Interview and Behind the Scenes with Moon2Mars musical artist Katie Toupin

We recently sat down with singer and songwriter Katie Toupin to talk about the inspiration behind her song “Astronaut,” which she will be performing at our upcoming Moon2Mars Festival, presented by Wellby, Powered by JSC FCU! Toupin will take the stage at 7 p.m. on Friday, June 10.

Get to know Toupin and her catchy, uplifting, out-of-this-world tune that is sure to inspire a whole new generation of astronauts!

We want to talk a little bit about your amazing song, “Astronaut.” Tell us how you came up with that song? What inspired you? Why did you write the song?

I started writing this song because I felt so connected to the person that I was growing up, and I was just remembering how hopeful you are when you’re a child and how you think anything is possible, and somehow we lose that along the way. Life sets in, and reality sets in (which I’m not a fan of), and so that’s what the inspiration for the song was. And I think it really did connect with people. People get that when they listen to the song.

Is there a dream collaboration in mind?

I think it’d be really cool to have an actual astronaut on my podcast. That would be really cool.

Are there other collabs you’ve done besides that about which you’re really proud of or really excited?

I’ve worked with some cool people. I made a record with Dave Cobb, who I love. He’s a producer, and I made a really great record with him. I work with Cage the Elephants’ engineer. His name’s Jeremy Ferguson, and he’s the guy who actually recorded, engineered and mixed this song, “Astronaut.” So, that’s a cool collab that I do pretty regularly.

Do you have any pets?

Sure. I have a dog. I am a huge animal lover. When I was a kid, I rescued everything. That was my whole life. I was going to train horses, and I was gonna be an animal rescuer, and I still want to be that, honestly. So, I have a little dog, a rescue dog. His name is Cheeto.

Do you have a favorite movie?

Probably one of my favorite movies is “Almost Famous.” I love “Almost Famous.” I love Romcoms and romantic movies.

Do you have a favorite food?

I love pizza.

What women in your life inspire you?

My mom is probably the person…She got to do things she couldn’t possibly have imagined I think growing up, and so she really set the example for me of like, you know, ‘If you think you can do it, you can do it’…And I think the things in my life that I’ve done, there’s no way they would have been possible if it hadn’t been for her influence. So, she’s probably the one.

And there’s been countless musicians that I admire that are women. Brandi Carlisle is so incredible. I love Allison Russel, who’s a new artist. And Gillian Welch is incredible. The Alabama Shakes…Brittany Howard was one of my first tours we ever did; we got to play some shows with Alabama Shakes. She’s just a powerhouse. There’s countless women in music that have been inspiring to me.

What’s some advice you have for young explorers or young girls?

That your opinion matters and that your voice matters, more so than someone else’s opinion. So, I think that that’s the advice that I wish that I had really understood. Not necessarily heard, but actually understood. You know? That my voice mattered.