An accomplished keyboard player and vocalist, Kristy Jackson, a BMI award winning songwriter and publisher, in attempting to put into words her personal pain and pride in her country Kristy's song, “Little Did She Know (She’d Kissed A Hero)” received airplay as the #1 most requested song on the largest New York city radio stations (PLJ, BLI, WALK, WLTW, etc.) and other major markets in the fall of 2001.
Sales of her single CD, sold exclusively over the Internet, were documented in every state of the US as well as England, Sweden, Japan, South Bogota, Taiwan, Ireland, Italy, Germany, South America, Puerto Rico, British West Indies, Israel, Mexico, UK, Canada and it exploded in Australia.
Turning down a deal with Sony, Kristy remained independent and raised over $30,000 for 9/11 charities. Not bad for an indie.
The CD is available exclusively at her website: www.kristyjackson.com or www.littledidsheknow.com.
She spent the following two years performing the song gratis at numerous events in the New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania areas honoring the victims, victims' families and those most personally affected by 9/11 and has been recognized by both the New Jersey and Pennsylvania State Legislatures for the healing effects of her song, "Little Did She Know" and done interviews with numerous radio personalities including Delilah, John Tesh, and Scott Shannon.
“Body And Soul”, her 4th self produced full length CD with 11 new songs has recently been released.
She is offering her most recent song written, "One Way To Love" as a free download at www.feverpitchmusic.com/onewaytolove.htm.com It was recently endorsed by Guideposts as they included it on their most recent newsletter.
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AS A PERFORMER: An accomplished keyboard player and vocalist , she's performed from Maui to Giants Stadium to the famous Bluebird Café in Nashville and has shared the stage with pop performers including Jessica Simpson, Mandy Moore, Willa Ford, and Blu Cantrell as well as songwriters Bob Malone, Michael Johnson, and the incomparable David Wilcox to name a few.
AS AN ARTIST: Her song, “Little Did She Know (She’d Kissed A Hero)” thrust her in the national spotlight when her work tape found its way to radio and quickly became the #1 most requested song on the largest radio stations in New York and other major markets in the fall of 2001. Kristy’s been featured on nationally syndicated entertainment shows, Xtra Entertainment, Inside Edition, as well as the CBS Early Morning Show with Bryant Gumbel and Jayne Clayson and NBC's Life Moments.
AS A SONGWRITER: A BMI award winning songwriter. Her songs have been recorded worldwide as well as having singles with artists on Universal, Giant and MCA Records. She is a member of BMI’s Millionaire Club with “Take It Back” (recorded by Reba McEntire) logging over 1,750,000 performances to date.
AS A RECORD LABEL OWNER: Fever Pitch Music. Six releases: Including:
1.Kristy Jackson "The Best Seat In The House"
2.Kristy Jackson "Body & Soul"
3.Kristy Jackson "Little Did She Know"
4.Kristy Jackson "Blue Shades"
5.Gail Swanson "Living In A Movie"
6.Gail Swanson "Sign Of The Times"
AS A PRODUCER: Kristy produces her releases as well as co-produced rock artist Gail Swanson’s last two releases, specifically the rock side of the double CD "Living In A Movie" with special guests, Willie Nelson and Patrick Simmons of the Doobie Bros. which won the 2001 HOKU award for Rock Album Of The Year (equivalent to a Hawaiian grammy).
Miscellaneous Information:
Born: Charleston, W. Va.
Raised: Darien, CT
Resides: North Carolina
Kristy's other websites to view:
www.myspace.com/kristyjackson
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jcLGLbYyeHQ - Little Did She Know Video
All 4 KJ CDs are available on I-Tunes, Rhapsody, E-music, and other digital distributors.
Click this link to go directly to the I-Tunes KJ Store:
http://phobos.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewArtist?id=6094560&forceArtist
Q/A Interview with
Kristy Jackson
Jan: What makes a
great vs. just good lyric?
Kristy: A
good lyric may make you think….a great lyric makes you feel.
Jan: How long does
it usually take you to write a song once you start it?
Kristy: It
depends. If it’s an idea or story being crafted it usually takes
longer and I tend to be more critical of it. If it’s an emotion
that I’m trying to capture, I’ve either “been there” or can
empathize and the writing is a lot faster. I knew that BA in
Psychology would come in handy someday!
Jan: Do you focus on
one song at a time or work on a few at a time?
Kristy:
Musically, I record multiple ideas and re-visit them, but I tend
to concentrate lyrically on one song at a time.
Jan: Did you have a
songwriting mentor and/or muse?
Kristy: Life.
Jan: Approximately
how much expense was involved from song idea to song pitch?
Kristy: That
depends. If it’s a lyrically driven song, I feel comfortable doing
a clean keyboard/vocal at my studio but if it’s a “groove”
song, I hire my A-list session guys in Nashville and cut it in a
studio there which usually runs between $400/$600 per song. And
trust me, I don’t demo everything I write….I’ve got plenty of
B-list songs in my catalog that I wouldn’t spend a dime on.
Jan: What usually
comes first: hook, title, melody, lyrics etc...?
Kristy: People
ask me that all the time and truthfully, it’s totally random….when
I’m co-writing it’s a hook or a title…..when I’m writing
alone, it’s a feeling…..
Jan: Do you
co-write/collaborate? If so, do you usually collaborate with the same
songwriters or with different ones? Any advice on co-writing (where
you could find an established co-writer especially if you don't live
in Nashville, New York, Los Angeles etc...)?
Kristy: I
don’t do a lot of co-writing anymore because there are a lot of
licensing opportunities and it’s easier to license songs and music
if you own 100%. When I used to co-write, I co-wrote with a fairly
small circle and it was always the same people. I do think co-writing
is important in that it stretches you as a writer and that can only
eventually make you a better writer. If you’re not in the major
markets, find the nearest NSAI chapter or start going to open mike
nights and you can usually find writers to co-write with.
Jan:What's your best
song so far? “Little Did She Know (She’d Kissed A Hero)”
Kristy: I
raised over $30,000 for 9/11 charities with that little song…..not
bad for an indie. At the time, my attorney pitched it to Capitol to
try and get a “big female voice” to cut it since I’d already
committed to donating royalties to charity. We were told at the time
(Oct. 2001) that the labels in Nashville had gotten together and
absolutely no labels or artists were going to be recording anything
to do with 9/11. Clearly Alan Jackson, Darryl Worley and Toby didn’t
get the memo. Lol After my work tape found its way to radio
and it became the #1 most requested song on the largest stations in
New York, here comes Sony knocking. I didn’t answer the door. Lol
I just found out recently that legendary Grammy winning icon,
Patti Page has recorded the song and it’s supposed to be on her
upcoming Curb CD release dropping in Aug. 2008. How cool is that!
Jan: What's your
style in writing (do you write fast as the lines just flow out i.e.a
few songs daily/staff writer style) or do you write slower with many
re-writes to make sure your piece is perfect?
Kristy: When
I write, I tend to write pretty fast, the words just come flying…
Jan: Any advice for
new or partially new songwriters?
Kristy: Listen
to other songwriters…they are inspiring.
Jan: Did
songwriting always come natural for you?
Kristy: I’ve
been doing it since I was 5, and my Mom kept the God awful tapes to
prove it. lol
Jan: In your
opinion, how has the music industry change through the years?
Kristy: The
listening audience has the attention span of a gnat. I’ve never
understood the major labels’ thinking when they release a single
and wait a month to release the CD…..we are living in an “instant
gratification” time and the faster you get your music into your
fans’ hands, the better. There’s also too many conflict of
interests in the business….labels owning their own publishing
companies, producers owning publishing companies and being
songwriters themselves. Why would they consider an outside publishing
company for songs for their artists when they can keep it all ”in
the house”. The whole music industry suffers. When was the last
time you listened to commercial radio? Point made.
Jan: Do you write
with a commercial slant in mind vs. just writing your true feelings?
Kristy: That’s
one of the reasons I don’t live in Nashville…..I commute…and I
have to tell you….when you’re in Nashville, you do get conscious
of “who’s looking for an uptempo” or “who’s looking for a
ballad” and I found by the end of a week there, my writing is so
contrived ……anyone with a rhyming dictionary could be writing
what I was writing, you know? I wasn’t bringing anything unique to
the table. That’s why I like living outside of Nashville. I also
really try to let the song write itself….and sometimes the song
goes in a direction that’s not necessarily “radio friendly” but
that doesn’t mean it isn’t a great song.
Jan: Do you have a
daily/weekly etc... writing schedule?
Kristy: Nope
… I wish I was more disciplined sometimes but fortunately I’m in
a position where I only write when I feel compelled to.
Jan: How do you
deal with rejection when pitching your songs?
Kristy: Music
is subjective so rejection is part of the business….you may have
written the most awesome ballad love song ever….but if the producer
is looking for an uptempo……you’re done………You can’t take
it personally. You have to be objective and be able to put your
publisher hat on and take your songwriting hat off when you’re
pitching.
Jan: Do you have
any songs that you put aside and may later finish?
Kristy:
Sometimes.
Jan: When composing
music, do you ever wonder if another song is influencing you?
Kristy: I’m
sure another song is always influencing me on some level …… they
come from all the amazing songwriters that came before me…
Jan: Do you study
various songwriters' work?
Kristy: No,
I just try to listen to a lot of different genres of music.
Jan: What the best
advice you were given as a songwriter?
Kristy: Write
what you know and listen to a lot of styles of music.
Jan: What was the
hardest obstacle to overcome while songwriting?
Kristy: Early
on, it was probably editing or changing parts of a song once it was
written….I was a lot younger then and thought that editing a a song
was kind of like second guessing God…..it isn’t.
Jan: What attracted
you to music?
Kristy: It
was in my genes, my folks were musicians, not professional but either
could have been, so music was always a part of the household.
Jan: How do you
keep your creative juices going?
Kristy: I
live life……writing is cyclical for me….so if I’m not inspired
for whatever reason, I don’t worry about it and go about living my
life and know that eventually that’ll give me something else to
write about.
Jan: What's your
definition of a great song? What are your favorite songs? Who are
your influences in songwriting?
Kristy:
Hmmmmmmmm, that’s a hard one….influences…Carole King,
Donald Fagen, Bruce Hornsby, James Taylor, Rob Thomas, Rickie Lee
Jones, Keith Emerson, too many to mention… Favorite song…..probably
“Somewhere Over The Rainbow.”
Jan: Do you feel
your ideas sometimes come from another source (God, dreams, etc...)?
Kristy: I’m
sure I’ll offend a few people with this answer, but I really
believe that anyone can learn to “craft” a song, but only if
you’re gifted and I believe that’s a gift from God, only if
you’re gifted are you born to be a songwriter….
Jan: Do you always
carry a paper and pen with you in case an idea occurs?
Kristy: I
used to … but now I just call my own voice mail and leave a
message.
Jan: Do you feel
that songwriting is therapeutic?
Kristy:
Absolutely, it’s my outlet…it’s the reason why so many of
my songs are introspective rather than radio friendly fun happy
songs. It’s my way of working through situations….
Jan: Does
songwriting get easier through the years?
Kristy: The
crafting probably gets easier because you do learn some “tricks”
but the actual writing is a challenge of its own.
Jan: Are you a
disciplined writer or just write when the mood strikes?
Kristy: I
usually wait until I have something to say.
Jan: Do you take
part in creative activities other than songwriting (fiction writing,
poems, art etc...)?
Kristy: Nope.
Jan: Do you feel
that people know you through your music?
Kristy: Oh
yea, one of my CDs, “Body & Soul”, was written when I was
getting my divorce….I played it for my “ex” before I published
it because I was so aware that it might be too invasive for him…..he
liked the CD and gave me the OK.
Jan: What is your
ideal environment for songwriting?
Kristy: There’s
no ideal environment….it’s where ever I am when the idea comes.
Jan: How do you
know when a song is ready to pitch? How many re-writes do you usually
have?
Kristy: A
song is ready to pitch when I’m absolutely sure I can’t write it
better and it’s solid. If it’s lyrically driven, I’m
comfortable pitching a keyboard or guitar/vocal…if it’s groove
driven, I’ll hire my A-list in Nashville and get it done. I don’t
do re-writes that often but I’m not adverse to doing them anymore
if that’s what it takes…
Jan: How would you
like to be remembered?
Kristy: Someone
whose music mattered…
Jan: How is writing
for your own CD different than writing for another performing
artist's CD?
Kristy: I
just try and write great songs….if they’re in my vocal range,
they’ll usually wind up on one of my CDs, if not I’ll demo them
with another vocalist and pitch it to anyone who’ll listen. lol
Jan: What’s in
your I-Pod right now?
Kristy: Steve
Winwood’s new CD, Nine Lives.
Jan: What are your
future songwriting goals and/or dreams?
Kristy: I
guess my goal is to continue to try and write solid songs that will
stand the test of time so I’ll have a strong catalog and legacy to
leave to my sons.