Cleveland Pop Artist Cat Calabrese and Collaborator Romanic Give ‘Sleeping Alone’ the Ballad Treatment

Delving on mental health, healing and past relationships, Cleveland-based pop singer-songwriter Cat Calabrese and her collaborator, producer Romanic, have regrouped for a quieter, ballad version of their song “Sleeping Alone.”

With the video and audio taken from Cleveland’s Lava Room Recording, Calabrese describes this version of the song as more vulnerable. “You can hear the emotion in both artists’ voices as they paint a picture of what life is like for someone struggling with depression and the hollow loneliness that oftentimes comes with it,” she says in a statement.

While the original studio version was released in March this year, the live rendition builds upon Calabrese’s creative rapport with Romanic and allows her to serve up an addition to her growing run of singles ever since she released her debut track “Quicksand” last year. She says of how Romanic influenced her, “His talent and vision has cultivated my sound. When we first started working together, he took the time to listen to my story. He asked questions to learn about who I was as a person and the experiences I had endured that led me to writing songs in the first place.”

“Sleeping Alone” was born out of bouncing ideas back and forth, a process that Calabrese feels strengthens both artists’ craft. “It’s been so humbling to see the progression from where we started a year ago to where we are now, and it makes me even more excited for the future. He makes me a better artist,” she says.

Thematically, “Sleeping Alone” is one of several songs which addresses mental health, drawing from Calabrese’s personal experience of living with depression and anxiety since she was 16 years old. “Even before I was an artist, music was always a solace for me when those struggles felt too heavy. I would often journal my thoughts to make sense of what I was feeling. When I became an artist, it felt natural to incorporate those struggles into my songwriting and music. We all have a story to tell, and I find that when I sing my truth, it diminishes the darkness of my own personal battles. But most importantly, I hope that my music can help someone else the same way it has helped me,” she adds.

The pace of releasing new music every two months or so will continue following the live version of the track. Calabrese adds, “I also have some collaborations coming up that I can’t wait to share. ‘Sleeping Alone’ was the start of a new era and new sound for me; I have a lot of music lined up for release this year and the next, whichis going to continue building on this new chapter.”

Watch the video for “Sleeping Alone (Live at Lava Room Recording)” below. Stream on more platforms here.