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Mission Creek Preview: Cat Power

Mission Creek Festival will host many talented, rising artists such as Michelle Zauner, Snail Mail, and Sudan Archives. Chan Marshall, otherwise known as Cat Power, is somewhat of an outlier in that lineup because of her decades-long career.

Born in Georgia and raised throughout the American south, she released her first album “Dear Sir” with Steve Shelley and Tim Foljahn in 1995. Since then, she has released ten albums, both with other musicians and as a solo artist. She will be performing songs from her most recent album “Covers” at Hancher Auditorium on April 6.

According to Apple Music, the album “…feels like a radical departure from its original form, each song stripped down to its essence, that primal and often magical thing that moved [Cat Power] from the start.” A majority of her albums have been commercially and critically lauded, including both her original content and covers. To put it simply, she is a pioneer of the alternative and indie rock genres. 

Via Spin.com

“Covers” pays homage to numerous successful artists like Frank Ocean (“Bad Religion”), Lana Del Rey (“White Mustang”) and Billie Holiday (“I’ll Be Seeing You”). One of her most interesting singles, though, is a rendition of her own.

In 2006, she released “Hate”, a single on her acclaimed album “The Greatest”. In “Covers”, she reimagines it as “Unhate”, meant to be an opposite of her first song’s message. She expanded upon this decision in an interview with Apple Music. “…I changed the lyrics to ‘I do not hate myself and I do not want to die’… it’s a much better thing to say and I don’t want that song to be so dark.” Through depression and substance abuse, she has prevailed and continues to perform and create fantastic songs for her followers.