Local artist makes her hometown debut In PG

Katie Mavis is a Prince George born and raised musisicn with big dreams and a lot of talent to back them up. 

She recently performed her hometown debut at CrossRoads Brewing & Distillery to a packed house on Jan. 3 and was very well received. 

“It was so much fun. It was just a super attentive crowd,” Mavis said. “I've played in bars before and people are cheering their beers and your background music usually but everyone who came out that night was there for me, which was a crazy feeling… I got the chance to banter and people would laugh at the jokes and catch the beats and listen to the songs and it felt like, oh my god, I'm playing at a concert this is crazy!... it was super fun and it was a full house, which was crazy!”

Mavis’s music is filled with poetic musings, love, and everything in between. Her music has been described as ‘dreamy’ with lots of folk influence. 

Mavis has a complicated relationship with her hometown of Prince George but has grown to appreciate it since setting off on her own.

“I had an interesting childhood, my youth was tough and complicated,” Mavis said.

“So I grew to not enjoy Prince George as much. I think that I associated it with some harder times in my life. However, I lived in Toronto for a year and I live in Boston now, and I feel like moving to the East Coast has given me such a huge appreciation that I got the opportunity to grow up on the West Coast. I love British Columbia now more than ever, I'm so grateful every time I drive around. We're in this beautiful valley and there's all these trees and it's just beautiful every time of the year. I'm so grateful that I get to come home now and come back to PG.”

Mavis draws a lot of inspiration from acoustic-folk artists like Hozier. She especially values music that feels "real" and deals with larger poetic concepts. She also is a fan of music that mixes poetry and pop hooks.

She is also a longtime Taylor Swift fan. She was inspired at a young age to become a singer after seeing the artist live on her 1989 tour. She hopes one day to inspire people and draw huge crowds just like Swift.

Mavis is no stranger to success either, as she is currently attending Berklee College of Music, one of the top-rated musical schools in North America.

“It's a crazy opportunity to be there," Mavis said. “I'm studying under the most insane professors who have taught the coolest people in the world, and  every day I'm so grateful that I get to be involved, and it's just a super cool opportunity… and it's insane that I get to be there.”

Mavis was awarded the Berklee World Tour Scholarship immediately after her initial audition and has since been awarded the Songwriting Merit Scholarship. 

In the near future Mavis plans to focus on her education and on releasing more music, as well as working toward releasing a music video for her new single. 

Her long-term plan after graduation in May is to move to Nashville or L.A and pursue her dreams, as well as find work in her field.

Mavis also has great appreciation for the help that she has received along the way, especially her mother as she stated that none of this would have been possible without her help.

Her recently debuted single 'Lover Body Mother' can be found on Apple Music and YouTube, as well more of her discography can be found on Soundcloud.