KRYSTAL RENÉE

Tell me a little about your upbringing:

"I was born in Brooklyn.  Most of my upbringing was in Queens, but from the time I was young, I've traveled quite a bit for schooling.  I'm somewhat of a melting pot- possibly from this upbringing.  My schools were all very diverse - from Catholic, to Afro-centric (where we uniformly wore traditional cloths of the culture and I became more exposed to African music and dance), to urban, to LaGuardia High School (a prestigious performing arts school), to the laid back California conservatory that is CalArts, to SUNY Purchase, to Florence University of the Arts in Italy, and back to NY..."

 

What sounds inspire you?

"I find that my sound parallels some of my upbringing.  The music I love encompasses a fusion of different cultures and/or sounds.  I love lyrical depth.  I'm sort of addicted to it... At it's core, I'm inspired majorly by the overall idea of love. For me, that's the only thing I could find that would explain, and help me to cope with, all of the mysteries of life and death. My genre is Rock/Indie. I've been told my voice has a soulful texture to it."

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Who were some of your influences?

"Growing up, I listened to a lot of Evanescence, Pink, Kelly Clarkson, Fefe Dobson, Stacie Orrico, Linkin Park, Seether, and some of the dance/hip hop artists of the time.  As I began to mature musically, I also listened with more depth to artists such as Michael Jackson, Christina Aguilera, Sarah Vaughan, and Anita Baker.  I studied Italian opera music, and as I became more exposed to it, found a great appreciation for the rythms and tonalities in arabic music as well."

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Tell us something we don't already know:

"I've faced some physical battles which have greatly inspired my process.  I've played piano, some clarinet, and am self-taught on both acoustic and electric guitar.  I also studied acting throughout high school and my first year of college.  I am interested in characters... I like to connect to people.  I like to understand and aim to be understood." 

 

What motivates you?

"My surroundings... A sincere love for humankind... The desire to feel , and help others to feel, both uniqueness and inclusion"