Katie Gregson-Macleod worked in a coffee store in Inverness as a student a year ago. She is currently signed to the same record label as Adele and is drinking pals with Lewis Capaldi.
It is due to the fact that her song Complex exploded overnight on TikTok, garnering millions of views.
In the same category as Harry Styles, Tom Odell, and Florence and the Machine, she has been nominated for musically and lyrically best song at the prestigious Ivor Novello Awards.
The 22-year-old cannot believe how much a 45-second song clip she preserved in her drafts has altered her life.
She tells BBC Newsbeat,
“It feels like an incredible endorsement from the industry and from writers I hold in such high regard.” I still find it hard to believe.
Katie’s song Complex has been played by DJ Jack Saunders on BBC Radio 1, and music star Camilla Cabello has even performed her own version.
Even though she’s been performing for years and “committed to the grind,” the musician says she never imagined she’d achieve such success.
“The industry seemed like a tremendous obstacle to overcome,” she says.
“TikTok was an opportunity for me to put my work out there in a way that could reach far more people than I could have ever imagined in Inverness.”
It essentially means that anyone can experience that moment, which is wonderful.
Lewis Capaldi, a new friend, and fellow Scot have been providing her with advice on how to cope with her overnight success.
“When we first met, he said something along the lines of it’s okay to not always feel as excited and happy as you think you should,” she recalls.
Even though everyone is telling you it’s the greatest thing in the world, it’s acceptable to feel uncomfortable or numb.
Do not change because of the internet.
However, what advice does she have for young individuals attempting to break into the music scene?
“Put forth effort in your writing and in your live performances.
“TikTok is something that will hopefully help boost it, but there has to be something there to boost, and you can’t change who you are for the internet.”
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