Co-writing a song that’s gone to No. 1 on the U.S. Country charts isn’t a novelty for B.C.-raised, Nashville-based singer-songwriter Kat Higgins. She first reached those giddy heights in 2021, when country superstar Kenny Chesney had a major hit with “Knowing You,” a waltz that Higgins co-wrote with Adam and Brett James.
In 2024, she repeated the feat with “The Painter,” a No. 1 hit song for Cody Johnson that was co-written by Higgins, Ryan Larkins, and Benjy Davis. The song has earned nearly 200 million plays on Spotify, and 10 million views on YouTube, as well as having been certified Platinum in both the U.S. and Canada, where it also topped the Billboard Country Chart.
One of the genre’s most decorated hits of 2024, “The Painter” was nominated for Song of the Year at both the CMA (Country Music Association) and ACM (Academy of Country Music) Awards, and it won in that category at both the NSAI (Nashville Songwriters Association International) Awards and AIMP (The Association for Independent Music Publishers) Awards.
Her victory at the NSAI Awards was especially pleasurable for Higgins, as she attended with Margaret Ruttan, the close friend who was the key inspiration behind Higgins’ lyrical contributions to “The Painter.”
Select the image to access the YouTube video of the Kat Higgins co-write “The Painter,” as recorded by Cody Johnson
On the phone from Nashville, Higgins recalls the genesis of the hit song, one that has resonated deeply with so many listeners. “It was like any other day, getting together with my two co-writers at a round table,” says Higgins. “Ryan Larkins said, ‘My wife has always been a painter in my life. She’s encouraged me to be creative, and she just brings colour to my life. I thought we could maybe circle around this idea and write a song called ‘The Painter.’”
Excited by the theme, Davis and Higgins joined in, swapping lines inspired by people in their own lives. “We thought Ryan’s idea was incredible, and we each had someone we could write for,” says Higgins. “For me, that was Margaret Ruttan. She has always told me to be brave, to trust that inner voice, to have fun, to create without fear of what it’d sound like at the end.”
Appropriately, Ruttan is an accomplished painter, and the creative space in her home has been well employed by Higgins. “When I first moved to Nashville, I stayed with Margaret and her husband [noted Canadian country singer-songwriter Deric Ruttan],” she says. “I’d come home from co-writing and go up to Margaret’s soap and paint shop. She’d have all kinds of paints out, and creative things to get into, and she’d say, ‘What’s going on, honey child? Sit down and paint something.’ I still have some of those early paintings.”
Together, the three co-writers painted a collective portrait of people who’ve been positive forces in each of their lives, one that’s clearly hit home with country fans. “You never know how a song will be received, or if it will catch on at radio, but we all loved it,” says Higgins. “We all felt we’d come up with something good. The song was then sent around over several months, and then we heard back that Cody Johnson loved it.”
“The Painter” was released in August of 2023, as the lead single from Cody Johnson’s hit LP Leather, the Album of the Year winner at the 2024 CMA Awards. Higgins placed another co-write, “Watching My Old Flame,” on the album.
“You never know how a song will be received, or if it will catch on at radio”
The first significant cut of a Kat Higgins co-write by a U.S. artist came with Carrie Underwood’s “Mexico,” in 2015. Other of her cuts have included “Illegal Immigrant,” recorded by The Lone Bellow, and “Find Your Way,” a song recorded by Kevin Costner and his band Modern West, and released to help raise funds for victims of Hurricanes Helene and Milton. Other artists to have recorded her compositions include Carly Pearce, Alli Walker, and Avery Anna, and she’s co-written songs with SOCAN members Robyn del’Unto, Gordie Sampson, Travis Wood, and Tenille Townes.
Prior to relocating to Nashville in 2012, Higgins had songs cut by Canadian artists, including Emerson Drive and Jason Blaine. She first made her musical mark alongside two siblings, John and Eileen, in family group The Higgins – who made the Top 15 on Canadian country radio, and earned CCMA (Canadian Country Music Association) Award nominations as Group of the Year in 2008 and 2009.
Higgins first met Deric Ruttan (then a recording artist as well as a songwriter) while she was in that group. “I remember it was at the B.C. Country Music Awards,” she says. “Deric told me later that he could see I had fire in my eyes.” Ruttan (with whom she later co-wrote) played a pivotal role as Higgins transitioned from singing and performing to pursuing a career as a country songwriter in Nashville. “It was Deric who introduced me to my publisher, Pat Higdon,” she recalls. “I signed a co-venture publishing deal with Pat’s publishing company, Patrick Joseph Music, and SONGS, based out of LA, in 2012.
“That was my first publishing deal, and I’ve stayed with Pat ever since. He’s such a legend in the Nashville publishing community. He’s so highly respected, and such an honest and authentic person. I trust him completely.” Higgins and Patrick Joseph Music have a publishing deal with BMG that was renewed in 2024.
Select the image to access the YouTube video of Kat Higgins performing her co-write, “Knowing You”
While her stock as an in-demand songwriter in Nashville continues to soar, Higgins is planning a return to the recording and performing spotlight. In 2020, she released two singles, “Gone Let Her Go” and “We Go Driving,” and she says, “I have a solo album that’s now completed, and we’re hoping to start putting out advance singles by the summer.
“It’ll come out on Kenny Chesney’s label, Blue Chair Records. This came about when I was lucky enough to perform ‘Knowing You’ in Lake Tahoe during Kenny’s show. At one point he asked me, ‘Are you an artist as well?’ One thing led to another, and he asked if he could fund a record and co-produce it.”
Another country superstar to have boosted her career is the aforementioned Carrie Underwood. “’Mexico’ was my first big cut after moving to Nashville,” Higgins recalls. “I got to work with Carrie later, and that broke down the barrier of thinking about major stars as being these unreachable people to whom you are trying to get songs I came to realize that singers need songs, so as songwriters, we’re providing services to them. I’m now less reticent about sending songs directly to the artists.”
Look for more country stars to add Kat Higgins songs to their paintbox, as they go looking for hits.