116. Fifteen Minutes of Fame Recaps: Single Review of Spring by Kathi Deakin
Originally Published on April 18th, 2025
About the Artist
A couple months ago, I reached out to Kathi Deakin to see how she was doing with performing and to ask about whether or not she had any upcoming news or releases:
FMOF: Hey Kathi! Thanks for agreeing to speak with me again! I know we had an interview a couple months ago, but since that time, These Roots has officially released! How does it feel to have your second single out in the world?
KD: It feels like I am slowly building my city of sound and content. These Roots gives better insight into my inner world and style of songwriting. I feel like people now have a better understanding of what to expect.
FMOF: So your first single, Fairy, released in July. Now you’ve got These Roots that released (in November). Are these songs part of one bigger project, or are they part of a series of singles?
KD: Yes! I will be working on an album or an EP for the next half year. I’ve learned that good things take time, I can’t tell you how much time this is going to take exactly, but I have a plan and a concept and people that support me so it’s this journey has been a quite exiting one. And it’s only just beginning, wich makes it even more nerve-racking, in a good way of course!!
FMOF: Are you planning your next release yet?
KD: My next release will be in spring (foreshadowing)
FMOF: When we spoke last month, you had mentioned possibly venturing into live performance, even maybe having a band. Has there been progress towards doing that? When do you think we will have a live Kathi Deakin show to look forward to?
KD: I have played at a few open mic‘s and it’s been so much fun! My good friend Marie plays the main guitar and is my background vocalist. We are gaining confidence and experience and we‘ll start to plan a little tour for summer soon. I also have asked a few people to join the band, it’s a progress. But my dream is to get around, at least within Germany this year, I’m trying to find small venues all over the country.
FMOF: What can we hope to see from Kathi Deakin in 2025?
KD: Well, more music, some collaborations and hopefully more and more live acts.
Well, since this interview, Kathi has released her third single, and it is called Spring.
About the Song
Spring is the third single by the German/English recording artist, Kathi Deakin. It released on March 28, 2025. I had a chance to ask Kathi about what the song meant to her. This is what she said:
“ Spring is a metaphor for short breath and physical reaction to changes (like allergies in spring and in this case changes in a relationship).
In this season many of us react badly to the blooming and the beautiful change in our surroundings. This is a song about panicking and clinging, feeling like you are suffocating your partner but fearing that letting go would make you lose them again.
The positive change my partner was experiencing (you’re finally there) felt like a change that would effect our time together. This selfishness was scary and overwhelming. That’s why in the chorus I sing, “It might not be fair to play on your weather,” because change in real lives- just like change in weather- is inevitable and you simply cannot (and don’t want to) control it.
Still, this change made me feel like I am unable to breath and stay calm.”
About the Music
Spring is musically very much a Kathi Deakin record. First, this is acoustic-driven. This could fall in the categories of Americana, Folk-fusion, Alternative, Popular music. It has an organic feel to it that is accented with layers and layers of vocals that give it such an authentic power.
Spring doesn’t have a lot of performers in the way of instruments. There is an acoustic guitar and a string section. There might be a very soft synth part in the background just playing the tone notes of the chord progression. But I might be hearing a lower string part, like a cello or double bass. It also sounds like there is subtle piano part might be trying to sneak its way into the arrangement but I don’t think it’s there. I’m writing this because of how fascinating I find this to be. There are so many layers of sound within this track that I really have to lean in to analyze everything that’s happening.
Musically, the arpeggiation and progression of the guitars at one point remind me of Weird Fishes/Arpeggi by Radiohead.
I think the most special thing about Kathi Deakin’s music is the vocal performance. There are so many ways to hear them. First, if we listen to her vocals as a solo lead vocal, she has such a pure and wholesome tone to her voice. She doesn’t incorporate too much in the way of vibrato, she doesn’t perform fills or runs. It is smooth, unwavering, and cleansing. When she does hit a vibrato, it’s a whisper. It’s like spring creek water running over a polished rock.
Then the flood hits.
Where the production value in Deakin’s music is so expertly crafted, is the layering; both instrumentally and vocally. The vocals have powerful elements within each one of her records, but particularly with Spring, as the vocals sort of surround the listening experience. I feel like there are moments where I am sitting in an auditorium and I’m listening to a choir, but as the song progresses, the choir leaves the stage and surrounds its audience. The lights dim and they’re holding candles and they perform the music to the audience. There are parts right in front of us that are distinctive and then there are small vocals at the other side of the auditorium that have their own distinctive quality to them.
Final Thoughts
Kathi Deakin debuted last year with Fairy, then followed with These Roots, and now we have Spring. I have been intently watching every step of the way because she is just the type of artist who could be a breakthrough musician.
Kathi Deakin has a way of providing comfort within sad themes. Like a blanket on a winter’s day. It’s still snowing outside, but it’s warm in this blanket sitting by a fire and drinking a warm cup of coffee. She allows her listener to view the storm from a safe space. It’s a particular way of filtering the emotion that can really draw a listener in.
Deakin feels things on a deep, deep level. This can also draw an audience in. I can almost feel the moisture and taste the salt from every teardrop that surrounds each one of her lyrics. It shows a deep yearning for her to trust her audience with her story. It’s cathartic on a degree to which I don’t know I have every witnessed. It is one of the most special, most attractive qualities to her music.
Insert sports metaphor: Kathi Deakin has now stepped to the plate three times and each time, has swung for the fences. This is building up to what I can imagine will be an extraordinary multi-track project. Whether it’s an LP or an EP, it’s going to be a sensation. I can’t wait to hear it.
You can follow Kathi Deakin on Spotify, Instagram, and see other social media options on her link tree.
For media content, you can visit her YouTube channel for access to lyric videos and her TikTok profile to see some sneak peeks at her live performances.
Spring released on March 28th, 2025 and is available on all major streaming platforms.
To read the Fifteen Minutes of Fame review of her debut release, Fairy, you can click on Kathi Deakin under categories or click here.
You can also see the Fifteen Minutes of Fame Interview with Kathi Deakin at the previous link or click here to view it on YouTube.
FMOF: So your first single, Fairy, released in July. Now you’ve got These Roots that released (in November). Are these songs part of one bigger project, or are they part of a series of singles?
KD: Yes! I will be working on an album or an EP for the next half year. I’ve learned that good things take time, I can’t tell you how much time this is going to take exactly, but I have a plan and a concept and people that support me so it’s this journey has been a quite exiting one. And it’s only just beginning, wich makes it even more nerve-racking, in a good way of course!!
FMOF: Are you planning your next release yet?
KD: My next release will be in spring (foreshadowing)
FMOF: When we spoke last month, you had mentioned possibly venturing into live performance, even maybe having a band. Has there been progress towards doing that? When do you think we will have a live Kathi Deakin show to look forward to?
KD: I have played at a few open mic‘s and it’s been so much fun! My good friend Marie plays the main guitar and is my background vocalist. We are gaining confidence and experience and we‘ll start to plan a little tour for summer soon. I also have asked a few people to join the band, it’s a progress. But my dream is to get around, at least within Germany this year, I’m trying to find small venues all over the country.
FMOF: What can we hope to see from Kathi Deakin in 2025?
KD: Well, more music, some collaborations and hopefully more and more live acts.
Well, since this interview, Kathi has released her third single, and it is called Spring.
About the Song
Spring is the third single by the German/English recording artist, Kathi Deakin. It released on March 28, 2025. I had a chance to ask Kathi about what the song meant to her. This is what she said:
“ Spring is a metaphor for short breath and physical reaction to changes (like allergies in spring and in this case changes in a relationship).
In this season many of us react badly to the blooming and the beautiful change in our surroundings. This is a song about panicking and clinging, feeling like you are suffocating your partner but fearing that letting go would make you lose them again.
The positive change my partner was experiencing (you’re finally there) felt like a change that would effect our time together. This selfishness was scary and overwhelming. That’s why in the chorus I sing, “It might not be fair to play on your weather,” because change in real lives- just like change in weather- is inevitable and you simply cannot (and don’t want to) control it.
Still, this change made me feel like I am unable to breath and stay calm.”
About the Music
Spring is musically very much a Kathi Deakin record. First, this is acoustic-driven. This could fall in the categories of Americana, Folk-fusion, Alternative, Popular music. It has an organic feel to it that is accented with layers and layers of vocals that give it such an authentic power.
Spring doesn’t have a lot of performers in the way of instruments. There is an acoustic guitar and a string section. There might be a very soft synth part in the background just playing the tone notes of the chord progression. But I might be hearing a lower string part, like a cello or double bass. It also sounds like there is subtle piano part might be trying to sneak its way into the arrangement but I don’t think it’s there. I’m writing this because of how fascinating I find this to be. There are so many layers of sound within this track that I really have to lean in to analyze everything that’s happening.
Musically, the arpeggiation and progression of the guitars at one point remind me of Weird Fishes/Arpeggi by Radiohead.
I think the most special thing about Kathi Deakin’s music is the vocal performance. There are so many ways to hear them. First, if we listen to her vocals as a solo lead vocal, she has such a pure and wholesome tone to her voice. She doesn’t incorporate too much in the way of vibrato, she doesn’t perform fills or runs. It is smooth, unwavering, and cleansing. When she does hit a vibrato, it’s a whisper. It’s like spring creek water running over a polished rock.
Then the flood hits.
Where the production value in Deakin’s music is so expertly crafted, is the layering; both instrumentally and vocally. The vocals have powerful elements within each one of her records, but particularly with Spring, as the vocals sort of surround the listening experience. I feel like there are moments where I am sitting in an auditorium and I’m listening to a choir, but as the song progresses, the choir leaves the stage and surrounds its audience. The lights dim and they’re holding candles and they perform the music to the audience. There are parts right in front of us that are distinctive and then there are small vocals at the other side of the auditorium that have their own distinctive quality to them.
Final Thoughts
Kathi Deakin debuted last year with Fairy, then followed with These Roots, and now we have Spring. I have been intently watching every step of the way because she is just the type of artist who could be a breakthrough musician.
Kathi Deakin has a way of providing comfort within sad themes. Like a blanket on a winter’s day. It’s still snowing outside, but it’s warm in this blanket sitting by a fire and drinking a warm cup of coffee. She allows her listener to view the storm from a safe space. It’s a particular way of filtering the emotion that can really draw a listener in.
Deakin feels things on a deep, deep level. This can also draw an audience in. I can almost feel the moisture and taste the salt from every teardrop that surrounds each one of her lyrics. It shows a deep yearning for her to trust her audience with her story. It’s cathartic on a degree to which I don’t know I have every witnessed. It is one of the most special, most attractive qualities to her music.
Insert sports metaphor: Kathi Deakin has now stepped to the plate three times and each time, has swung for the fences. This is building up to what I can imagine will be an extraordinary multi-track project. Whether it’s an LP or an EP, it’s going to be a sensation. I can’t wait to hear it.
You can follow Kathi Deakin on Spotify, Instagram, and see other social media options on her link tree.
For media content, you can visit her YouTube channel for access to lyric videos and her TikTok profile to see some sneak peeks at her live performances.
Spring released on March 28th, 2025 and is available on all major streaming platforms.
To read the Fifteen Minutes of Fame review of her debut release, Fairy, you can click on Kathi Deakin under categories or click here.
You can also see the Fifteen Minutes of Fame Interview with Kathi Deakin at the previous link or click here to view it on YouTube.
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