Krista: rock flair, hip-hop attitude

By John Benson

Armed with her recently released debut album, “Taking Back Brooklyn,” singer Krista will take a shot at Youngstown as opener for Kelly Clarkson on Saturday at the Covelli Centre.

However, unlike the “Since You’ve Been Gone” pop singer, Krista’s influences may surprise some fans.

“I think I have a lot of Evanescence, Linkin Park and Rage Against the Machine influence, and at the same time I do rock and hip-hop,” said Krista, calling from Green Bay, Wis. “I put music together to create my own thing, and I’m getting a lot of feedback that people see me as Pink’s little sister with a Brooklyn feel.”

The merging of two worlds is nothing new to this Brooklyn native, who was born to a Puerto Rican father and an Italian mother. Always interested in music, Krista’s big break came two years ago when she met her current producer, industry veteran Camus. Oddly enough, they met at a hard-core show for Suicide City, which is a side project of Biohazard’s Billy Graziadei. Within a few weeks, Krista found herself in Camus’ office singing an a cappella version of Sarah McLachlan’s “Angel.”

Musically, Krista’s music combines the attitude of early female MCs (Salt-n-Pepa, Queen Latifah) with the aforementioned rock acts. As far as her favorite tracks on “Taking Back Brooklyn,” the acoustic-based “Crash and Burn” and the rocking “Temporary Insanity” stand out. More so, Krista stands out being a female lead singer in the rock world with a major label deal.

“The thing is, when it comes to mainstream rock, you don’t see many females, but there are tremendously strong front-women out there in the underground world of rock right now,” Krista said. “I look to them for strength, so I don’t feel alone. I’m kind of referring to one artist I know personally. Her name is Lourds. I’ve known about that group for several years. She’s not mainstream, but she’s awesome.”

She added, “People on the outside that aren’t in the industry think an album being released happens so easily, but it’s a long, hardworking process, and I’m just grateful for every opportunity I’ve been given. To be a part of such a prestigious roster on J Records, it’s one of my many dreams come true.”

Having supported Clarkson on a handful of state-fair dates this past summer, Krista is looking forward to the challenge of once again opening for the first “American Idol” winner.

“I’m bringing in some fresh, appetizing music, and my set is sure to get them riled up and loose for Kelly,” Krista said. “I think Kelly is a mega-pop star, but she’s not just pop. She hits a lot of genres, and her audience is very welcoming to an artist like me, who is not exactly your mainstream pop act. We have a little rock edge to us that’s really exciting, so to get the opportunity to share a crowd with her is totally awesome.”