Inspired by a rich background of jazz, folk and popular music styles, while seamlessly weaving story and sound with depth, imagination and creativity, singer and songwriter Kat Reinhert is an artist whose music defies categorization
Reinhert writes songs that blend the complexity of jazz harmonies to the lyrical sensibility of a singer-songwriter in an easily accessible aural palette. With a clear and expressive voice Reinhert can move effortlessly from a secret whisper of longing to a laughter filled explosion as she moves through each story with authenticity and expression. As a lyricist, she draws from both real-life experiences, as well as those made from whole-cloth or sparked by watching the world through the lens of an observer. Ever the optimist, Reinhert has a keen ability to dig deep into difficult subjects while never alienating her listeners.
As a collaborative songwriter, she has worked with Josh Logan (Black Eyed Peas, Andy Grammer, etc.), Stephen Lit (Galantis, One Direction, etc), MONA (Hailee Steinfeld, Daya, etc.), Idarose (Warner Chappel), and David Cook (Taylor Swift, Maren Morris, Keisha), written for Sesame Street and collaborated on podcast theme songs. and her music is featured in the credits for Songwriting for Music Educators, as well as the podcast Aphasia Speaks.
Her first original music appeared on a now archived album released in 2001 and from there Kat continued to lead and sing with various bands. In 2008, she released her second album, Chrysalis, her first all-original material release. Reinhert continued to perform throughout NYC as well as lead several national tours. During this perioid was when she really caught the ‘songwriting bug’ and started honing her craft.
During the next seven years, Reinhert recorded two albums: Spark, released in 2015 to critical acclaim containing twelve original songs and a RUSH cover, and Home Movie, released in winter 2018, containing nine creative interpretations of folk songs, covers and jazz standards. Spark was produced by David Cook (k) and contains guest artists Julia Pederson (b), Jody Redhage (c), and Jo Lawry, Shayna Steele and Sarah Tolar (bvgs) and both records have Kat's core band of Perry Smith (g), Sam Minaie (b) and Ross Pederson (d).
After spending time in Miami pursuing alternative career paths, Reinhert relocated back to New York City in 2019 and has returned to the performing and creative industries full time. In 2021, she released her fifth studio album of all original material, Dead Reckoning. Drawing from the challenges and experiences of maintaining an artistic creative life and relationships while pursuing a parallel passion in education and research, the songs on this upcoming album are a testament to the honesty, vulnerability, charm, and hope we all discover on our journeys. The album features Reinhert’s long time band members Perry Smith (g), Jesse Lewis (g), Matt Aronoff (b), and Ross Pederson (d) as well as guest artists Jody Redhage (c), Rob Saunders (m) and features background vocals by Jamie Leonhart, Crystal Monee Hall and Jo Lawry, Working alongside producer David Cook (k), Reinhert and Cook shaped the sonic landscape that takes the listener on a compelling aural journey.
In 2020 and 2021, Reinhert released four singles, produced by Happy Camper Studios in Nashville: Better Without You, The Thief, Behind, and Hiding in the Dark. In 2024, she released four more singles, co-produced and produced by herself with her long time collaborators: Greenlights, I Wanna Be Like Steve Martin, Runnin’ and Paris in the Snow.
After continuing to hone both her guitar and production skills, Reinhert is releasing her first self-produced EP, Normal, in November of 2025. A testament to what hard work, dedication and drive can help one discover, the EP is a somber and vulnerable work with songs that dive into divorce, questioning values, miscarriage and adulthood in it’s most beautiful and poignant spaces. Celebrating this release, Reinhert is hosting a release show on October 26th in NYC and is looking forward to continuing to perform more as well as release a new project of self-produced songs in 2026.