Page 5

HOME GROWN TALENT

...continued from front page

Then it’s my turn to laugh because saying that to a journalist is like saying – free coffee anyone. And besides, she really is looking for a boyfriend. But if she finds one, he’ll have to fit in around her music career, which after years of hard work, is finally starting to pay dividends.

An independent artist for the past seven years, Kristy recently signed some of her songs to Independent label Foghorn records, on the back of her inclusion on their popular compilation album, Home Grown Roots III.

“There’s around 20 artists on Home Grown Roots III including acts like John Butler, Paul Kelly, Ash Grunwald and Mia Dyson – it’s made up of half unsigned and half signed artists. I’ve got two tracks on there, ‘Chocolate Days’ and ‘Calling all You Wanted Angels’ which is actually a bonus track,” says Kristy. “If you buy the album on USB stick, then it comes with all the album artwork plus a whole stack of bonuses, including my extra track as well as EPKs (electronic press kit) on each artist. Sneaky Sound system are the only other people releasing on USB.”

No stranger to compilation albums Kristy has also been included on Songsalive’s Females on Fire album, as well as other previous Foghorn offerings including the Sounds Like Cafe compilations number 18 and 22. She has enough experience with compilations to know that getting on the album offers no guarantee of success.

“You have to use these opportunities to get as much exposure as you can, you can’t just sit back and wait. For example, Sounds Like Cafe is quite a good concept in that the label send promotional cds out to 1200 cafes in Australia. As the artist we get reports every couple of weeks back from the cafes and radio stations with their general comments - after that it’s up to you as the artist to put in the work. If you hear anything back from a radio station then you have to do your own groundwork and follow up on it and then you may get a bit of recognition - I got an interview on ABC radio in Darwin after following up on a report.”

Unlike some compilations however, Kristy says that the Foghorn compilations are a two-way street in that they don’t only leave it up to the artist alone to ensure their tracks are noticed.

“Foghorn Records also do a lot of marketing themselves. They try and get as much airplay as they can on both community and commercial radio stations,” says Kristy. “I’ve heard other artists from past compilations being played all over the place, even in supermarkets – I’ve been in Woolworths and Coles and heard a friend in there. They also try and get you exposure in international markets and aim for synchronisation in TV and film.”

Kristy’s inclusion on The Females on Fire compilation helped her EP secure a number one spot on the web-based worldwide independent radio network with her song, I’m Not That Girl.

“Songsalive, who are behind the “The Females On Fire” compilation sent the material out to a lot of radio stations and forums and when I was following up on that I realised I had reached number one there for a bit, so that was nice recognition because that station went out internationally.”

Kristy admits that big fat royalty cheques were not forthcoming but says that, as an artist, you rely on small successes like these to keep you motivated.

“That keeps you going - you feel like you must be doing something right so you keep on doing it. But even more important to me is the support from my friends and family - they’re a huge part of it because they’re your biggest fans and it’s really nice to get that support. It gives you a great lift when you see the way that certain songs affect people and that they can relate to your lyrics.”

While she remains largely an independent artist, Kristy doesn’t believe that necessarily means going it alone, which is why she is a big fan of co-writing. Having toured extensively in the States, with a focus on Nashville, she has to her credit co-writes with the likes of Deric Ruttan (number one country artist signed to Sony publishing, Nashville ), Aaron Brotherton, (signed to numerous Nashville publishing companies) and Jake Mathews, (well known Canadian country artist).

“Co-writing is a challenge as it lets you see how expandable your writing skills can be. Sometimes you find you can connect with somebody straight away and other times it can feel like a waste of a day but you always get something out of it. Of course you can write brilliant songs by yourself but you really shouldn’t be arrogant and think that you don’t need to continue to learn from other people. I guess the down side is when you’re co-writing with someone you’re only getting half the royalties - but if it’s a number one hit it’ll be worth it,” she laughs.

Kristy can probably best be described as an optimistic realist in her approach to her career. While she is glad to have a few rungs on the board, she says the most important thing for her is that she is finally beginning to understand what she needs to do to keep moving her career forward.

“I’ve been doing this for seven years now, that’s when “I’m Not That Girl” was recorded. I’ve gone to the states a few time to try and get a publishing contract but you get to a point where, if you’re not getting more money out of your music than your putting into it then it starts to become a little bit harder. I feel like I’m worth more than that now, I’ve done all the smaller gigs and now I want to work at making it more of a business. If you see it more as a hobby you’re not going to get anything from it - you need to be more business minded and choosy about what you do. If I’m not getting good results it’s not worth going that extra mile for it.”

In order to keep the wolves from the door but to still keep moving her career forward, Kristy recently began work with an independent label in the hopes that she will continue to grow the skills she needs to handle the business side of her art.

“I started a new job and it’s all music related so I can focus more on my songwriting and getting the material from my new album out in Australia and in America. In the meantime I just want to see where the Home Grown Roots compilation takes me and hopefully get out there and play some bigger venues.”

With artists from Home Grown Roots beginning a national tour, it seems bigger venues are well on their way for this independent artist, who kicks off the Home Grown Tour at The Vanguard in Sydney on the 23rd of September.

For more information visit www.myspace.com/kristycoote

Home

CARTOONS

 D.Vittz

Home