Remember that name, because one day soon you’ll be able to tell your friends, “Oh I was listening to Kristin Diable before she was ever famous.” It’s going to happen. Seriously, and I’ll tell you why after the drop.

In 2003 the Baton Rouge native took part in what was to be a one semester exchange program in New York. Her goal was not to live there permanently, but rather to check out the environment and expand her musical horizons. “By the summer after that semester,” Kristin said, “I had a pretty obvious epiphany.” The revelation would lead her down a difficult path. But she decided, “Staying in NYC, but more importantly, pursuing music fulltime was the only way.”

Her decision was met with outrage by her mother. “To say my mom was upset would be an understatement… I seriously thought my mom would never talk to me again,” Kristin said. It’s not difficult to understand her mother’s fury. An ideal student, Kristin abandoned a full scholarship at Louisiana State University in order to pursue her dream.

One might wonder how she could give up the certain comforts of home life and a full scholarship. To that Kristin responded, “I can get a degree anytime, you know? My wellbeing in music, or otherwise, isn’t dependent on a piece of paper. It’s dependent on my will, how hard I can work and how much I love what I’m doing.”

There were, of course, doubts. “Sometimes I get incredibly homesick, and just fed up of the lifestyle here. The expense of living is absolutely insane,” Kristin said. “There are few trees, no backyards, and no one has barbecues, or crawfish boils, and sometimes you wonder if your friends will still be around next week.”

But through her adversities, an unwavering love for music helped her endure. “It’s a very incredible joy to know that you are exactly where you’re supposed to be, and who you’re supposed to be, that you’re not lost in the world of options and expectations placed on you,” Kristin said, “[I’ve] lucked out.”

Eventually, Kristin gathered enough good news to assuage her mother’s fears. “It took some times, but once I got setup where I was living OK, and doing well with music, found a good manager, had major labels interested… she understood that this was going to be OK.”

Now, three years later, success is in plain sight. She recently signed to BMI. And in 2005 she released her first LP Shelter, an 11 track excursion through blues, rock and soul. An impressive feat for any young artist, made all the more impressive for Kristin who has no formal musical training. “I can’t stand to try to learn theory or read music, but I can sit down with an instrument and write all day.”

“Music just makes sense to me,” Kristin said, “I hear melodies and orchestrations and can convert that into songs and onto instruments.” It is this ability that fuels a songwriting process she describes as a treasure hunt. “Sometimes the melody comes first, sometimes it’s the guitar [or] words,” Kristin explained. “Usually it comes in pieces, then I have to sit down and find out how [they] are supposed to fit together.”

When asked what she looks for in music, Kristin responded, “I prefer music that, in its way is more Zen, little friction, smooth sailing. That doesn’t mean it has to be folky or soft—just effortless.” Her music is a testament to the assertion.

You have several opportunities in the near and immediate future to catch Kristin Diable professing her love:

3-24 - New York, NY – The Living Room – 10PM
3-29 – Hoboken, NJ – The Goldhawk – 8PM
4-13 – New York, NY – The Living Room – 10PM
4-20 – Princeton, NJ – Triumph Brewing Co. – 9PM
5-5 – New York, NY – The Living Room – 10PM
5-6 – Philadelphia, PA – World Café Live – 8PM

Also, you can find Kristin on the web at By: blake | 03/24/06 | Interviews - Shows - AM Exclusive - Features
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