It’s always special when one artist meets another while working on a project and decides to further their professional relationship when the project is complete. That’s exactly what happened when Kate Voegele and Michael Grubbs first met on the set of the hit show One Tree Hill and found kindred spirits in one another.
Fast-forward a few years, and the pair are now making waves as Your Future Ghost. Their new single, “Pritty,” is a party anthem with a message—to celebrate all of yourself (especially the weird, kooky parts)—even if others don’t see just how awesome you are. Here, Kate spills the beans on the band’s creative and artistic evolution, teases their upcoming album, and shares her hopes to get over this side of the pond in the near future.
For anyone who has yet to discover the pair of you, who exactly is Your Future Ghost in a few words or a sentence?
Kate: Your Future Ghost is the new synth-pop/rock musical project of Billboard-charting singer/songwriter, musician, and actress Kate Voegele and multifaceted songwriter, producer, composer, and actor Michael Grubbs. We met on set, both playing our music on the CW’s “One Tree Hill,” and we were friends for years before we ever collaborated creatively. Once we started writing together, we realized really quickly that this was more than just two friends who happened to collaborate well together writing songs, and Your Future Ghost was born.
What sets YFG apart from the many other bands and artists around today?
Kate: I think YFG is unique sonically because we’re far less concerned with whether or not something fits within a tidy box of a particular genre and completely focused on just making music that sounds cool. I also think the band has a really unique perspective because of the separate careers Mike and I had before starting this band—we’re both bringing very different creative points of view that mesh together to create something that sounds fun, fresh, and authentic in a way that’s impossible to manufacture.
You first met while working on One Tree Hill (one of my favourite shows ever, by the way!), but did you ever imagine that, all these years later, you’d still be working alongside each other and that your personal and professional relationship would grow and develop as it has?
Kate: When I met Mike, I had already been playing my music and acting on the show for two seasons, and I was immediately so excited to have another musician like me on the show. I always felt a little like a unicorn because I was a musician first and an actress second, and everyone else I worked with was the opposite or didn’t play music at all. Mike and I became fast friends, and I immediately had so much creative respect for him as a writer and artist. I don’t think I ever envisioned starting a band with anyone at that time because I was so focused on my solo artist career. Now that we have this project together, though, it makes sense why it works. There’s a really cool magical element to being good friends with someone and collaborating well artistically – because one does not always equal the other! We got really lucky in that sense.
What do you want those who hear your latest single, “Pritty,” to take from it? Is there a particular idea you want to convey with the track?
Kate: The song is about being a little unhinged but also irresistible. It’s kind of about the lengths we’ll go to for people in our lives who are a mess, but we love them regardless. It’s about someone who’s self-aware enough to know they’re too much but also isn’t sorry about it because they’re a God damned blast to have around. It’s kind of about knowing that the weirdest thing about you is probably the coolest thing about you and not being afraid to celebrate that, even if it makes some people mad or uncomfortable.
How would you say the song explores and demonstrates who you are/what you stand for as a duo but also as individuals and artists?
Kate: As a band, it’s essential for us to encourage folks to be themselves. Mike and I have lived our versions of being the ‘weird kid’ and not fitting into other peoples’ ideas of who we should be in the world, so the song represents that for us as a group. As a woman in music, I can’t count the number of times some guy has tried to tell me who I can and can’t be and how to be a female musician the ‘right’ way. This song, for me, is a celebration of finding the courage to say fuck that and go with my gut- even if it makes people mad or goes against whatever rules they think exist. That realization that I know who I am better than anybody else does was a powerful one for me and something I hope people take away from this song.
Kate, for you in particular, the edginess of the song is considerably different from the songs and music you’re perhaps better known for. Was that an intentional choice or something that developed as the song and your partnership with Michael developed?
Kate: I think it was an organic development as this band came together and as my voice within that band started to emerge. This edginess is something that fans have definitely heard pieces of in some of my solo stuff. Still, this project has given me space to fully and unapologetically explore those aspects of who I am as a person and an artist. There are many things I feel like I can say in a YFG song that I would’ve been apprehensive to say in a Kate Voegele song because I was a teenager when I signed my first record deal as Kate Voegele. Many people wanted me to be the perfect role model at that time, which meant staying inside certain lines. What’s funny is that I think showing every side of yourself as an artist is actually what ends up inspiring people, so this project is a way for me to bring my audience into these edgier sides of who I am that have been there all along.
The song is taken from your upcoming album. Without giving too much away, what can you tell me about it?
Kate: We like to say that this album is dirty, indie rock, jump-on-your-bed, and sing-along. More than anything, it is incredibly fun. We both put so much of ourselves into these songs, and we wanted to make something that doesn’t ask for permission to be fun, loud, and a little wild at times—it just is.
Do you have a favourite track, and if so, which is it and why?
Kate: I can’t pick a favourite because every song on this album was chosen ruthlessly from about 30+ songs we’ve written for the project. There is one that hasn’t come out yet- that we wrote unexpectedly after taking a taco break- that I’m most excited about sharing with fans. It’s the most fun I’ve ever had writing and recording a song, and the lyrics just perfectly capture that feeling of knowing you’re awesome and inviting everyone who tries to bring you down to fuck off.
With an array of 2024 tours well underway, will you guys be hitting the road anytime soon? Where would you most like to play?
Kate: We are excited to play these songs live and are focused on workshopping what that will look like. We’re excited to play some of our favorite US cities, such as NYC, LA, and Austin, but personally, I think this band was made for a cool rock club in London. Paris is also like a second home to me, so I can’t wait to bring YFG across the ocean, hopefully soon.
Finally, with Your Future Ghost making waves, where do you see the future for the band going and are there any plans to blend your music and acting careers so you can juggle both, or is music the sole focus now?
Kate: This band has taken on its own identity in the most organic way over the course of the making of this album, so I definitely see us jumping back in the studio tomorrow to start writing the next one. I am most focused on music at this point in my career, as it’s always been my first job and love. I wouldn’t rule out acting again, but I’m never happier than I am working out the melody for my next favourite song in the studio. I can’t wait to see where YFG takes us, and I feel like we’re just getting started with what we have to say.
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