Once told to change her openly queer lyrics to fit radio norms, Kalie Shorr waited out the clock. Now she’s back with ‘My Type,’ a bold new chapter that celebrates her creative freedom.

Stream: ‘My Type’ – Kalie Shorr

Today, you hear about artists getting their big breakthrough viral moments on TikTok.

But Kalie Shorr’s path to the spotlight was a bit different. She was discovered by Perez Hilton after posting a cover of Rebecca Black’s “Friday” nearly a decade ago – back when the internet still made pop stars through blogs, not algorithms.

My Type EP - Kalie Shorr — My Type EP – Kalie Shorr

Her new EP, My Type, marks the beginning of her next act. It’s a guitar-driven, confessional pop record that feels both nostalgic and alive, filled with the energy of someone who’s been quietly perfecting her sound until the world caught up. Some tracks date back to 2018; others were written more recently. But together, they showcase her story – of heartbreak, frustration, and eventually musical freedom.

The title song itself has a story. Shorr wrote “My Type” in 2017, an unapologetically queer pop track that her Nashville team told her she needed to make more straight. She refused. Instead, she waited – and when her contract expired, she finally put it out the way she’d always meant it.

I like the self-obsessed girls
Kissing on my neck girls
Get all in my head girls
Leave my life a mess girls
I must love it when they make me
When they make me cry!

And I like those rock and roll boys
Stare into my soul boys
Make me lose control boys
Good at letting go boys
So if your kiss tastes just like goodbye
Then you’re probably my type

I really don’t care about making shitty people happy. I’m never going to be quiet just to appease anyone that feels like I should be, because it’s not for them.

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Now based in Los Angeles, Shorr’s sound nods to the rock girls of the 2000s –

– Michelle Branch, Ashlee Simpson, Hayley Williams – but with the influence of contemporary pop music and the bite of her confessional and over the top lyrics.

Atwood Magazine caught up with Kalie Shorr to talk about reclaiming her music, the thrill of finally releasing these songs, and why some stories are worth waiting years to tell.

Listen to My Type wherever you stream music and catch Shorr opening for the Nicotine Dolls on October 30 in Athens, GA, and November 1 in Charleston, SC!

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:: stream/purchase My Type here ::

:: connect with Kalie Shorr here ::

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Stream: ‘My Type’ – Kalie Shorr

Kalie Shorr 'My Type' EP © Grace Greenan — Kalie Shorr ‘My Type’ EP © Grace Greenan

A CONVERSATION WITH KALIE SHORR

Atwood Magazine: Congratulations on the release of your EP, My Type. What was it like recording it and how would you describe the sound?

Kalie Shorr: For my first album, I released a bunch of songs that I wrote mostly in a two week period, and I recorded them pretty shortly after writing them. For this one, there was a bunch of songs that I felt like hadn’t gotten their chance to really shine from 2018 up until right when I recorded it this year. So this EP showcases a lot of different pictures of where I was at emotionally over the course of that time period – but I think it all comes together.

It was really interesting and different to put out a project that spanned such a long period of time. These songs have just stuck with me and I always kept coming back to them, like “My Type.” I love that song so much and I think it’s a really great script. If you love a song enough and you really believe in it and you finally get the chance to put it out, it’s always worth it. It’s never too late.

The sound of the EP definitely pulls from some of my favorite music that I grew up on, like the rock girls of the mid 2000s, Michelle Branch, Ashlee Simpson, basically girls with guitars. I play the guitar on all these songs, and I feel like that sound really comes through and is also just fun. If you like that type of music, if you like going to live shows, I feel like you will really like the EP and you’ll understand what I’m trying to do.

Your new music explores sexuality and queerness in a new way – can you talk about how that shows up in your music, especially on the single “My Type”?

Kalie Shorr: “My Type” is the first original song I’ve released that is openly, very queer. When I wrote it in 2017, my old team when I was in Nashville told me that if I wanted to release it, I needed to change all the pronouns to make it straight. And I was like, I don’t think that’s the point of the song. I don’t wanna do that. So the song just kinda was stuck in the vault for that long.

I have a new team. I moved to L.A. I came out two years ago. I’d been out to my friends for 10 years out to my parents for six. But I came out publicly two years ago. And also with this hair, I was not fooling anybody. So, you know, the closet was glass.

How would you introduce yourself and your music to someone who hasn’t heard your songs before?

Kalie Shorr: I think that within the queer music community, people always think about the divas – like Madonna, Lady Gaga, Beyoncé. I’ve been massively inspired by all of them, but we sometimes forget how many queer people are fans of artists like Alanis Morissette, Liz Phair, and Hayley Williams. I feel like my music really scratches that itch. I bring a little more punk rock.

My music really comes down to guitars and very confessional songwriting. I grew up adoring Taylor Swift, and I still do. I think she’s a huge lyrical inspiration, but then Alanis Morissette and the moodier sounds of rock music inspire me sonically.

I have a lot of queer fans, and am proud of making my music safe spaces for the queer community. I really don’t care about making shitty people happy. I’m never going to be quiet just to appease anyone that feels like I should be, because it’s not for them.

I got to hear you play a bunch of the songs on this record at West Hollywood Pride before they were released, how is it different playing these songs now that they are officially out?

Kalie Shorr: The production on these songs is so special to me. And you know, people hear clips on Instagram leading up to it, but a big part of why I love rock songs is the way that they build over the production.

I had a friend who had only heard short clips of “When in Rome,” and she thought it was going to be this fully pop rock thing. After the full track released, she was like, “Wow I missed where you bring it back and you can hear how sad you were.”

In that song you really have every single thing going – it’s an up and down ride that takes you through what I was actually feeling, because it was so up and down being somewhere like Rome that is so beautiful, while still being heartbroken.

I really fall in love with the little moments on production where I put in these little nuggets. I sampled my ex’s voicemail on “Choke,” and people hadn’t heard that until the album came out. All of those things, there are pieces that people just don’t get from a clip on social media that you can see come to life on the full track.

I really don’t care about making shitty people happy. I’m never going to be quiet just to appease anyone that feels like I should be, because it’s not for them.

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What comes next and where can folks hear this music?

Kalie Shorr: The music never stops, I’m going into the studio today to start working on the next songs. I’ll just be in a cycle where it’s like when I am in front of my computer, I’m working on social media, and then I’m going to the studio and making new stuff. It’s cool to see people’s reaction to the new music – and in a way that informs what I’m doing in the studio.

I love playing “Choke” so much that I definitely feel like I’m going to put more stuff like that on the next project and kind of explore that side of my music more. The next step is just continuing to push this and getting new music ready, then seeing what I’m feeling, how to promote that and coming up with a new storyline, and a new world.

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