Arts & Entertainment

Music Spotlight: How going independent helped Kristin Hoffmann find her way

February 13, 2014 Editorial Staff
Photo courtesy of Kristin Hoffmann.
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BY JERMANE GRAHAM AND MEAGHAN MCGOLDRICK

Indie music artist Kristin Hoffmann is no amateur when it comes to composing music. Hoffmann has released six albums and is on her own independent record label Starr Records. Her songs have been featured on a few television shows including the long-running soap opera the Young and the Restless and late 90s to 2000s drama Dawson’s Creek.

Hoffmann currently resides in Greenpoint and has lived in the Brooklyn for over seven years now. She grew up listening to classical music and as a child she originally saw herself musically heading in that direction until she got older. Hoffmann started writing her own song at the age of 13 and by 18 she branched out into booking local gigs while being part of a band.

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Almost leaping into the industry as a young adult, Hoffmann signed with Capitol Records at the age of 19 for two years. After departing with the record label she was on her own for a few years until she signed Interscope.

Both record deal experiences failed to launch Hoffmann towards stardom. Hoffmann never got the chance to see those albums reach the end of the tunnel due to both situations where the A&R person either left the label or was fired from it before she could release her album. It was just bad timing in Hoffmann’s case.

The record label experiences shifted her outlook. Refusing to give up on her career, Hoffmann put her focus towards honing her craft and forming her own path.

A few of Hoffmann’s music influences are Johann Sebastian Bach, Massive Attack, and Imogen Heap. She classifies her music as, “A mix of serial renaissance pop. It’s a mix of old school classical undertones with singer/songwriter qualities of pop with electronic mixed.”

“My songs are inspired by real life experiences,” said Hoffmann “I would say they’re products of deep introspection. I don’t make up stories I try to look at universal truths that are human truths that we all face and go through. I’m really inspired by the connection between shadows and light in life.”

Hoffmann also notes that her music is about gaining a balance between the good and evil sides that we all possess. “We all aspire to be great people but we all have dark sides. We work with our fears and I’m really interested in the balance of those two sides, main theme in my music.”

Currently Hoffmann is prepping for the release of her remix EP titled “The Human Compass: The New Direction” which is due in March. It’s a remix trilogy of 3 of songs from The Human Compass, a 10-track LP released December of 2012. Hoffmann claims that this EP will have more of an electronic flare when compared to original LP. The remixes are being produced by Troy Stallman who also goes by Rise of Troy .

“I’m really excited,” said Hoffmann. “It’s going to bring a whole other side of the music that I love into play so it’ll be fun to have these out there.”

To promote the EP she released her latest single near the end of 2013 titled “Ghosts (Rise of Troy Remix)”. The original version is a calm piano driven balled with soft vocals by Hoffmann. The Rise of Troy remix builds upon the original. Its remix adds on heavier drums, different song structure, electronic influenced effects, and it creates a haunting atmosphere with due to her distant vocals.

Hoffmann’s next show is scheduled for Valentine’s Day, February 14 at Caffe Vivaldi located in West Village, Manhattan. She will also be doing another show for the Star Festival Series the following Friday, February 21 in Northport.

To find out more about to Hoffmann and her music, visit her website www.KristinHoffmann.com


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