LOS ANGELES, CA- I caught Kat Cunning at The Echo on October 6 and the show felt like a reunion with an artist whose work has stayed lodged somewhere in the back of my mind since 2022. My introduction to them came at the Troubadour that year, long before they started stacking up the acting credits that now dominate their IMDb page. They impressed me again at Outloud Fest in 2023, when they hit the main stage and performed with the kind of presence that makes you think they have unlocked something deeper in theself that the rest of us are only catching up to.
Then things got quiet on the music side. Aside from a couple of singles in 2023 and 2024, there was not much for fans to hold on to until they released their Glassjaw EP earlier this year. It is only five tracks, but those five tracks are enough to confirm they still has the spark that first caught my attention at the Troubadour. Their tone is distinct. Their writing is sharp. Their ability to lean into big pop moments without losing their emotional core is something very few artists pull off.
Before Kat took the stage, I got my first real introduction to Party Nails. I had heard the name in passing over the years but had never caught a set or dug into the music. Party Nails is Alana Carroll, who comes from New York, and seeing her perform live immediately made me want to spend more time with her catalog. Her latest album, Pillow Talk, is a playful pop record that blends a various mix of genres including, rock, funk and electronica with a light touch. The live translations of those songs were upbeat, polished, and full of personality. It was the kind of set that makes you stop thinking of an opener as an opener and instead as someone you were lucky to catch before they level up.
There was also a DJ set before hers by OhLa that helped set the tone in the room. The vibe eased everyone into the night and made the transition into Party Nails feel seamless. By the time Kat stepped out, the energy was already warm and dialed in.
The slowdown in Kat’s releases makes sense when you look at how much they have been working in film and television. They are a true multi hyphenate, but not in the trendy way people throw that word around. Their acting career has taken on a life of its own. They have a recurring role on MGM+’s American Hostage and they received strong attention for their lead in the sci fi film Star People. There is also plenty of work they’ve done that in post-production work right now, so we’re bound to see them on silver or tv screen in the not so distant future. For an artist who once seemed poised to sprint deeper into music, it is clear that acting has claimed a major share of their time and focus.
This creates an interesting problem for fans of their music. When someone is this talented across multiple lanes, something has to give. You see this every time a musician commits to a major acting project. Ariana Grande stepping into Wicked is a perfect example of the kind of total shift in attention that is required. No one can be everywhere at once, even when the talent is there. And for someone like Kat Cunning, who truly thrives both on stage and on screen, the balance is naturally going to tilt depending on what is in front of them.
Watching them onstage at The Echo reminded me why their music still holds weight even when the output slows down. When they performs, it feels like they are answering a part of themself that acting cannot touch. Their voice carries that mix of power and command that made their early shows so memorable. The new songs hit with intention and the older ones still feel alive.
This is the dilemma for fans. We want more music, but we also want them to win everywhere they want to be. At the end of the day, we will take whatever they give us because when they step onto a stage and starts to sing, it becomes obvious why we keep waiting. The music is that good, and they are that good.
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