Katie ain’t nobody’s baby

You may have assumed Katie Underwood’s Melbourne jazz concerts last year were nothing but a momentary flirt with the genre. You’d be wrong. Underwood has just released her debut solo album, Ain’t Nobody’s Baby — and it’s all jazz.

“I had been planning on doing a jazz album for a long time, but then I got a bit of a push from my guitarist, Matt Dwyer, after we had such a great reaction to our seasons at [Melbourne venues] Priscilla’s and Sloaney Pony, so we decided to throw some songs together,” Underwood told Sydney Star Observer.

And they’re not all jazz standards — a few Katie co-writes sit comfortably alongside classics like I’m In The Mood For Love and Fever.

“I probably prefer writing jazz songs. Lyrically, there’s a lot more room to move. Dance and pop can be very limiting — it’s that whole ‘party party’ vibe. With jazz, there’s a lot more room to move.”

The album even includes a revamped version of Beautiful, Underwood’s 2001 top 10 single with Disco Montego. Whereas the original was a perfect Saturday night tune, this is more of a Sunday morning take on the track.

“Ooh, nice! I like that, I’ll use that. And you know, Matt’s been trying to convince me to do a jazz version of Poison live — he keeps insisting that it’s a good song, so you may hear it, although probably not on this tour.”

Does she cringe about her time in Australia’s most successful girl group (since Girlfriend, at least)?

“I don’t cringe. It had its place,” she sighed.

“I’m not really a pop fan, so it was kind of weird for me to be in a pop band to begin with. It’s a bit of a time warp really — in some respects it all seems like yesterday, but in others it seems like a world ago.”

If this all seems like Underwood’s retreated from the world of pop and dance to become a full-time jazz chanteuse, fear not.

“I’ve been recording a bit lately with some producer and DJ mates of mine, so there’s the possibility of some more dance music down the track. I haven’t hung up my disco shoes just yet! Hopefully people will hear some dance later in the year,” she teased.

Until then, Underwood’s gay fans can check her out on the Beautiful Jazz tour this month. An active presence in Melbourne’s gay community, Underwood said she viewed her relationship with her queer fans as a two-way street.

“I feel very much a part of the community. It’s not really about promotion for me, it’s about getting involved. It’s great to feel the support from the gay community when I perform, but I hope my friends in the community know they can also turn to me for encouragement and support when they need it.”

info: Ain’t Nobody’s Baby is out now. Katie Underwood plays The Vanguard on August 20. Visit www.katieunderwood.tv