Donegal musician releases her debut single
The singer wrote the song after feeling inspired when she came back home to Greencastle after studying in Leeds.
A woman from Greencastle has released her debut single after moving back home to Donegal.
Katie Jane McKinley released the single titled ‘Thoughts That I Had ’, launching her music career, on Saturday, 24th July.
The 22-year-old wrote her song after moving back home to Donegal after living in Leeds to complete her university degree.
“I found myself spending a lot of time in silence, and I wasn't writing with the intention of making a song; I was simply trying to make sense of what I was feeling,” she says, “it became a way of processing the conversations we have with ourselves when no one else is around; overthinking, self-doubt, questioning whether our feelings are valid, and trying to understand experiences that don't always have clear answers.
The song grew naturally from that space, becoming less about the solutions and more about accepting those thoughts as part of being human.
“This song feels like the right place to begin because it introduces the heart of what I want to create as an artist,” she says.
Growing up listening to musicians such as Kate Bush, Enya, and Etta James, Katie Jane describes her music as non-confined to a specific genre; Katie Jane aims to create music that feels timeless, instead of trend-driven.
“Rather than trying to make a statement or follow a trend, this song represents the most honest version of where I am creatively,” she tells DonegalLive. “Although the song is deeply personal, I deliberately left space within the lyrics because I wanted listeners to find their own meaning in them.
“We all experience moments where our minds become louder than everything else around us. I hope that people hear themselves in the song just as much as they hear me, and perhaps leave feeling a little less alone in those quieter moments.”
The musician has been involved in music since an early age, attending the Ceolan School of Music in Moville, studying music for her Leaving Cert, and completing a degree in music production at the North West Regional before gaining further education in Leeds.
Katie Jane, who was classically trained in piano by Nadene Fiorentini, studied at Leeds Beckett University in England and graduated with a bachelor's degree in music production last year.
“I have more music to be released in the works at the moment,” she shares, “this song marks the beginning of work centred on emotional storytelling and creating space for listeners to connect with their own experiences.”
Katie Jane’s single is available to stream on Spotify and YouTube.