Kat Cunning (aka Katrina Cunningham) is a rising voice on the NYC arts scene whose songs blend pop, soul, and Baroque arrangements. Drawing from her study of dance as well as her time on stage as a Broadway actress (Dangerous Liaisons, Cirque Du Soleil's Paramour, Sleep No More), Kat recently performed as the only live component in Refinery 29's Fashion Week exhibit in collaboration with artist Juno Calypso. Her sultry, exquisite voice has already earned praise from the likes of The New York Times and Huffington Post.
Today, she shares new single "Wild Poppies" with BlackBook, available now on Spotify. Highlighted by a percussive, ethereal background, the track follows the release of her debut single "Baby" earlier this year. She comments: "Wild Poppies is inspired by my long standing love for The Wizard of Oz, and a celebration of the way the story resonates with the queer community. In the film, the Wicked Witch of the West casts a spell, and snow falls down onto Dorothy and her friends putting them to sleep in a field of wild poppies. I was drawn to Dorothy as she fell "over the ledge" and under the witch's opiates. To me, wild poppies are a symbol of pleasure, acceptance, and escape. She submits to their power with her emerald destination gleaming in the background, as if to allow for one more taste of the beautiful world she has found. In light of this, I always found her eventual return home to be strange. Although she is invalidated for all she has seen, she exclaims that she'll never leave home again. I wrote Wild Poppies to explore a version of Dorothy that does not come home. It is a song for those who choose the technicolor dream."Videos