Kate Dineen, signed in May 2022, is a singer-songwriter and performer from Dublin, Ireland.

Kate grew up in Kerry, a small rural village overlooking Tralee Bay on the south-western coast of Ireland. Kate was surrounded by music from a young age and would often sit in the backseat of her family’s car and read her dad’s CD inserts front to back so that she could memorize the lyrics. Her musical journey started when she was about 5 years old, learning the traditional tin-whistle in primary school. Soon after, Kate began taking piano lessons but felt constricted by the classical music regime. So, at age 14 Kate gave up piano for guitar and started learning her favorite songs, which she cites as a freeing experience. Then, at 16, as a shy teenager, she decided to challenge herself and sign up for vocal lessons. Kate immediately felt connected to the voice as an instrument that she could control. 

In 2007 her confidence as a singer and a performer was boosted when she was encouraged by her guitar teacher to enter Today FM’s “even better than the real thing” competition which  invited artists to submit a cover version of The Undertone’s song Teenage Kicks. Kate came up with her own acoustic version of the song which was the first time she attempted something creative.

Before long, her cover landed a spot in the top 5, then finally came in second place! This unexpected win gave her the confidence to start writing her own music that continues today. Her hometown did not have any local venues, but she was determined to play live so she approached a local coffee shop who let her play in the corner. 

Kate Dineen then headed off to college to study French and German. While in college, Kate continued to gig at open mic nights and other college events, even starting a band called “PaperBoat.” She then headed to Belgium where she went to Erasmus University for a year and won their Battle of the Bands which led to her playing more events there.

Upon Kate graduating college, Ireland was unfortunately in a deep recession, causing many of the venues in Cork to close down. After working for a year at a bakery in Cork, Kate decided to make the move to Dublin. Dublin was less affected by the recession which allowed Kate to gig almost every night of the week.

Kate Dineen’s new friends Rohan and Alex (who became her producer and bassist respectively) struck up a deal; Rohan and Alex would play gigs outside of Dublin and Kate had a car, so the three of them and a double bass would load up into her Seat Ibiza and drive to gigs together.

Kate Dineen would solo between their sets and take them home after. Kate then recorded her debut EP “Great Escape” with Rohan and Alex which was reviewed by Nialler9, The Irish Times, The Last Mixed Tape, and the title track won a songwriting prize at the Cork Folk Festival in 2015. She recorded and released a follow up single “Flames” soon after.

After the release of “Flames”, Kate was feeling burnt out and took a bit of a step back from performing live as a solo artist. She joined a band called “The Crayon Set” and dipped in and out of a few other groups. She was still writing and gigging as a soloist but not recording or releasing. Then, the initial Covid lockdown gave Kate a new perspective. After an initial dry spell, she began to really reconnect with her music and songwriting. She started to share her songs online and re-kindled her passion. 

“I feel like I’m in a really strong position now as an artist, a lot more self-assured, aware and determined. I think if music has done anything for me, it’s led me to have some really cool experiences and meet some interesting people along the way.” -Kate Dineen

Kate Dineen signed with Winding Way in 2022 to release her new six-single series and to tour Ireland, the EU and eventually the USA.

Check out her website!