Interview: New York Songwriter Kate Schutt Captures Arctic Enchantment on Dreamlike Jazz-Pop Meditation “Moonsick”

Award-winning singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer Kate Schutt releases “Moonsick,” an ethereal jazz-pop reverie inspired by one of the most unforgettable moments in Austrian writer Christiane Ritter’s 1934 memoir A Woman in the Polar Night. Blending timeless songwriting with luminous adult contemporary arrangements, the single captures a transcendent encounter with the Arctic landscape, where moonlight becomes so overwhelming, so beautiful, that the boundary between self and nature begins to dissolve.

Drawn from Ritter’s account of overwintering in the remote Svalbard archipelago, “Moonsick” centres on a night after months of darkness and relentless storms when the sky suddenly clears, revealing an immense full moon suspended above snow and ice. The brilliance of the landscape leaves Ritter spellbound, unable to tear herself away from the frozen wilderness despite the danger surrounding her.

“She loses all sense of self in the magical light,” Kate explains. “It is so bewitching that she wants to lose herself. The song is about this dissolving of self, the desire to dissolve into something so brilliant, so elemental, so bright, so pure.”

The title perfectly encapsulates Ritter’s extraordinary emotional state. More than simple admiration, “Moonsick” describes complete surrender to wonder – a rare moment where perception, imagination, and reality blur together beneath an Arctic sky.

That fascination with moonlight also places the song within a much older musical tradition. From “Moon River” and “Moonglow” to “Paper Moon” and “How High the Moon,” generations of songwriters have found inspiration beneath the night sky. Rather than imitate those classics, Kate set out to write what she calls a “newly old-fashioned” song: one that feels timeless while quietly revealing itself to be unmistakably contemporary.

“When I write a song like ‘Moonsick,’ I try to imagine someone like Ella Fitzgerald singing it,” she says. “What kinds of songs would those great vocalists like Ella, like Billie Holiday, like Sarah Vaughn, be singing if they were alive today?”

That philosophy shapes every aspect of the recording. Rather than relying on modern production trends, “Moonsick” unfolds with understated elegance, allowing space, melody, and musicianship to carry the emotional weight. Glenn Patscha (Bonnie Raitt, Ollabelle) creates an otherworldly harmonic landscape through his shimmering keyboard performance, while Adam Levy (Norah Jones, Lizz Wright) delivers a lyrical guitar solo that feels as timeless as the song itself. Dan Rieser’s nuanced drumming adds delicate swing and sparkling texture, giving the recording an effortless sense of motion without ever disturbing its dreamlike atmosphere.

Kate’s connection to Ritter’s memoir stretches back more than a decade. The instant she finished reading A Woman in the Polar Night, she knew two things: she had to see the Arctic with her own eyes, and one day she would write music inspired by Ritter’s remarkable story. Those ambitions eventually led Kate to Svalbard in both 2016 and 2024, where standing inside the same vast landscapes transformed admiration into lived experience.

1. What did you enjoy most about creating this new release?
What I enjoy most about this song becoming a real thing in the world is the fact that I managed to keep this spark of a dream of an idea for this song (and others from this album) alive for over a dozen years. This is not easy to do, as anyone with an idea knows. But I kept my word to myself. More than a dozen years ago, I read the memoir “A Woman in the Polar Night” by the Austrian painter and writer Christiana Ritter. It changed my life. When I finished it, I vowed to myself that one day I would write songs about it, or some part of it. And through those dozens of years, which weren’t the rosiest, to say the least, I held on to this little gleam. I held the idea loosely, but through many ups and downs, I pursued it vigorously.

2. Share a nugget of advice that has resonated with you most over the years.
“Everything is impersonal, imperfect, and impermanent.”

3. Who would be your dream artist or band to co-headline a tour with?
My dream co-headline would be with Monica Bill Barnes’s dance company. Another would be with the writer Zadie Smith, or Jamaica Kincaid, or the poets Ama Codjoe, Rick Barot, or Henri Cole. Or the magician Rafael Benatar. Or opening for the Puppet Festival at La Mama. Or opening for the artist Ann Hamilton. Or for the art book publisher Radius Books. Shall I stop now? I could go on and on.  

4. What sets your music apart from others in your genre?
I’m weary and wary of questions like this. The idea of exceptionalism is a cancer.

5. Tell us your favourite song at the moment and why.
Not enough people pay attention to these two incredible artists. Someday, the powers that be will notice them. Until then, I listen, learn, and try to see them perform live any chance I get.