Catalina Cara

About

" Sultry, stylish indie electro pop "

Blending elements of downtempo electro, indie soul, and synthy ’80s pop, Catalina Cara released her debut EP, ‘Leap Year Baby’, in February 2022. The sultry alt-R&B collection of five tracks is loaded with vocal hooks, as well as sassy and textured groove-powered tunes, all beautifully constructed. It’s a juicy set that’s definitely got its own thing going on. Atmospherically, it’s  like a cross between the lushness of Lorde and the vulnerability of Tei Shi. Catalina is a skilled and fluid vocalist, the kind who can create waves with nothing but her voice and loops.

A native of Chisinau, Moldova, but currently based in Bucharest, Romania, Catalina also spent several years in the U.K. studying music. She started singing at a very young age, but her official debut came when she was 15, with the single ‘Plecarea’. Three years later, her remix of Vanessa Paradis’ classic ‘Joe Le Taxi’ landed her a reputation outside her home country.

Her cover repertoire was then further enriched with takes on ‘Smooth Operator’, ‘Liberian Girl’ and ‘The Girl from Ipanema’ showing how she was able to put her own spin on classic love songs.

That’s the keyword to Catalina’s music: love, and looking at the bright side of life. Her songs are mostly about relationships, in a feel-good way (“When you give me love/It feels so good/And when you smile/You light that room”, she sings in ‘When You Give Me Love’), or work as messages of positivity (“Life is the greatest hallucination/Don’t lose your gust of air”, she speaks against drug abuse in ‘So Good’). Catalina may still be coming into her own, but she already glows with appealing confidence.