Kat Graham Launches New Music from Alter Ego TORO GATO, Announces New EP

Kat Graham reinvents herself as Toro Gato and releases the first single and music video for SWIM, out today off the upcoming visual EP, TORO GATO: PART I.

The TORO GATO: PART I EP is scheduled for a limited release on September 10th, exclusively on YellowHeart, the NFT marketplace for music, ticketing and community tokens which accepts both crypto and credit card payments, and will include six unreleased songs with accompanying short films. Countdown to the album release, and to learn more about TORO GATO, in the YellowHeart marketplace here: https://yh.io/nft-collection/toro-gato/13

Shedding the pop-dance performer image she was known for after a “soul epiphany” in 2017, Kat created Toro Gato, Spanish for Bull Cat. The birth of the trip-hop infused cinematic artist marks a new chapter in the artist’s musical life, indicating a major shift in her creative process. Nothing solidifies this change more than the first single SWIM. A fusion of hip-hop, funk and electronica, this rebirth anthem contrasts Toro Gato’s smooth vocals with a strong, perfectly paced beat. With melancholic melodies, ethereal vocals and a simple yet driving groove, SWIM radiates confidence and power.

“SWIM sets a tone sonically for everyone that this is a departure from my previous pop records,” says Graham. Regarding the inspiration for the record, Graham says, “in the same way that I have always loved Muddy Waters and old Blues records, I wanted to infuse a similar treatment to this alternative sound.” The idea behind the lyrics references a different kind of mentality post breakup. “It’s turning to the one that broke you and saying, “Well I hope you can swim without me.” It’s a taunt, a dare,” says Graham.

In close collaboration with her partner Darren Genet, who in addition to SWIM, directed all six films on the EP and was vital in the genesis of TORO GATO, Graham’s love of Chilean-French filmmaker Alejandro Jodorowsky helped inspire the music video. With Darren’s vision merged with Graham’s music, the concept of the film focuses on the inner battle of the subconscious mind. “I go to war within the walls of one’s inner being,” describes Graham. The visually stunning music video was choregraphed by Meghan Sanett who, with Graham’s direction, created movement to symbolize the mind turning on itself.

While SWIM certainly sets the tone for what everyone can expect from Toro Gato’s upcoming self-titled EP, the artist is eager to share her vision and work with the world. “This album is much more personal than any album I have ever released previously. Being somebody that has dealt with a lot of heartbreak and loss in my life, it can own you, and haunt you. Toro Gato is the part of us that embraces that inner fight.”