When Katie Frank finished her new song “Come Clean” during a songwriting session in Nashville, she knew: It was time to make the move, officially, to Music City.
Frank was 29, living in Philadelphia, Pa., and working in healthcare when she began writing “Come Clean.” At the time, she recalls, she “was going through a big growth period, where I was really taking a good, hard look at who I was, who I had been and who I wanted to be.”
Carl Anderson and Kirby Brown helped Frank finish “Come Clean” during that co-writing session in Nashville. “They are both amazing songwriters, and they helped me to bring the song to a whole other level,” she says.
“We met when we were down / Out searching for a better way … I’m sorry, baby, but it ain’t enough / Anymore,” Frank sings in the song, which is premiering exclusively on The Boot. “You keep throwin’ dirt on me / So I can’t see / You won’t even recognize me / When I come clean …”
“I was trying to heal from past traumas and change the way I responded to things emotionally, because I couldn’t stand being on that rollercoaster anymore,” Frank explains of the inspiration for “Come Clean.” “When you change the way you respond, it can make an impact on relationships, which is something I experienced. “Come Clean” is about trying to evolve and become, but having people in your life who still remind you or hold you to who you used to be.”
“Come Clean” is one of seven songs on Frank’s forthcoming EP, Small Town Minds. She did her first recording for the EP in early 2020, after moving to Nashville in 2019, then wrote more of the project during the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic and finished recording it in December of 2020.
“I hope that people who listen to Small Town Minds are able to feel a sense of personal empowerment come through, trusting that inner voice, and keeping an open mind,” Frank says. “For people to be able to feel any sense of connection to my songs, that’s the best part of it all.”
Frank, a small-town Pennsylvania native, comes from a family of musicians. Influenced by Brandi Carlile, the Beatles and more, she began playing the piano at the age of 10 and started songwriting at 13.
The Small Town Minds EP is due out on Oct. 8. Fans can learn more about the project, and keep up with Frank, at KatieFrank.com.
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