RIGHT NOW, it feels like we need the winsome, world-weary indie-pop of Dear Nora more than ever before.
If that sounds dramatic, consider that fans basically begged Portland singer/songwriter Katy Davidson to revive the band she shelved in 2009. Back then, Davidson thought she was done with Dear Nora for good.
Originally from rural Arizona, Davidson moved to Portland in 1995 for college, where she met friends and started making music. After graduation, she formed Dear Nora and recorded a handful of 7-inches and full-lengths that spanned the ’00s and earned a small but loyal following.
Davidson moved away from Portland in 2001 and returned in 2009, but she hadn’t toured behind her own music since 2011, when she released her sole LP under the name Key Losers. She continued writing songs, but took a break from the public side of music to prioritize other things in her life.
“I wanted to work on staying home and getting rooted in the city,” Davidson says. “Work a job and have a normal schedule. I really wanted to buy a house. That was a big goal of mine and I made it happen at the end of last year. I just had some goals that weren’t totally related to [music] and they felt really important to me… but I really started to miss performing.”