From the heart-melting, goosebump-inducing ‘Hallelujah’ cover that perfectly synced with a death-rattle scene (hello, instant tearjerker) to the cheeky, can’t-help-but-sing-along jam about those ‘99 times’ you totally think about your ex—Kate Voegele was literally One Tree Hill’s ultimate pop punk princess. She burst onto our screens in season five, signed by none other than the legendary Peyton Sawyer (aka the forever-iconic Hilarie Burton) and her indie label, Red Bedroom Records. But here’s the behind-the-scenes magic you didn’t know: Kate’s musical passion wasn’t just on camera. Backstage, she met Michael Grubbs (yes, the bartender you lowkey wished would serve you at Tric), and together, they’ve brewed up something special with their band, Your Future Ghost.
Confession: we may have fangirled just a tad (okay, a lot) when we got to chat with Kate about all things OTH, her new tunes, and way more. Scold us later, but for now—let’s dive in!
One Tree Hill
You met Michael Grubbs—your partner-in-crime in the indie band Your Future Ghost—on the set of One Tree Hill, where you played Mia Catalano, the rock goddess signed to Peyton Sawyer’s label. Music was practically its own character on that show. Were there any soundtrack songs you and Michael especially bonded over in those early days?
It really was remarkable what a central role the music played in that show, and it was such a cool and unique thing to be a part of. Since Mike and I were two of the only people on the show who were musicians first and actors second, we had an especially unique experience and bonded right away over that. During the time we both worked on the show, musicians like Kid Cudi and Cheap Trick both made appearances and performed on the show like we did on a regular basis, and it was really exciting to bring those other bands into the fold for a couple episodes.
You recently posted the “you look happier” meme with Mia’s very unofficial platinum plaque—forever obsessed with ‘No Good,’ by the way. What was it like launching your real music career through One Tree Hill, while also playing a character who was kind of doing the same thing? It gave Hannah Montana… but make it moody indie.
Love that so much! ‘No Good’ was always a favorite of mine from that album. And yes, the experience of playing a character whose name was different but whose music was exactly my music was definitely wild. Since I had signed a record deal and been touring for a couple years before I ever auditioned for the show, I think I was under the impression that everyone knew I was a “real” musician in real life before I was an actress, but over the years, I realized that I kind of had to take control of that narrative and be intentional about letting people know that this is my actual life and these are my actual songs.
Mia’s unofficial platinum album was kind of a funny way of poking fun at the fact that while that album did sell upwards of 150,000 copies or so in real life, the TV show equivalent went platinum for Mia, and I love that for her. I think ultimately it was really cool to bring these songs into the fabric of the story of the show through Mia’s character, because I think I got to explore and show fans different aspects of what my songs mean through her life and storyline.
You’re back on tour with Tyler Hilton for Celebrating the Music of One Tree Hill—aka Chris Keller, for those who missed his cameo in Taylor Swift’s ‘Teardrops on My Guitar.’ You two have shared the stage many times, and your version of ‘When the Stars Go Blue’ is a standout. That song’s had a few lives on One Tree Hill—what does it mean to you now, years later?
That song is always such a fun highlight of our shows together, because I think it’s really nostalgic for fans who remember it from the show. I had the original of that song, by Ryan Adams, on every playlist in college, so it’s a very cool full-circle moment to be covering it on our tours together all these years later. I think Tyler had originally done the duet with Bethany Joy Lenz on the show, who is such an incredibly talented vocalist, so I’m honored that she’s cool to pass the torch to me when we perform it on tour. It’s a really beautiful song and lends itself really well to transforming into a duet, even though the original isn’t, and I love seeing all the fans sing along. Sometimes we’ve ended the show with a fully unplugged, acoustic version of it, where we’ll go out into the crowd and really get people to sing along, and there’s always a really cool, powerful energy there.
Your Future Ghost
We’re obsessed with the name Your Future Ghost. Where did that come from, and what were you trying to evoke when you landed on it?
I have to give credit to Mike’s amazing fiancée, Heidi, for coming up with the name, and when she floated the idea of it, we all kind of instantly loved it. I think for us, we’ve always felt like music is our way of making sense of the world, and it’s the thing we all leave behind as artists that hopefully lives on in some way after we’re gone. We loved the idea of our art being the future ghost of each of us, floating out there in the ether to haunt whoever hears it—in a good way, obviously.
The band’s debut single, ‘We’ve Got Places,’ dropped two years ago and includes the line “don’t be afraid of the ghost in the corner”—a subtle nod to the band name. What made that track the right one to introduce your sound together?
This track felt like the perfect introduction to the band and this album, mainly because it kind of announces the record’s purpose- to be a refuge amid the chaos of the world. We hope this album can be somebody’s ‘place’ to go when the world gets too loud or imposing, and act as a release of some kind for whoever needs it.
That ghost thread shows up again on the album Impatient for the Dream, with the opening track ‘Oh My Ghost.’ First impressions matter—and this one opens like a haunting, cinematic EDM moment. Can you walk us through how that track came together production-wise?
This track was such a cool surprise when it came together, and after we laid it down, we felt like it just had to be the introduction to the album. We wrote it super late one night after we thought we were done working on music, and once the hook fell out, it just kind of grew into this really weird, magical track. It’s cinematic and haunting, and it kind of sets the stage for the story we wanted to tell with the record. The album is kind of meant to be about finding the refuge and the party in a post-apocalyptic world, and this song was sort of the setup for how we ended up in this eerie, otherworldly situation in the first place.
The album title Impatient for the Dream feels like a fitting throughline for your journey with Michael—meeting years ago, but only now releasing this project. Now that this dream is out in the world, what’s something you’re impatient to create or experience next?
We’re already working on new music for Your Future Ghost, so we’re very impatient to dream up what’s next on our creative journey as a band. I think we’re also really excited to explore what this music sounds like in a live setting, because it’s so different from our respective solo projects and feels like it should really have its own unique live experience.
You’re quite literally larger than life in the music video for ‘I’m Like Money,’ turning Chris George and Rob Zoppo into money, while letting Avery Schlereth get away. How did that concept come together?
That video was unbelievably fun to make, and the vision for that story was a really cool collaboration between the two of us and our amazing director, Teck. We loved the idea of Mike and I playing these two hustlers running this scheme out in the middle of nowhere, where they entice people in with the idea that “there’s money in the desert,” only to turn it around on them and turn them into money at the last minute. It’s kind of a nod to the King Midas story, where everything he touches turns to gold, and it ends up being a tragedy. The song is kind of about being done with being a people pleaser, which is something we both have struggled with, and we wanted to come up with a fun and memorable way to tell that story. Of course, with me as the girl being the giant desert monster swindler, it felt only natural that she would turn the boys into money and let the girl get away.
There are some beautiful spoken-word poetry moments in ‘The Only One.’ How did that style come into the mix for that song, and what made it feel like the right fit?
It was almost an accident that the verses ended up being spoken in that song, but once we heard what it sounded like against the background of the track, it just felt right. I think that sonically, that track is really ethereal and kind of has the “twirling your partner’s hair in bed” vibe, so it wanted an element that felt really intimate and human. The spoken verses created a really cool contrast once the melody of the pre-chorus comes in and gives way to the soaring vibe of the chorus, and that felt like it gave the song some extra, intangible lift that it really wanted.
The album closes on ‘The City’s on Fire,’ with that sweet, chanty “you got this” moment between you and Michael. Is there another mantra you like to say to yourself before a big performance or creative leap?
I loved that “you got this” moment, and we had a lot of fun layering a ton of those over each other in that song. I think another song that feels like a pep talk in and of itself is ‘I’m Like Money,’ because it’s really about embracing all the parts of yourself that make you who you are, and especially embracing the messy and unhinged stuff. Sometimes you just need to remind yourself that you’re like money.
Which nostalgic Kate tune do you want Your Future Ghost to resurrect with all their fresh spunk? Drop your dream collab in the comments or slide into our DMs on Twitter, Instagram, or Facebook — we’re totally swooning already. 💫
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