certain box to be successful. Over time, I’ve realized that the things that make me different — the vintage influence, the theatricality, the big vocals, the glamour, and my love of reimagining familiar songs — are actually the things I should be leaning into the most.

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I’m a vocalist and live performer, but more than anything, I’m a storyteller. While jazz is a huge part of my musical identity, I don’t just sing jazz. My work pulls from jazz, Broadway, pop, rock, the Great American Songbook, vintage music, and even contemporary songs that I hear an opportunity to completely reinvent. I love taking songs people already know and asking, “What if we tried it this way?”
That idea is really the heart of my new album, Let’s Try It This Way. It’s a collection of familiar songs, but they don’t necessarily sound the way you expect them to. I’m interested in taking something recognizable and putting my own world around it — whether that means turning a pop song into a smoky jazz arrangement, giving a rock song a vintage twist, or bringing a theatrical sensibility to something completely unexpected.
I’m also known for creating a full experience around my performances. I love the clothes, the storytelling, the humor, the musicians, the glamour, and all the little details that make an audience feel like they’ve stepped into another world for the night. That’s especially true of my holiday shows, which have become a major part of my work. My upcoming holiday tour takes that same vintage, glamorous energy and brings it to Christmas music in a way that feels theatrical, sophisticated, fun, and completely my own.
What I’m most proud of is that I’ve built this career by continuing to create rather than waiting for someone else to give me permission. I’m an independent artist, a mom, and a working performer who has learned how to make things happen — from producing my own shows and recording my own album to building an audience and taking my music between Northeast Ohio and New York City.
I think what sets me apart is that I’m not interested in being put into one box. Jazz is part of my foundation, but I’m ultimately an interpreter of songs and a creator of experiences. I want people to hear something they’ve known forever and think, “Wait… I’ve never heard it like THAT before.”

What would you say have been one of the most important lessons you’ve learned?
The biggest lesson I’ve learned is that I can’t wait for someone else to decide that I’m ready.
For a long time, I thought the next step in my career would come from someone discovering me, giving me the opportunity, or opening the right door. Eventually I realized that I could spend my whole life waiting for that door — or I could build my own.
That shift changed everything. I started producing my own shows, creating my own music, reaching out to people I wanted to work with, taking chances, and trusting my instincts even when I didn’t know exactly where something would lead. Some things have worked beautifully and some absolutely haven’t, but every experience has made me more confident in my own voice.
I’ve also learned that success doesn’t have to look like anyone else’s version of it. I’m not interested in chasing someone else’s career. I want to build a career that actually fits me — as an artist, a performer, a woman, and a mom.
That’s a huge part of where Let’s Try It This Way comes from. The album is essentially me saying, “This is how I hear it. This is how I want to do it.” And I think there’s something really powerful about giving yourself permission to do things your own way.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.katedel.com
• Instagram: kate_dela
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/KatelynDeLadurantey/videos
• Other: https://ffm.to/j8dkbry