Born in Tokyo and raised in New Zealand, Kat mixes acoustic guitar-led melodies with emotionally transparent lyrics, delivered in a blend of Japanese and English. Kat signed with Sony and Avex in 2007. Her partnership with them yielded several mini-albums, her first full album, and a limited vinyl edition of “Nagoriyuki”, which went to #1 on Japan’s Vinyl Charts and sold out in two days.

Outside of the studio, Kat has been recognized for her performances in high-profile TV ads. Additionally, she has also performed over 1000 live shows, both throughout Japan and internationally and has shared the stage with bands like Switchfoot and Colbie Caillat.

Since becoming an independent artist in 2010, Kat has continued to release new albums and tour Japan and the world. She was selected as a top 5 finalist in the Guitar Center Singer-Songwriter competition out of 14,000 submissions in 2015 and was also selected as winner in Youtube’s Next Up Class of 2016.

Kat authored and currently instructs the Social Media Branding elective for the Independent Artist Program at MI.