Kat Cunning
Kat Cunning has just released a phenomenal new single titled “Bedroom Angel”.
Emotional and captivating, “Bedroom Angel” was written by Cunning and produced by Bram Inscore.
“I hope this song serves as redemption and celebration bursting through your ceiling to give you that same nudge toward owning what you want and who you are. Queer people are angels, pleasure is political, and you are my favorite ghost,” they explain.
It is, in my opinion, a big song that deserves so much love and attention. It’s perfectly written and produced, and the vulnerability behind it is just incredible.
They will be releasing their debut EP next year and I cannot wait to hear it. But for now, let’s stream “Bedroom Angel” on repeat.
Photo credit: Colin Jones
Hi Kat, how are you? What's your story?
My story is long but it starts with a birth on a full moon with the umbilical cord wrapped around my neck. I came out blue and that's how I like my music, still.
"Bedroom Angel" is your new single - what's the inspiration behind this song?
When I wrote it, I imagined being closeted in a small town and praying at the foot of my bed for some sapphic apparition to burst through the ceiling and show me the way. I love to use religious imagery because (it is so inherently erotically packaged) but I also think that so many queer people were raised in the church and are informed by its gorgeous iconography and relationship to worship. As much as we may disavow organized religion, we are not exempt from its architecturally gorgeous influence on culture. It's cathartic for me to take back the operatic nature of catholic storytelling, to use its formidable angels in the context of queer intimacy.
When did you start working on "Bedroom Angel"? Could you describe the songwriting/production process behind this song? Who helped you create it?
Bram Inscore is the genius behind the production. I told him I had not been in love with the lack of grit in some of my previous songs- I wanted to feel more dark textures and space to evoke the emotion of the underground spaces I perform in/came up in through in NYC/Brooklyn nightlife. There is something so special about the live performance spaces counterculture communities gather, particularly in the rise of technological dependency and disconnect. The song opens in that darkness and grows into a major chorus that still feels smooth.
I wrote it during the pandemic over a zoom with Bram and recorded the vocal on a YouTube Blue mic that I had been doing my zoom interviews on. That is the same vocal you hear on the finished product.
What did you feel when recording this song?
I felt really inspired by sort of spiritual self discovery through love and sex. Kink, role-play and BDSM are all really cathartic ways to move through trauma, explore the full extent of human emotion and personal identity, and ultimately build trust and connection. It’s transcendent to feel accepted for who you are when you go out on a limb of vulnerability and bravery to express it, and I’m really passionate about fostering environments where people communicate better around intimacy as an anti-shame practice.
What's your favorite lyric on "Bedroom Angel"?
“I’m possessive, but you like that, you’re my favorite ghost.”
That’s a shoutout to all the freaks and subs who call me Daddy cus at the end of the day every real Dom knows the sub is in control. The ghost line is to help flesh out the angel character as someone to fear and respect- she’s not a precious moments figurine. She’s formidable.
What made you want to release "Bedroom Angel" as a single?
This song really encompasses where I’m going and where I’m coming from creatively. It’s a strong bridge to a new chapter that you can expect to be a little more alternative and gritty and hopefully more steeped in a production identity as I step into the first truly independent chapter of my career.
What message do you want to give to queer people?
Be kind. We are a marginalized and intersectional community and we will get no where by cutting each other down. Let’s be efficient and unified in fighting the wars instead of the battles.
What are your thoughts on today's music industry? If you could change one thing, what would it be?
I would love to see more funding structures for emerging artists that are artist friendly. We’re in a moment of extremely low attention span and developmental lack of creativity. Labels are responding to TikTok successes and wasting money on projects that have unsustainable moments of success and I feel like we’re missing out on artists with longevity. In the 80’s an artist would walk into a label and sing, and the support would be given to them to be ushered into the world. I want to see labels feel more empowered to take risks on those talents and to think long term. Sometimes slow an steady gives you the greats and I feel like our generation is missing out on those people that haven’t hacked a makeup tutorial, because that’s not what the music is for.
Could you a list a few records that influenced the music you are making today?
Fiona apple ‘Hot Knife’, Lana Del Rey ‘Yayo’, Missy Elliott ‘The Rain (Supa Dupa Fly)’, Sade ‘Sweetest Taboo’, Rhye ‘Open’.
What does music make you feel?
Music decorates time, and reminds me that however short our lives are, our the experience of that time is elastic. Our society begs of us to be less emotionally present and to treat ourselves as human capitol, with achievement at the forefront of our purpose. Music reminds me that the greatest thing I can achieve in this life is to be present in the experience of it.
Besides music, what are you passionate about?
I love to direct, I love to dance (spent the bulk of my life as a concert dancer and ballerina), I love to give unsolicited love and relationship advice, and I love love love to eat. Poetry, reality tv, bodies of water and hot tubs bring me a lot of joy as a scorpio.
In your opinion, what would make the world a better place?
Wealth redistribution. It’s truly ridiculous how rich the rich are.
What biggest life lessons have you learned this year?
The path may not wind the way it reads on the map but you’re going somewhere and that’s all that can be expected of a human wandering this earth. Value witness and check in to make sure you are moving as yourself. You only get one life and the world only gets one you.
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