Music is part of Cat Ridgeway’s DNA, coming from a family of musicians – an aunt, uncle, two cousins, and a brother all play different instruments – Ridgeway was encouraged from an early age by her parents to “join the band.” She found her own musical passions when she first picked up the trumpet in elementary school, while also “messing around with the drums,” as she puts it. Even at the early age, Ridgeway caught the performance bug, forming a “band” with her best friend that, while developing a very small repertoire of cover songs, taught her the infectious joy of playing live.
After picking up guitar in middle school, Cat started dabbling in songwriting, eventually participating in a weekly songwriters’ night at GRP Studios in Orlando that led to her first recording, a song called “Parachute.” That was the moment that Ridgeway knew what she wanted to do with her life.
“When I heard ‘Parachute’ fully produced for the first time over studio monitors, it lit me on fire,” says the singer-songwriter. “I knew this was something I had to do for the rest of my life.”
Fast-forward to 2020 and Cat Ridgeway used her quarantine wisely, finishing her first album, Nice To Meet You. Putting her best foot forward, Ridgeway leads off with the Country-tinged R&B groove “Giving You Up,” using jangly guitars and soulful horns to create as sound that is uniquely “Cat.” Other standouts on the album include “Whiskey Lullabies,” “Mississippi Sunburn” and the closing track “I Don’t” (language warning!). Nice To Meet You has just arrived at radio, but keep your ears peeled – you’ll be hearing a lot of Cat Ridgeway soon.
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