Kat Bjelland

Kat Bjelland
Bjelland performing with Babes in Toyland, 2015
Background information
Birth name	Katherine Lynne Bjelland
Born	(1963-12-09) December 9, 1963 (age 53) Salem, Oregon, U.S.
Genres	Alternative rock, punk rock
Occupation(s)	Musician, singer-songwriter
Instruments	Vocals, guitar, bass, piano
Years active	1985–present
Labels	Doomedelic, Treehouse, Twin Tone, Southern, Reprise, Sympathy for the Record Industry, Integrity, Rish
Associated acts	The Venarays, Sugar Babydoll, Pagan Babies, Italian Whorenuns, Babes in Toyland, Hole, Melvins, Lubricated Goat, Crunt, Katastrophy Wife
Notable instruments
Rickenbacker 425

Katherine Lynne Bjelland (born December 9, 1963) is an American singer, songwriter, musician and guitarist. Bjelland rose to prominence as the lead singer, guitarist, and songwriter of the grunge band Babes in Toyland, which formed in Minneapolis, Minnesota in 1987. Bjelland had also been involved in musical projects prior, including a band called The Venarays, as well as the Pagan Babies, which she formed with Courtney Love in 1985.

Babes in Toyland officially disbanded in 2001 after releasing three studio albums, and Bjelland worked on several projects before forming Katastrophy Wife, releasing two studio albums. In 2015, Bjelland reunited with Babes in Toyland and began performing live shows.

Bjelland was born in Salem, Oregon and grew up in nearby Woodburn. Her mother was Lynne Irene Higginbotham; her father was Lyle Bjelland. Bjelland's parents divorced when she was young, and she referred to her stepmother in later years as "abusive" and having a great effect on her life. In the documentary, Not Bad for a Girl (1995), Bjelland revealed this:

You know, I really hate to talk about it because she's great now, but in my childhood she was very abusive... like I said, though, it probably did help my creativity a lot. I was always grounded. I hate to talk about it because I feel like she doesn't think that she did it, but she was [abusive] and it influenced my life quite a great deal.

Bjelland also claimed to have been beaten by her step-mother, and said she was told to "shut up" a lot and wasn't allowed to speak, which resulted in her outspoken nature as she grew into adulthood.

She attended Woodburn High School, where she was a popular student and cheerleader. As a teenager, Bjelland became interested in music. Her uncle, David Higginbotham, taught her to play guitar. Her first performance was at a small bar in Woodburn called Flight 99 (now defunct), with the band called The Neurotics.

Shortly after graduating from high school in 1982, Bjelland moved to Portland, and at age 19, bought her first guitar, a Rickenbacker 425, from a local pawn shop for $200, which she played throughout the 1990s and into the 2000s.