BC Pop Artist and Cult Survivor Kenzie Cates Takes Back Control In New Single, “i don’t need u”
Canadian pop artist Kenzie Cates today premieres the music video for her latest release “i don’t need u,” chronicling her unnerving experience surviving and departing a cult she didn’t realize she was in. The song is a celebration of her strength, liberation, and hard-won self-trust.
“Being in a cult and then subsequently leaving has been one of the hardest things I’ve ever been through. The person I had to become to belong was not somebody I recognize today,” says Cates. “Songwriting and music weren’t really allowed in the cult, so after leaving, a big part of coming back to myself was pursuing a career in pop music.”
The music video for “i don’t need u” sees Kenzie confronting her former cult leader, declaring her independence from him with levity and humour while at the same time earnestly embracing her newfound (and hard-won) self-trust. It was shot and directed by Shiraz Higgins (credits: most of BBNO$’s music videos) and subverts Kenzie’s experience of being in a cult by casting her as the cult leader with dozens of disciples who resemble her former cult leader. Reversing the former power dynamic that defines her life, Kenzie exercises her complete control over her disciples’ minds, subjecting them to her every whim and shaping them into unexpected new versions of themselves.
“I wanted to intentionally speak to my sense of independence that I had worked really, really, hard for, and most importantly, I wanted a chance to say to the cult leader, ‘fuck you and fuck off.’ I sincerely hope this song can empower anybody who is in an abusive relationship make contact with their strength.”
Kenzie Cates has quickly gained international attention for her stunning artistry and powerful songwriting. This year, the BC-native cracked the top 10 in Nashville Songwriter’s Association International Annual Song Contest; and placed as a semi-finalist in American Songwriter’s annual song contest, landing in the 99th percentile of submissions. In 2021, she was a semi-finalist in the CBC/Toyota Searchlight Competition, which followed similar results in Yangaroo’s “New Indie Artist” search at Canadian Music Week in 2019.
She directed, shot, and edited her own music video for her first single release, “ruin it.” Encouraged by the song’s success, she applied and was selected to participate in Judy Stakee’s songwriting retreat in Nashville in March 2020, as well as Andrew Allen’s masterclass through the Songwriter’s Association of Canada that May. She has received considerable airplay across Canada for multiple singles, reaching the #3 position on Bellevue Radio’s Indie Chart. After exiting a cult in the fall of 2022, Kenzie has been writing about her experience of abuse, releasing her first single on the topic this March, “right about me,” described as a “masterful” expression of the confusion that results from chronic abuse. She hopes by telling her story, she can raise awareness about the ubiquity of cults.