KATHERINE LI WORDS BY UMA SNOW PHOTGRAPHY BY HARVEST KEENEY
Last fall, singer-songwriter KATHERINE LI released her debut EP Crush(ed). Perfect for anyone stuck with an aching heart, finding themselves falling in love from afar, the EP tackled, well, what it feels like to be absolutely crushed by a crush. One song in particular was a monumental success; “Never Had a Chance” was used in nearly 1.5 million TikTok videos and currently sits at just over 25 million streams on Spotify. With Crush(ed), Li has steadily built herself a following of hopeless romantics. Now, Li is fresh off her first tour as an opening act for Hayley Kiyoko, and has released two more singles. Maintaining her signature theme of yearning, “If I Weren’t Me” and “I Just Wanna Know” additionally capture the insecurity of self-image and uncertainty of ambiguous relationships. As she gears up for this new chapter of artistry, Li took a moment to chat with Local Wolves about her music, writing, and more. HELLO, LOVELY TO VIRTUALLY KIND-OF MEET YOU! I’VE REALLY ENJOYED YOUR MUSIC OVER THE PAST FEW WEEKS— CRUSH(ED) IS AN INCREDIBLE DEBUT EP. HOW DOES IT FEEL TO HAVE HAD SUCH AN OVERWHELMINGLY POSITIVE RECEPTION TO YOUR MUSIC? HI! Thank you so much! The messages that I’ve gotten about the songs on Crush(ed) have all been so sweet, and it makes me so happy that people have been able to relate and find comfort in these songs. All of these songs mean so much to me and it means the world that I can share them with anyone who’s been going through similar situations. YOU JUST RECENTLY SUPPORTED HAYLEY KIYOKO ON HER TOUR! WHAT WAS IT LIKE PERFORMING TO LARGE CROWDS, SEEING PEOPLE SING ALONG TO YOUR WORDS, YOUR SONGS? It was surreal. Sometimes I’d catch someone in the crowd singing along and it made my heart so happy. Most times I even did