The Art of Collaboration

As an artist, creating is what I do. I’m inspired and translate that mental inspiration into a physical expression to share with others. For a creative soul such as myself, there’s nothing like it. When the creative juices are flowing and you’re in the zone, creating new music and making something out of nothing is easy. Then to see a new song resonate with fans is an indescribable feeling because it's so personal that it feels like a sense of validation for me. But this creative process is a much different experience when I collaborate with someone.

Recently, I was fortunate to be able to work with Bryan Stratman of Capricorn Studios on my new single All Night Long (Stratman Remix). The experience was awesome and we shared so many new things that have helped me progress as an artist. Collaborating always shows me a different creative method, and seeing how another artist works gives me a new perspective and well to go to for inspiration. Plus, it prepares me for working with other artists in the future. Practice makes perfect!

The key word here is inspiration. I’m a firm believer that there’s a difference between being inspired and forcing inspiration. For artists, just like with any other job, there are deadlines. So at times artists have to go to what I call their “familiar game,” which is their comfort zone of creativity. For a rapper it might be the catch phrases and subject matter they’re most familiar with. Or for a producer it might be the chords and melodies they’re most comfortable using. I believe creative inspiration is when a creative mind is exposed to a new stimulus and the result is the artist’s repackaging of this new experience and perspective they deliver back to the audience. So working with someone else you are exposed to their world and their perspective. This process gives you a new perspective and you can’t help but be inspired. Collaborating helps you grow as an artist, but remixing songs is not an easy process.

The first thing you’ve got to have to ensure success is a unified sense of direction for the project - what do we want the final product to accomplish? My recent collaboration with Stratman was a process in developing music, so we sat down and asked each other, “How do we want people to feel when they hear this,” and went from there. Once we began getting into it, I found that the hardest part of the process was to try not to do everything. Being a songwriter and producer myself made this especially difficult. I had to hold back and try not to take the reins or grab full control. Technology was a big help because I could physically distance myself from the project but still have direct hands-on involvement. All in all, I’m stoked on the final product.

Overall I had a great time working on the new single, which is available on Amazon and iTunes, because it lets fans experience something new through my music and I got to grow as an artist. Vibing with another artist, letting go of control, having a narrow focus, and channeling inspiration - these are all part of the art of collaboration.

Peace,

Krys

Check out Krys’s website.
Listen to Krys on his free streaming radio channel
Friend Krys on Facebook
Follow Krys on Twitter
Check out Krys on MySpace

Create Music or Blog About it? Let's Talk About It at Anthology

Create music or blog about it? Well, my being honored this week by becoming a Best in Entertainment Finalist at the InfluenceSD Awards on April 7th has made me think about the balance. I guess the question is more the choice we all make every day about doing stuff or talking about the stuff we’re doing. In my case, you probably see the irony here that I’m talking about the talking about, ha!

For an artist like me, it’s always a challenge. On the one hand, I love to make and share my music, and everything that goes with that. And there’s always a ton to do! But on the other, I love to talk to my fans that want to know about it and me. So I have to strike a balance, and it isn’t always easy.

From the very beginning though, I knew that if all I did was create music but no one knew about it then there wouldn’t be much point. So embracing social media has been critical, and in this age is critical for any new artist. For me, this means this very blog you’re reading, talking with fans on Jango, MySpace and other social media platforms, doing media interviews whenever I can, and of course being on Facebook and Twitter what feels like constantly. None of this creates music or is even performing it that are the things I love most. But I also love hearing from fans how they connect with Dream Your Life Away or This Life in a very personal way, or how All Night Long gets them pumped for a night out. And I wouldn’t know any of that without a two way dialogue.

I’m really excited about performing the pre-show for the 2010 InfluenceSD Awards at Anthology. The InfluenceSD organizers are great people with great vision pulling together a great night recognizing the very best in the region’s social media. Recent performers at this awesome venue include Michael Bublé last month, Natalie Cole, Melissa Etheridge, Jason Mraz, Kevin Rossdale, Sara Bareilles, Alanis Morissette and so many others I’ll be honored to join as Anthology performers. With me will be my great team of DJ Noel, SoCal’s hottest I’m honored to have support me, and my awesome Dark Edge dancers Lora and Siino led by my amazing choreographer, Darkie Simmons. Red carpet arrivals start at 6:15pm and I should be on around 7pm performing Juggernaut album tracks including Dream Your Life Away and This Life that I think really fit the night. If you haven’t got your tickets better get ‘em now since they’re nearly selling out at time of writing.

To finish up, for all those who think they know San Diego here’s a shot from a couple weeks ago to see if you can figure out where it was taken. Tell me if you know, and tell me how you find balance in your life between what you do, and talking about what you do. Let’s keep it a two way dialogue!

Peace,
Krys

Check out Krys’s website.
Listen to Krys now on his free streaming radio channel
Friend Krys on Facebook
Follow Krys on Twitter
Check out Krys on MySpace

Southern California "live" debut

For my Jango fans around the world and my SoCal homies who couldn't make the show, check this video. It's got highlights from last night's debut performance in Orange County. That's in the heart of Southern California for you people who don't live on this continent! Happy to share my new music from JUGGERNAUT *live*!

Thank you DJ Noel for the introduction and cuttin it up last night. You are the best! And my Dark Edge dancers, Siino and Lora, you are amazing. It was a great night. Darkie, you keep me laughing and you keep me moving. Best of all was all the support from our audience. Thank you guys! We'll be doing it again soon.

CTTC Hits # 2 on DJ Charts

This week CTTC (Cut To The Chase) charted #2 (behind only Jay Sean’s song Down) on the #1 DJ charts in the nation, after entering the chart straight into the #6 position last week. Starfleet handles about 1,300 top songs at any given time, and more than 10,000 in 2009 alone. So while it’s not Billboard yet, it is a great start and exciting to see my music resonating with so many others.

It makes the whole experience more than worth it and I’m stoked about getting even more of my music out there. I’m getting messages from fans all over the world every day and I read and am grateful for every one of them. Please, keep them coming, I really want to hear from you!

And if you haven't checked out my Jango channel yet give it a try. It's kewl! Free streaming commercial free radio where you'll hear me and your top favorite artists 24/7, can check out other people's channels, or really easily customize your own. And of course follow me on Twitter, Facebook, MySpace... whatever works for you!

From here, to get KJ on the Billboard charts my great team and I are going to keep pushing forward with further development of my live performance, announcing shows soon, and touching more and more listeners with the help of all outlets and most importantly my fans that I appreciate SO much. We’ll do this journey together, and I couldn’t ask for better fans to do it with. Thank you!!!

Peace,
Krys

Check out Krys' website here.

Make Life Richer

I think many of us take a look back at the previous year around this time, and I have to say I am so excited with all the amazing things that happened here at KJE.

We completed Juggernaut, had an HMMA nomination for This Life, had the first experience of hearing my music played on the radio, got great media coverage with more coming, and have had Juggernaut songs heard by people in at least 101 countries so far.

Things keep moving forward. We are working on creating a show to bring life to the music, looking forward to announcing live appearances soon, and are already playing with new songs ideas for the next album. With all that's happened in 2009, I am truly excited to think of what's to come in 2010.

But the best part of everything that has happened thus far is being able to share it all with those closest to me, part of what makes any experience special being able to share it with someone else. Without that it’s almost a wasted moment.

So I think for this New Years it will be my new goal, and I invite anyone else to try as well, to make sure to involve those closest in every special moment. It makes life that much richer.

Peace to all in 2010,
Krys

Check out Krys's website, hear him on free online radio, Friend Krys on MySpace, Download any Juggernaut album tracks or the entire album from iTunes or Amazon, and check out Krys on YouTube.

My First Time

No, not that! I'm talking about Friday morning when I was headed over to the studio to work on show prep and a friend texted me and said 'hey you're on the radio!' San Diego's Star 94.1 played All Night Long from the Juggernaut album and then had listeners call in. They were the FIRST to play me on the air, and for a recording artist it's like, well, you know ;)

I texted my manager Grant who was already at the studio and grinning ear to ear when I got there. After two years of pulling something together like Juggernaut from nothing, it meant an awful lot to me getting AJ, Hula, Geena and Delana's feedback and hearing listeners call in saying they liked it.

I really took the the team's feedback to heart - AJ's right on the pan flute being in the intro, and hopefully he'll also like other album songs like Dream Your Life Away, This Life and Juggernaut that aren't about girls and clubs; I'm glad All Night Long brought Delana to her feet like I hope, say, CTTC (Cut To The Chase) will; Hula made me feel like I was on Oprah (how cool is that?); and Geena was right on about the intro that's already being reworked to be even more radio play friendly.

I'm headed to the HMMA awards in Hollywood this week for This Life and working hard pulling together my show to support the album - and feeling great thanks to my awesome fans writing to me from all over the world and now Star 94.1. Thanks guys!

Peace,
Krys

Check out Krys Justice website.

Fan Questions

A couple of conversations with fans lately made me think about things.

On the lighter side, I was asked today by a fan in Minnesota about the Juggernaut cover photo and what it means. Mostly it's just a play on the definition of the word 'Juggernaut' but some say it's Superman, and sure it's a play on that too. I welcome opinions cuz every one of them will be right! As for whether it's 'me' (ya, it's actually 100% me), the other way to answer this is that there's probably this hero character in all of us. But the photo for This Life, say, is probably just as much who I am.

Speaking of heroes, I was inspired by someone else yesterday, one of our nation's defenders who happens to be from San Diego, too, but is in New York now preparing to go to Afghanistan to help protect us here at home. He said to me "I'm under a lot of stress... but just like your song said 'so many questions inside, what do we do with this life'. Well I figured out what to do with this life and that's fight for this country." I don't know whether This Life will play much on the radio or in clubs like All Night Long, Not Stoppin' or CTTC, but his words are much greater reward. Keep safe, bro, and thanks for what YOU do.

Peace,
Krys

Check out Krys Justice website.

iTunes

This was an exciting week for the Krys Justice camp, my first two singles Not Stoppin’ and All Night Long off the upcoming JUGGERNAUT album went live on iTunes, the last of 13 online stores my music is available worldwide. Totally stoked! This further cements the realness of things for me and the KJ momentum building.

To all my amazing fans, be sure to hit up iTunes for the download, and set your alerts for Krys Justice because my next pre-release single This Life is already on Amazon, Rhapsody, Napster, Lala, Shockhound, and IMVU and will be up on iTunes any day now.

So for now I ain’t stopping til it gets poppin, Peace!

Krys

Click here to return to Krys Justice website.

Workouts done Justice!

I have a confession to make; I am a bit of a work out fanatic… if you hadn’t noticed. For most people working out is a love-hate relationship, but for me it’s definitely a love-obsession, or, like the Governator describes it (caution: this clip is pre-Kindergarten Cop)…




So in this constant pursuit of physical perfection I’ve picked up a few tid-bits of workout knowledge that I felt I could share. So for my first of a weekly update I will bestow some Justice upon your workouts (ha).


Tip: “When Do I Do Cardio?”

People, including myself, have questioned this. Before or after weights? For me, I’ve found that the best time to do cardio, is after resistance training. The reason is our body stores a natural supply of Creatine that is used for developing lean muscle, and if you do cardio before weights you will consume this supply. That’s like Popeye eating spinach before he goes on Twitter, kind of pointless. Ya dig? Also by doing weights first you put your body into fat oxidation mode before cardio so you are automatically burning more calories when you do your cardio last.
What about you?

Click here to return to Krys Justice website.

Star Trek

Last night I was at a private screening of Star Trek at Paramount Studios in Hollywood. My manager’s a friend of Rod Roddenberry of Roddenberry Productions. Rod’s one cool guy and grew up with the Star Trek franchise since his dad, Gene Roddenberry, created it.

The kind of action films I like are “Ironman,” “Transformers” and “Man on Fire.” And guess what? If you like those too, I think you’re going to love this movie. Instant classic, J.J. Abrams did a great job. It had my attention from the beginning and never let go.

The story was well developed and had great background on each of the characters inviting even young viewers to become instant fans. The casting was well done, the animation was amazing, and there was great humor throughout. Star Trek has become cool again! Anyway, check it out for yourself and let me know what you think. I’m going to have to go see it again soon.

Click here to return to Krys Justice website.

Songwriting today

I can't begin to say how much I took away from my three days at the ASCAP Expo in LA. It's a conference for songwriters, composers and producers--in case you've never heard of it. But since I write all my own lyrics and arrange and produce my own music, this was definitely where I needed to be last week.

What made the biggest impact on me was the generosity of the songwriters that shared their experiences and what they've learned along the way. Check the talent on this panel out:

• Natasha Bedingfield - Songwriter, Performer - "Unwritten," "Pocketful of Sunshine," "Love Like This," "These Words"
• Sean Callery - Composer - TV: 24, Bones, Medium, La Femme Nikita
• Wyclef Jean - Songwriter, Producer, Performer - "Gone Till November," "Hips Don't Lie," The Score, The Carnival
• Ryan Tedder - Songwriter, Performer - "Apologize," "Bleeding Love," "Stop and Stare"
• Craig Wiseman - Founder - Big Loud Shirt Industries; Songwriter - "Live Like You Were Dying," "Believe," "Summertime," "A Baby Changes Everything"

You probably think of them as overnight successes, but it took Ryan Tedder eight years and a lot of false starts to get his songs on the map. But now he can't keep up with the demand.

Wyclef Jean's story is also incredibly inspiring. He came from such humble beginnings and through his creativity and perseverance turned into a major international recording artist.

There's a lot about this industry that's ridiculous, but true artists like them keep it real for their fans and those following in their footsteps like me. I'll try to get some photos up here in the next few days -- have just been busy getting back to San Diego and routine!

Click here to return to Krys Justice website.