Q&A's

 

April Kry is the picture-perfect blueprint of what it looks like to be a hard-working, truly independent artist. Perseverance, embracing change, and relearning the very meaning of why she fell in love with doing music in the first place, combined with monumental life moments over the past few years to provide substantial personal growth that’s culminated in the songs that now make up her sophomore album Krysalis. We recently had the chance to check in with April and talk with her about the new album, her incredible release party in Nashville, the soul searching and changes she made that helped give her a new perspective, coming into her own as a now independent artist, being a new mom, and so much more!

(Interview by: Jeffrey Kurtis

TCM KRYSALIS ALBUM RELEASE PARTY REVIEW

www.aprilkry.com

1) You’ve just recently released your brand-new, sophomore album Krysalis. Tell us a little bit about the album.

Yes! It's actually a concept album that spans about 3-4 years of my life. I parted ways with my label of four years, got married, got pregnant during the pandemic, and did a lot of growing. So the whole album revolves around that season. The sound is definitely more pop/R&B than my previous releases but you can still hear some country/soulful roots on a few tracks, for sure.

2) You’ve said that the overall theme of the album is growth. Can you dive a little deeper into that for us? In what ways did you yourself grow as an artist, writer, and person that added an extra shot of truth to the lyrics and songs on the album?

Absolutely. I think for me as an artist, I grew so much in that span of time after I parted ways with my record label. I had to relearn a lot, and navigate becoming a completely independent artist. It really forced me to dig down deep and figure out why I started doing music in the first place. I found my voice, unapologetically. As far as the growth I did as a human, well, I grew a new human! So that definitely changed my perspective on the whole world. I feel content in being a new mother and I can't wait to continue to share that new perspective in my songwriting and music.

3) We were blessed to be able to attend your incredible release party in Nashville at Electric Jane. In what ways do you feel that the songs come to life different when listening to the album then when hearing them through a live experience like that one? 

Well, thank you so much for being there! Singing those songs live was an unbelievable experience for me. But I think anytime you play music live, it comes to life in a different way. There's magic. And there was definitely magic that night! I felt the crowd's energy and fed off of that. My band really helped me bring the live show to life...when you have a solid band, you feel like you can conquer the world.

4) As we were able to see when you performed the album track to track...the album feels like it’s laid out like the perfect setlist. Was this something that was done by design?

As a matter of fact, it was! I wanted to play the album from top to bottom because I strategically placed every song so that the whole album would be a listening experience rather than just a bunch of songs thrown together. I listened to some of my favorite albums from top to bottom (Continuum-John Mayer, Building Balance-Allen Stone, Starfire-Caitlyn Smith) and realized that there was way more to it than just a bunch of great songs. It took me months and months to come up with the track list. I'm so proud of how it all turned out!

5) How do you feel that this album is the you that’s always existed and been there, but in many ways is the album that’s really allowed you to come into your own the most and create your incredibly unique vibe and sound?

I believe it took a lot of soul searching and closed doors for me to write and record this album. I had SO many highs and lows that brought me to these songs. And although it's cliche, I truly believe that everything happens for a reason. If going through all of this helped me create these songs that somehow inspire or help others, I have done my job.

6) You walk the gamut from jazz, to blues, soul, country, and even funk in the mix of sounds on the album. Why did you feel that it was important for you to incorporate all those different stylistic influences into one sonic blend on this album?

My entire artistic life, no one has been able to place me in one genre. When I was purely country, I was too pop. When I was pop, I was too R&B. So I decided to mix all of the genres I love into one cohesive album. I have an array of influences from Billie Holiday and Whitney Houston to Martina McBride and John Mayer. I wanted the listener to hear all of those, but in a cohesive, almost subtle way.

7) One of the most personal songs on the album is “Seven or Seventeen,” which you wrote for your recently newborn baby boy. Beyond what we are gifted with hearing on the surface when we listen to this song, what does it  mean to you on a deeper, even more personal level?

My husband and I struggled for almost two years to conceive him. I got the idea for this song almost immediately after finding out I was pregnant. I wanted to write it myself, but after many attempts with writer's block, I got discouraged. I had this nudge in my heart to bring it to this writing session I had with Chris Sligh, Mary Kutter, and Stone Aielli and I'm so happy I did. They really helped me capture the essence of all my emotions and say everything I wanted to say to my son, Caeden.

8) Another ultra-personal song from the album shares you and your husbands love story, “B-Side.” How have you already been able to see your love story connecting with the hearts of the listeners and their own love stories?

Yes, B-Side was honestly the easiest song to write for me on the album because our love is so deep and I was truly writing from the heart. I've definitely seen how our story has impacted others and it warms my heart. I've had a few people reach out and tell me that they are also with their high school sweetheart, or they reconnected with someone, and they have the same kind of love. It's amazing to hear.

9) Though each of the songs on the album holds a special place in your heart, do you have a personal favorite from the album? 

"Seven Or Seventeen" is probably my favorite because it talks about the deep love I have for my son, even before he was born. It's like nothing I've ever felt before.

10) What one piece of advice can you offer to someone who is just starting out and trying to break into the music industry?

I would say, don't be afraid to be who you are even if people don't understand your sound. Being authentic is more important than being liked. Play all the shows.

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