Kat & Alex on Bilingual Debut EP: ‘Country Music Is for Everyone’ [Interview]
Burgeoning country-Latin duo Kat & Alex are celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month with the release of their bilingual debut EP. Out now, the tight seven-song sampler of Side A features heartfelt storytelling, spellbinding husband-and-wife harmonies, Kat’s emotionally charged powerhouse vocals and a well-rounded showcase of their country-pop-savvy sensibilities.
This artistic milestone has been a long time coming for the married couple, who had a brief run on American Idol in 2020 before moving to Nashville and signing a record deal with Sony Music Nashville soon after. Kat is Cuban, while Alex Georgia (born Alejandro Garrido) is Puerto Rican, and they met at a church service while living in Miami.
“It’s really exciting to put out a collection of work that I feel represents who we are as a couple. It’s a lot of music filled with love. There is a breakup song in there, but it still ties back to love,” Alex tells Taste of Country. “We really, really wanted to put a collection of songs together that represents who we are, not only as musicians, but also, on a personal level as a couple.”
That is why Kat & Alex co-wrote every song on the project except for “Marry You,” the sole outside cut. “‘Took forever and a day, but the day has come / Only 7 billion people, and you’re the one / Ain’t been drinking, but I mean it / Baby, it’s the truth / Yeah, I think I kinda wanna marry you,” the husband-and-wife declare passionately in the chorus.
“Marry You” is the work of songwriters Maren Morris and the late Busbee, an acclaimed songwriter-producer who had worked with Morris, Little Big Town, Lady A, Carly Pearce, Kellie Pickler, Hunter Hayes, Daughtry, and Pink, amongst others. Though Morris intended the up-tempo tune as a dedication to her husband, Ryan Hurd, she never recorded or released it. That’s why it got pitched to Morris’ Sony Nashville labelmates, who recall being completely enamored with the song and Busbee’s stellar production.
“We talked to [our producer] Brad Hill and said, ‘We don’t want to touch any of Busbee's stuff. If anything, we’ll add a couple of little touches.’ Alex shares of the song, which retained much of its Busbee-produced sound. “We wanted to do this to honor Busbee. Busbee is somebody we knew about before we came to Nashville, but never had the opportunity to meet him.
“Unfortunately, he passed but he left a legacy. We really, really believe that doing this song gave us a glimpse into who Busbee was. We’re carrying that legacy and just excited to put the song out to honor him.”
Much like “Marry You,” the majority of the tracks explore what it's like to be enraptured by love. The hit-ready “I Want It All” details Kat and Alex Georgia’s wedding vows, “5 on a Friday'' likens romance to a buzz-sparked euphoria, and “We Bought a House'' chronicles Kat & Alex’s real-life milestone.
“We bought a house / On the street with a bar / Put a swing on the porch / And a dog in the yard / We'll paint it white / We'll string up lights / Everything's gonna be alright /We ain't got much/ But it'll do / 'Cause we got love / Big enough for two / No we ain't growing up / We're just kinda settling down / Yeah, we bought a house,” they sing in the tender-hearted romantic ode.
“We bought a house a year ago, and really wanted to embody what it’s like to buy a house, and not only that, but to make a place a home,” shares Alex. “Home is being with somebody you love at a place that you feel comfortable and safe. We really wanted to give off those emotions in this song and have the listener feel like they’re home when they listen to it.”
However, not every song on the EP celebrates the glamorous side of being in love. “Still in It,” the sole heartbreak number, is a searing mid-tempo tune that chronicles one’s gripping post-breakup woes. Despite their best efforts, they can't shake the memories of their ex that pervade every corner of their heart and mind.
“Layin' in my bed at night / Right there I'm shocked on sight / I know you're not, so why does it feel like / You're still in it / Baby, you're still in it, no,” Kat laments with her soaring, Kelly Clarkson and Adele-esque vocals. Though the song doesn’t mirror Kat & Alex’s present-day relationship, they recorded it because of the universality of heartache and the fact that they wouldn't have met without previous romantic dissolutions.
“Breakups are so relatable. They’re things that we’ve both gone through, and they’re the reason why we’ve met each other,” Alex says. “We went through breakups, life and heartache. We really wanted to showcase that we weren’t afraid to sing about anything. It doesn’t always have to be love songs. If it weren’t for those breakups, we wouldn’t have met each other.”
As Nashville’s sole Hispanic husband-wife duo signed to a major label, Kat & Alex are grateful to be representing country music’s Spanish-speaking fans and artists. That is why they were intentional about tying their debut EP release with Hispanic Heritage Month and hitting the studio to record an entirely Spanish version — a feat that has never been done before in the genre. The English half, Side A, dropped on Sept. 16, while its Latin companion, Lado B (or Side B), is due out on Sept. 30.
“It’s so cool to be able to do this and have support from our team, from the label to management (The AMG) and everybody in between. Being able to put out an EP in Nashville, in the space of country music that’s all in Spanish is really, really exciting,” the emerging duo share with a brightly lit smile on their face.
“It is an example of what’s happening in country music. There’s so much going on and it’s so cool. You have people like Breland, Mickey Guyton and Frank Ray. Country music is for everyone, no matter where you’re from and what language you speak, and it’s really starting to show,” they reflect further.
“We’re just so grateful for everything that’s happened to us. God’s been so good to us. Every day we remind ourselves just how good God is and how grateful we are that He put us in this position to be able to do what we want and touch people with our music.”