Musician Catherine Papworth is a true artist

In today’s world, true artistry can be hard to find.

Many will do whatever they can just to get on TV or to sell something. Many artists get so caught up in so-called “success” (as defined by the world — not its true meaning) that they completely forget why they wanted to pursue art in the first place.

Catherine Papworth is a true artist. The music she creates is straight from her heart and is true to who she is and what she believes.

Throughout her music-filled life, Papworth has had some pivotal awakenings — or what I like to call “ahah moments” — that have placed her on the path to becoming a true artist.

Her first “ahah moment” was in a private voice lesson at BYU with Barry Bounous. At this point, Papworth didn’t consider herself a singer. She considered herself “a pianist who sang, not the other way around.”

Papworth showed Bounous a song she wrote with her friend who usually sang the songs they wrote. It had some high belting parts, and Papworth thought it was too difficult for her to sing.

“I just said, ‘Oh, I can't sing that song.’ And Barry said, ‘Why not?’ I didn't have an answer. I didn't know why not. Every time I would put a limit on myself like that he would say, ‘Why not?’ I started to ask myself this question and say, ‘Well, I guess there is no reason. I guess I could try,’” she said.

So Papworth kept trying and grew immensely. She joined Noteworthy (BYU’s female a cappella group) and sang solos without the piano. She became a singer and a pianist.

Her freshman year at BYU, Papworth devoted her waking and sleeping hours to music.

“I wanted to have a band, a record and a batch of songs that I stood behind 100 percent, and I wanted to be a better performer and songwriter, and I wanted to know how to engineer, and I wanted all of it right then and there. I was getting really burnt out with school work, my job and staying up until 5 a.m. in the practice rooms trying to write good songs and then getting up for theory class at 8 a.m.”

In the stress of her busy schedule and big dreams, Papworth found peace and direction in a classmate’s advice.