Interviews By Uma: Kat Leon
The Holy Wars Front Woman On Inspiration, and Touring With The Warning
Front Woman and Lyricist Kat Leon of Holy Wars on the Healing Power of Music
The LA-based band’s lead singer talks about coming back from tragedy, being true to your music and getting ready to tour Mexico with The Warning
Even when she’s just warming up, Connecticut-born Kat Leon’s voice is unmistakable.
Last fall, in Boston to see Holy Wars and The Warning, as we took a break out of line to go inside the venue to use the bathroom, we discovered the restrooms were right next to the stage. Holy Wars was on stage in street clothes doing a sound check and Kat’s voice – even to an empty room – was powerful.
It was the first time we’d seen Holy Wars live. The band – and Kat in particular – doesn’t just play. They are ferocious, owning the stage and the audience. It’s easy to see why The Warning would pick them as an opening band, and also why the ladies of The Warning pointed to Kat as being one of their favorite female rock front women playing today.
In February, the band will open for The Warning in a variety of big venues around Mexico, the first time they will travel across the border to play. It will be a huge opportunity for Holy Wars, and the band has been practicing and writing new music to get ready.
In the summer, they’ll heading to Germany, UK and Spain for a series of festivals gigs. They have high hopes for a break out year.
This is coming on the heels of their latest EP Cult Classic, a versatile mix of 2000s nu-metal, classic rock and punk.
For our part, the half hour set we caught at Big Night Live in Boston was a blistering, face melting soundscape. Kat never stopped moving. At one point, she climbed onto the shoulders of a tall fellow in the front row, something that she apparently does for every show. They are loud, relentless, and unforgiving on stage.
But they stuck around after and the whole band spent time meeting with Uma, talking to her about music (Kat also got her start on piano) and telling her tales from the road. Guitarist and producer Nick even gave her a pick.
It was only natural that Uma selected Kat for her Interviews By Uma, and Kat was a gracious and enthusiastic interview subject, as you’re about to see.
Holy Wars opens a series of shows for The Warning in Mexico, starting on February 6. You can get more information on their music or tour at their website here: https://www.holywarsmusic.com/
Watch the official music video for “Cult Classic” here. FYI, the video is quite racy and high energy!
Here’s a link to the story we wrote about Little Bean meeting Kat and the band: Little Bean Meets Holy Wars
Interviews By Uma can be read here at Day By Day or email us at interviewsbyuma@gmail.com for questions or suggestions. Also, for subscribers only, email the address above with the message Give Me More and we’ll send you a couple behind the scenes pics from our meeting with Holy Wars. Until next time, enjoy this interview with Kat Leon!
Interviews By Uma: Kat Leon
Uma Szczesny (US): What does the band name mean? And I think the logo with the hand coming up is pretty cool. Who made that and what do the hands mean?
Kat Leon (KL): The logo of the hand was designed by our friend Alec at Volt Creative when he created the logo but the hand/dagger meaning is the hand lifting up to the light while the dagger which is the bottom of the hand is a symbol of grounding. From war to peace.
Well, the meaning of the band name has two meanings but I fear it’s a little heavy for some ages. But for full transparency… in 2015 both of my parents passed away suddenly. At that time, we quit music and the projects we were doing around Los Angeles and I stopped it all for two years. During that time of grief and trying to find my own will to be here, people would ask me how I was and I would eventually sum up my answer to ‘everyday feels like a Holy War inside of me.’
This was because of the constant questioning of faith and life after death, will I ever see them again and so forth, so eventually I would start writing music as a way of healing, but not for a band and those songs would become (the songs) “Back to Life” and "Orphan." Nick was with me through this process and before we knew it, we had a whole EP of songs that would eventually become our Mother Father EP and we debuted our project in 2017.
The other meaning of the name was because of my brother. Religion tore my family apart and I witnessed a metaphorical Holy War in my own family when my brother disowned all of us unless we joined his church. So, there it all is… haha, warts and all!
US: ‘Cult Classic,’ the song, has this section where it sounds like it’s Siri saying American Dream. Was that what you meant by that section? And can you talk a little bit about what the song is about?
KL: Yes, we did intentionally make that section sound like AI for a couple reasons. We just liked that added tone to the song ending the choruses but also, we wanted to show a subtle layer of meaning to the song in that section hinting at the threat of the AI explosion that was rapidly emerging into society, same as the damage social media has been causing through the years where there is less human connection and it’s all about likes and comments and consumerism. I could rant about this for hours but I’ll keep it short with the George Carlin quote, “It’s called the American Dream because you have to be asleep to believe it”
US: Are just the two of you the main members of the band? How do you write the songs, do you write them together or separate?
KL: Yes, Nick (Perez) and I started the band and are the main members and writers. We do have Matt (bass) and Johnny (drums) live because we love playing as a full band for our live performances. Unfortunately, in Boston, Matt had a family matter so he couldn’t do the first two shows of the tour with The Warning, but joined us in New York and for the rest of it. So, I hope you guys get to see us play again and with Matt on stage with us. He’s really great!
For writing, I do all the lyrics and topline and Nick and I work on the song arrangements together and Nick produces all of it. He is a musical wizard and has dedicated his life to music so he can play multiple instruments and has become a great producer. Sometimes we have guest drummers playing on the albums and eventually Johnny as well but it’s mostly just Nick and I.
US: Who are your influences, musically or otherwise in life?
KL: When we first started the band, I would say we were more heavily inspired by Failure, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Queens of the Stone Age and in some songs Radiohead, but as we progressed, we pulled in some of our other influences that were more metal/nu metal/punk leaning with more Rage Against The Machine and Slipknot vibes. Our influences are quite all over the place and we love puzzling it together to make a great song. It’s all in the rock genre but we do love pop melodies and hip-hop rhythms and the angst and spittiness of punk and metal but I am also an ALT kid for life, haha!
US: What are your favorite animals? Do you have any pets? What are their names?
KL: We LOVE animals. We have dogs. Well, we had three but now we have two. I inherited my parents' dogs, Rocco and Bella, and our chihuahua, Nibs, came along as a little street dog. I love having little fur babies to come home to when we come back from touring. It really brings a smile to my face every time I see them. Animals are so special and I feel we are lucky to have them.
US: Is Kat your real name? Your stage costumes are so tinselly looking, do you ever get cold in them? Do you come up with your own costumes?
KL: Yes, Kat is my real name! Short for Katherine. Thank you! I don’t get cold because I run sooo hot on stage (haha) running around and sweating so I do keep that in mind when I wear certain outfits for the stage. I usually need something breathable and something I won’t trip on when I am jumping around or crowd surfing / shoulder-riding! I actually make a lot of my own pieces. I love crafting and there are accessories or wardrobe pieces that I can’t find anywhere so I just make it myself if I can. I am actually now designing my own fabric for myself and the guys for our 2025 tours.
US: Do you have any advice for young fans or kids for playing music?
KL: Keep the joy of music and discovery alive in you. Do it because you love it truly and because the music is healing for you and a way of pure self-expression. Don’t let social media and “content” dictate the artist you need to be. Only you can define yourself and as long as you are true to who you are then no one can take that away from you. And when it is time to get on that stage, don’t let fear and doubt cloud you. You deserve to be there; you worked hard to be there and don’t let any person or voice in your head take that away from you either. Treat yourself up there like you would your best friend; only support and never judge. There is always room for improvement in any job or sport, we all have good days and bad days, but as long as you are truly living in that moment you are succeeding. Every day and opportunity is a gift, even in the pressure don’t forget to enjoy it.
US: What are the band's plans for 2025? New music?
KL: 2025 is going to be a very busy year for us. We have been working all year on our next album that will be released in 2025 and I am so ready to share it all with you. Aside from new music, we have a bunch of international shows coming up starting with The Warning in Mexico. We are playing four dates at arenas supporting them (our favorite band) and we are so looking forward to that! We are also making our Rock AM Ring and Rock AM Park debut in Germany and also Download festival in the UK. We have a bunch of other things in the works that haven't been announced yet but will definitely be posting on all of our socials!
US: Speaking of The Warning, can you talk about and give us some more details about your upcoming series of shows in Mexico with them? And also, can you talk about being on the road with The Warning and what's it's like to tour with a group that you respect and are friends with like them? I think they even named you as one of their favorite female rock and rollers so they really like you!
KL: We are so excited for our upcoming shows supporting The Warning in Mexico. This is a huge show for them as they are headlining arenas which is a major goal and this is also our first time in Mexico. So, we are excited on so many levels.
When we first toured with the Warning in 2023, the girls said how South America would love our music and that it would be a perfect fit and sure enough they kept their word and invited us to support their biggest shows to date. So, we are deeply honored for this and truly feel the love. We love touring with them and their team and there is a family and community on the road. Everyone is so kind and respectful.
When we first co-wrote their song "Satisfied" a couple years ago we had no idea the friendship we would develop and how we would get so many incredible opportunities to tour with them. So, the vibes are great on the road and we have such a great respect for each other and what we all do.
And yes, I was absolutely speechless when I saw that video (where The Warning named Kat as one of the best female rockers), I found out right before I went on stage for our set on this last tour with them and had tears in my eyes. It was such an honor to be included in that incredible list and have their support for what I do!
Interviews By Uma is a monthly question and answer feature developed by ten-year-old Uma Szczesny and formatted and managed by her journalist dad. The column focuses on interviews between Uma and some of her favorite musicians, artists and teachers. For more information on Interviews By Uma, to read her archive or to propose or suggest an interview, email interviewsbyuma@gmail.com.
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Great job by all here. 💓
I met them all last year, when they was the supporting act for The Warning. They are all humble, down to earth, extremely polite, and approachable. These are the same attributes that DPA have, and this matters as much as their music does to me. Liking the members of a band for who they are goes a long way to gain loyalty, and reciprocation with return ticket/merch/media sales IMO. I happen to like them all a lot.
I really like her advice given to Uma here. Dream, but stay grounded and focused on what matters. That is priceless information.
Really loved your interview with Kat, Uma (Little Bean ) And I had forgotten they helped TW write that song. Really loved how they referred to TW as their fav band .Also interesting they only have 2 main band members. Can't wait for the shows and to see the vids from the shows in Mexico .