Mari Kattman interview: ‘Becoming great at engineering is the only thing that will do justice to a great song’
Mari Kattman interview
Mari Kattman is a multi-talented American artist best known as a singer. She has lent her heavenly voice to numerous artists such as Assemblage 23, Mesh, Psy’aviah, iVardensphere, Aesthetische, Neuroticfish, Solitary Experiments, Comaduster, and others. We also know Mari Kattman from projects like Helix (a collaboration with her husband Tom Shear of Assemblage 23), The Joy Thieves, and Mari & The Ghost (with Jean-Marc Lederman). A few years ago, however, Mari Kattman also launched her own solo career, developing her own sound and contributing her personal ideas. Her latest album, “Year Of The Katt”, released this year on Metropolis Records, is a significant milestone. For the first time, Mari Kattman did everything herself. Beyond her stunning vocals, she now showcases her musicianship as well. The result is wonderful; a captivating blend of Electro-Pop with occasional harder EBM elements, enriched by an airy, floating atmosphere. In my opinion, it’s a strong album that marks an exciting step forward in her artistic journey. I had the chance to speak with Mari Kattman about it. (Courtesy by Inferno Sound Diaries)
Q: You’ve been active in the underground electronic scene for years, primarily as a guest vocalist. Looking back, what do you consider your most important achievements, and how did your path lead you to releasing a full solo Mari Kattman album?
Mari: I think the most important part of my journey was everything. I know that’s really broad but without things unfolding the way they did I don’t think I would have ever had the confidence of going out on my own and working alone. I am who I am because of the people who believed in me and put faith in my voice, people with far more experience than me who saw inspiration in my performance. I certainly love working with others but I also wanted my own voice.
There were so many times I was working on others peoples music where I would think to myself ‘oh, I would have done that differently there’ but I didn’t know how to reproduce what I was hearing in my head. Everything you hear on my solo album is what music sounds like, channeled solely through me. I think that’s a really beautiful thing to be able to have that much control over the world you want your listener in.
Q: “Year Of The Katt” seems like a milestone in your artistic career, but what does it truly represent for you? Could you also share a bit more about your musical background, since many listeners have known you mainly as a singer?
Mari: “Year Of The Katt” is a culmination of all of my learning and perseverance as an artist through the last 5 years. I’ve spent so much time learning and striving for the chance to have an autonomous voice of my own. This is a celebration of that achievement. I am primarily a singer, I trained in singing since I was very young but I also sang in many choirs throughout my life and became extremely adept at recording harmonies. The process of writing songs for me is much like the process of writing for a full choir and all the parts that move over one another. My choir experience is everything to my song composition abilities.
Q: After so many years of collaborations, taking on every aspect of a release entirely on your own must have been a real challenge. What did you find to be the biggest difficulties, and what lessons or techniques did you carry over from past collaborations—especially your work with Tom Shear?
Mari: It was a real challenge, especially the post production end. I consider myself more a musician than an engineer but becoming great at engineering is the only thing that will do justice to a great song. So taking what I have done and ‘shining the apple’ per se was my greatest concern.
I have learned a lot from Tom, when we work on Helix (our side project) I ask a lot of questions. Tom is a rare talent in that he does everything, outside of mastering, alone too and he is fantastic at it. He has a method and as artists I think we all do start to fall into a comfortable groove of what plugins we like and how we put a song together. Tom is very solid in his approach which makes for that very recognizable Tom Shear sound! I take every chance I can get to pop in and ask how he puts things together and he is a very willing teacher.
Q: When you began writing “Year Of The Katt”, did you have a clear vision regarding style, influences, and production? What were the key steps in shaping the album into its final form?
Mari: I wanted “Year Of The Katt” to reflect my current abilities and my current stage of learning. I didn’t want to over do it, so on my album you will hear often a minimalistic approach. I am still learning proper mixing and post production. I didn’t want to crowd the mix in a way I couldn’t control or work my way out of. On this album I tried to pick a few sounds to shine and back off of the idea of layering too many elements. I really admire artists that know dynamics, when to give it all and when to take away. I really appreciate a clean sound so this was my ultimate goal!
Q: How do the themes and emotions in your lyrics relate to the album’s title? What core message or feeling were you aiming to convey?
Mari: There was no specific message to the album. I tried to make the songs relatable and mainly the songs reflect the thoughts of a person at the mid point of their life. Finding your sense of self worth, injustice, introspection are all on the table in this release.
Q: Working alone can be rewarding but also demanding. Were there moments when it felt overwhelming, and how did you navigate those? What helped you maintain balance throughout the process?
Mari: There were definitely moments where I felt overwhelmed. It feels like you are juggling far too many objects, at times. You must make all the songs fit together and also handle every single stem within each song to make those play nice together. I think you learn, in the end, that the things you feel are important, a listener will never pick up on. Music is truly for the listener and making it less about you and more about them is a welcome way to unburden yourself from becoming too picky or too paralyzed in your inability to choose something and just move on.
Q: Now that the album is out, are there plans for live performances or other forms of presentation? And are there any new projects already taking shape?
Mari: Yes! Assemblage 23 and I are doing a UK/EU tour in October 2025.
- October 15th – Bristol, Exchange
- October 16th – Manchester, Rebellion
- October 17th – Glasgow, Ivory Blacks
- October 18th – Sheffield, Corporation
- October 19th – London, The Dome (Downstairs)
- October 20th – Oberhausen, Kulttempel
I have already begun to work on the follow up Mari Kattman album to “Year Of The Katt” and hope to have it released by this time next year. I can’t tell you how happy I am at the response to this album, it’s only motivated me to keep going harder. Helix will also have another release as well, so stay tuned on that front as well!
About Mari Kattman
Mari Kattman is an American electronic music artist, vocalist, songwriter, and producer based in Boston, Massachusetts. Mari Kattman began self-recording, writing, composing, and performing music in 2012.
Kattman signed with COP International in 2022, releasing her first EP with the label, “Is It Really That Bad” (May 13, 2022), which featured remixes by Neuroticfish, Rotersand, and John Fryer. Mari Kattman later joined Metropolis Records, where she released “Year of the Katt” in 2025. The album, entirely written, recorded, and produced by Kattman, features tracks like “Typical Girl”, “Anemia” and “Sharp Shooter”, which combine industrial and EBM influences with synthpop elements.
Mari Kattman has collaborated with a wide array of artists including Assemblage 23 (together with her husband Tom Shear she also forms the duo Helix), Mesh, Ivardensphere, Psy’Aviah, Neuroticfish, Comaduster, Cassetter, This Morn Omina, Solitary Experiments, Mephisto Walz, Aiboforcen, Interface, Jean-Marc Lederman, BlackCarBurning, Fury Weekend, 3FORCE, and Aesthetische.
Mari Kattman has also fronted the project Mari and the Ghost with Jean-Marc Lederman.
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