Centretown-based folk singer Kyrie Kristmanson, just months after winning a major provincial songwriting award, is gearing up to head overseas this March to tour her new album Origin of Stars in France.
The 20-year-old musician recently won the 2009 Ontario Arts Council’s Colleen Peterson Award – a prestigious provincial songwriting award – for her single "Song X."
Kristmanson was surprised to win because her music isn’t easily categorized.
“The fact that "Song X" was accepted and celebrated was extremely encouraging for me, that I could continue writing this way that comes naturally to me – this way that is not cleanly put into a style,” Kristmanson says.
Though born in Ottawa, Kristmanson grew up all over Canada. She now lives at Bronson and Queen streets while finishing her studies at Carleton University.
Kristmanson performed her first gig at the Winnipeg Folk Festival when she was 15 years old.
Upon returning to Ottawa, she received support from Black Sheep Inn owner Paul Symes, a major player in the Ottawa independent music scene.
This past year, she became a headliner on the Black Sheep stage.
“I have a lot of respect for the Black Sheep. I like what it does and I like its spirit,” she says. “You feel like you’re part of a scene when you go to play there and I think that’s important for a songwriter.”
Kristmanson was one of several local acts to perform at the federal NDP and Black Sheep Inn fundraiser for Haiti on Jan. 19.
She even called on NDP Leader Jack Layton to perform back-up for her.
“There’s a chorus to one of her songs that says ‘there’s going to be an eruption . . . pow!’ and she got Jack Layton to lead the audience in that one-word chant,” Symes says.
“On his cue, he said ‘pow’ and she said ‘no, no Mr. Layton, this is a song of hope and change. When you say it, imagine Stephen Harper. So let’s try it again with more feeling.’ So he came back with a really forceful ‘POW!’ ”
Kristmanson says Layton looked like he really wanted to sing, and she wasn’t going to begrudge him the opportunity.
“He looked a bit shy, but I could tell his toe was tapping,” she says.
Timmins-James Bay MP Charlie Angus, who attended the event, says he was struck by Kristmanson’s “absolute lack of pretention.”