by freya greenwood
photo by henrique tarricone
Kady Zadora writes sad songs for people with excellent taste in bad decisions. It’s a sharp, self-aware approach that defines her debut album, Stranger, a record that manages to make devastating heartbreak sound a little prettier than it actually feels. For Unclear Magazine, I caught up with the rising artist to break down the reality behind her new single “Malibu,” her traditional country roots, and why a great song always survives the noise.
How would you describe your overall sound and musical identity to someone who hasn't heard your music before?
Kady: “I write sad songs for people with excellent taste in bad decisions and try to make heartbreak sound a little prettier than it feels.”
What originally drew you toward the country music scene?
Kady: “I grew up listening to so many different types of music, and no matter how many I explored, I kept coming back. Country music has a way of saying the hardest things in the simplest terms, and that's always been what I connected with most.”
Growing up in a very musical home surrounded by theater and the entertainment industry, how did that early exposure shape your approach to songwriting and your ultimate career goals?
Kady: “I think seeing the industry up close actually pushed me toward something more traditional. You learn pretty quickly that the business and the music are not always the same thing. But a great song has a funny way of surviving all the bullshit around it.”
Your song “Malibu” beautifully explores themes of reflection and love. Can you take us behind the scenes of what inspired this specific track?
Kady: “If I told you, I’d have to kill you. I’ll just say this: girl meets boy, boy leads girl on for far too long, girl eventually realizes she was in love with the idea of him more than the actual man.”
Who or what were some of your biggest sonic and lyrical influences when you were shaping your debut album, Stranger?
Kady: “We were all over the place, from Tammy Wynette and Roger Miller, to Brandi Carlile, Fleetwood Mac, Kacey Musgraves.”
Stranger beautifully chronicles the journey of falling in and out of love, both with someone else and with yourself. What did writing this album provide for you emotionally as you navigated those highs and lows?
Kady: “Thank you. Yes, writing it brought me a sense of peace. I got to process the pain through music, surrounded by people I love and trust. The heartbreak was just the catalyst, then the focus shifted and once the grief passed, there was nowhere else to go but inward. The record forced me to look at parts of myself I'd rather avoid, but you know what they say, life’s a bitch. And what doesn’t kill you…?”
If you could paint a picture of the absolute ideal setting for someone to experience Stranger for the first time, what does that look like?
Kady: “I think it would be an internal setting, when you’re really in need of something to warm your soul. And maybe a nice empty beach to walk while listening. With, what we call, ‘The Stranger,’ which is just a nice glass of whiskey.”
You’ve described “Malibu” as a heartbreak song that makes you want to grab a drink rather than cry in a dark room. How did you want to translate that specific bittersweet energy visually when you were filming the music video?
Kady: “Alcohol. No, but honestly, I wanted it to feel the way the song feels. Beautiful on the surface, a little heartbreaking underneath. Like you're having the best day of your life while at the same time realizing it's already over.”
Looking back at the project as a whole, do you have a personal favorite track on Stranger, and what makes that one hold a special place for you?
Kady: “Definitely ‘Stranger I Loved.’ That was the moment I could finally admit how broken I was. It was telling the truth about everything in the most unforgiving way, for myself, to myself. We all have that moment when we wake up from the spell, savagely rooted in the realities and can’t look at anything the same again. This was that moment for me.”
Now that Stranger is out in the world and you’ve had some time to reflect on the release, what is the biggest thing you’ve learned about yourself as an artist through this entire process?
Kady: “I learned that I'll never stop learning, and that I'm a lot more comfortable admitting I don't know much. You just try to tell the truth and hope you're not full of shit enough for people to connect with it. The good (and bad) news is heartbreak is one of the few things almost everybody understands.”