"[6] Growing up, she enjoyed listening to powerful vocalists such as Etta James, Ella Fitzgerald, Aretha Franklin, and Otis Redding.

Her parents introduced her to American folk music via vinyl records of Bob Dylan, Carole King, and Emmylou Harris.

[7] She attended college at the University of Northern Colorado, where she initially majored in vocal performance and musical theatre.

[4] After finishing her degree in music education, Pekarek responded to a Craigslist ad posted by Wesley Schultz and Jeremiah Fraites.

They decided to undertake a small-scale concert tour for 30 days, playing shows from Portland, Oregon to New York City.

"[11] Pekarek stated that she struggled with inequality in the music industry as the sole female member of The Lumineers, saying that women "have to talk twice as loud and perform twice as hard, and you have to wear heels!

[13] Speaking of her reasoning behind leaving the band, Pekarek said: "I was really ready to start writing my own songs and to start singing — both things I wasn’t doing in that band but also, some people I think are just really good at being leaders and some people are really good at following directions, and I think I was ready to be my own boss.

[21] At the 16th annual awards show, the Denver Center for the Performing Arts received 47 nominations, including 16 for Rattlesnake Kate.