BigO Magazine (December 1996)
STRIKING THE RIGHT CHORD
Maybe Kristen Barry is still dazed by the fact that her debut album, the beginning, the middle, the end (Virgin), is actually out in the stores. But for a singer/songwriter so new on the block, she seems to be unusually apprehensive about success.
"I want the whole thing to happen to the extent that I can keep making records," Barry explains. "I don't want the album to be such a huge success that it becomes a huge pressure. I rather take things step by step."
Twenty-six-year-old Barry was in Singapore as art of a promotional tour of Asia. "Touring Asia was my manager's idea," the singer says. "He's also Pearl Jam's manager and they came here last year. He was just so blown away by the music fans here, and how all these people seem to appreciate music for music. In America, everyone seems to be more cynical and more caught up in trends."
When asked about the "anger" in her intensely personal lyrics, Barry says that she is not an angry person at all. "Music is just a great outlet where you can just vent. It's not so much about resentment or discontentment. It's like when you're in a situation with someone and you are able to sit him down and say quite frankly how you feel about something."
A lot of Barry's songs are about the process of growing up. "Growing up sucks in a lot of ways because it is confusing, like you are halfway a kid, halfway an adult. You are also dealing with the opposite sex for the very first time. It's not that I'm angrier than anybody else. I think a lot of people share the same feelings."
Listeners who detect a hint of grunge in Barry's songs shouldn't be surprised as she grew up in Seattle. "Grunge was how the whole world identify what one little local scene was all about. But for people who were in Seattle, it wasn't just grunge, but a bunch of really great bands, especially those in the mid to late '80s. Everyone was inspired by them because they were really good songwriters, which made everyone else work so much harder at their own songwriting."
To her, what's more important is to play a good set in a club where everyone has a great time, rather than to concentrate on chart numbers or sale figures. Alanis Morrissette may be a great success story, but like Barry says, "You don't need to sell 12 million records to strike a chord."
S Young
