Episode 413
Trusting Your Creative Process, with Cathleen Ireland, award-winning singer, songwriter
Cathleen Ireland is an award-winning singer, songwriter, and producer whose work blends warm pop, soul, and coastal R&B with emotional depth and authenticity.
Throughout this conversation, we’ll be playing excerpts from four of Cathleen’s songs:
“Coastin’”
“Golden Sienna”
“In the City”
“Do You Care”
A longtime fixture in Pittsburgh’s music scene, she has earned international recognition for both her music and visual storytelling, with songwriting honors from the USA Songwriting Competition, the UK Songwriting Competition, and the International Acoustic Music Awards, along with more than 70 film festival selections for her music videos worldwide.
In 2024, Cathleen was awarded Best Adult Contemporary Song by The Artists Forum Music Competition in New York City for “DRIVE,” a track she co-wrote and co-produced with multi-platinum producer Ryan M. Tedder.
She kicked off this year with the release of an uplifting new single “Coastin’,” from her latest album In The City — a sunlit, groove-driven anthem rooted in gratitude, presence, and self-acceptance.
As both a songwriter and producer, Cathleen remains deeply hands-on in shaping a sound that feels modern yet personal—polished yet unmistakably human. She is also the founder and lead vocalist of the Pittsburgh-based band Hot Weather Holiday.
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cathleen-ireland-68513550/
1) “Coastin’” and the Moment After the Climb
Cathleen, “Coastin’” feels like a deep exhale — a moment of calm after pushing through uncertainty. What season of life were you in when you wrote this song, and what did “coastin’” represent for you personally?
2) Gratitude Without Platitudes
The lyrics celebrate gratitude, presence, and self-acceptance—but in a way that feels earned, not glossy. How do you write about gratitude without it sounding cliché, and how has lived experience shaped the honesty in your songwriting?
3) From “DRIVE” to In The City: Crafting Songs That Move People
Your song “DRIVE,” co-written and produced with Ryan M. Tedder, earned major recognition and clearly resonated with listeners. What did that collaboration teach you about songwriting, production, and trusting your creative instincts — and how did that experience influence the music you’re making now?
4) Creative Momentum and Collaboration
You’ve collaborated with a wide range of musicians and producers over the years. How do collaboration and trust influence your creative process—and what have you learned about your own voice through working closely with others?
5) Presence, Peace, and the Creative Life
“Coastin’” reminds us that fulfillment doesn’t always come from chasing what’s next. For creatives who feel pressure to constantly produce, perform, or prove themselves, what does it look like to slow down and still stay creatively alive?
If someone listening today is in the middle of their own climb, what’s one thing you’d want them to remember about joy, patience, and trusting the process?
