Katlyn Conroy has to be the most transparent musician to ever come out of Lawrence. It’s a little nerve-wracking when your entire community is privy to your deepest thoughts and desires, but this comes natural to Conroy. Through her musical act, Cheery, she wears her heart on her sleeve (both figuratively and literally, as she often dons hearts she crafted adorned with sequins on her clothes during performances). The Lawrence native built a career in Liverpool when she moved there a few years ago. Now, she’s awaiting some final touches on her immigration documents before moving back home. So naturally, she has released a solo album titled All the Life I Long for is Waiting in Liverpool. We talked to her about the album, recorded alone in her bedroom, while she waits to reunite with her band in Liverpool.
Editor’s Note: You can watch Cheery at The Bottleneck on July 3 with Carswell and Hope and Bonzo Madrid.
IHLM: You’ve always been known for being intensely transparent in your music, and we definitely hear that with this album. How does baring your all through your music affect your daily life?
KC: I think it’s kind of just a necessity for my mental health, to be honest. I was recently diagnosed with ADHD And a few other things, and now a lot of things make sense to me. The nagging, running internal dialogue, the sort of compulsive anxieties, and fixation on my failures or things I can’t control. Purging my mind of that and pouring it into my music is genuinely such a relief. Thus far, it’s never come back too bite me. Music is just such a safe space, I feel.
IHLM: Now that you’ve built music careers on two different continents, what do you notice has been the biggest difference between fans in Kansas vs. your fans in Liverpool?
KC: In the UK (And I believe a lot of Europe ) shows take place much earlier. Consistently about 7:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m. This makes a huge difference because you can play a show on a Monday or a Wednesday or Sunday and it doesn’t affect your audience. There are also a lot of weekenders where shows happen all day and are free in certain neighborhoods, which is just such a lovely thing to have on a regular basis. In a place like Liverpool, that is so music centric, I feel like you just generally have a better pull. Oh, and people buy merch more!
IHLM: What are you hoping listeners take away from this album?
KC: So much of this album is about feeling isolated, and overwhelmed with your own guilt or disappointment. But it also has a tinge of hope in every song. I really hope that the listeners can feel it and relate and maybe feel a little less alone in those feelings.
IHLM: Once you move back to Liverpool, what are ways you will keep your music connected with your Kansas fans?
KC: Lawrence will always hold a very special place in my heart, and I truly hope to continue collaborating with my music pals here. Overload distance, if possible. I think I’ll always continue to write about Lawrence and the Midwest as well. So many people here have watched me grow from a literal child with my music and I’m hopeful they will be invested in watching me continue to grow and reach new heights of success.
IHLM: Where do you see yourself with your music at this time next year?
KC: I have an incredible band waiting for me in Liverpool. We started working on our second album, Cyclical Sadness, about six months before I left, and we’ve continued working on it while I’ve been gone. I’ve never been more excited for the group of songs, there are some real catchy bangers as well… which is quite new for me. So by this time next year I would hope to at least start the process on getting that out, even if it’s just a few singles by then.
I also began scoring short films when I lived in the UK and I plan on continuing to do that because it was a really fun departure for me.