IN the music world sometimes the stars just align and everything clicks.

And it was certainly the case for Kate Akhurst, when she flew to Stockholm to meet two members of the Swedish outfit Rocket Boy one weekend.

“A mutual friend of ours thought we would work well together,” says the Australian, who had previously lived in LA and penned songs for Glee star Charice and Australian Idol finalist Ricki-Lee, as well as under her own name.

“I was living in London at the time, which was close enough to pop over – it’s only an hour’s flight away.

“I went over for a week, met the guys and we wrote [first single] Northern Lights that first night. It was instantaneous.”

Prior to the fateful meeting with Markus Dextegen and Hampus Nordgren Hemlin, Akhurst admits she was very into the Swedish pop sound.

“There’s something special about how they could make a pop song sound really edgy and cool,” she says.

“We were all writers for other people, but it didn’t make sense to give Northern Lights away. It felt like this was what we should do – we were Kate Boy from that moment, and it hasn’t changed from that.”

Indeed in interviews she has described the Kate Boy name as almost referring to an extra member of the band.

“It was a classic mash-up of names, but it really represented how we felt as a unit,” she says. “We did everything together – the name felt like an androgynous mix of male and female. Kate Boy could be a solo artist or a band, we didn’t have to paint ourselves in a corner because of a name.”

The first influences they bonded over were Peter Gabriel and Kate Bush – and it is easy to hear the distinctive synth stabs, dramatic vocals and minimalist electronic drum machines in Northern Lights, particularly from Gabriel’s early rhythm-heavy albums.

Following the release of Northern Lights and a couple of online music videos Kate Boy decided to go on tour.

“Booking shows happened so quickly,” says Akhurst. “It is why the album has taken so long to get finished. We did more than 50 shows in a year.”

The experience on the road changed the way the trio wrote songs – as evidenced in more recent single Self Control, which sees Akhurst encourage the listener to take control of their life. “We learned so much from just getting out there,” she says.

“When you sing songs over and over night after night you want to feel good about what you’re singing. It has become quite important as a way we can connect and share a message.

“The first experience of everyone singing lyrics back to us was profound. We have written a few more songs since the beginning which are much more satisfying and fulfilling for us as they touch on subjects which really matter to us.

“Self Control was one of those songs we felt needed to be said. When we perform it people sing it back so passionately.”

The live show has helped develop Kate Boy’s minimalist image – based largely around a monochromatic colour scheme and black baseball caps.

“We use backlights and keep the lights as cold as possible,” says Akhurst. “We play with shadows and light and darkness visually.

“The cap was something to link us and give ourselves an identity – representing that Kate Boy character. The visuals are just as important to us as the music.

“We like adding things on top – the starkness gives a blank canvas to start with. We liked to keep our cards close to our chest in the beginning just so the music could speak.

“Right now our visuals are quite mysterious, but I feel if people made the effort to come and see us in the flesh I want to project and make sure I connect with them.”

Support from Joywave.