Artist on the Rise: K.Flay

Among the crowd, she seems like your typical twenty-something year old girl, but as she makes her way onto the stage and sets up her gear you realize she’s a performer. K.Flay, born Kristine Flaherty, is one of today’s most promising young stars. Something electric, magical almost, happens when she gets on stage. Her rhymes are tight and thought provoking and sometimes humorous.

We caught up with K.Flay days after her performance at Pianos in NYC and got the lowdown on her new mixtape, “I Stopped Caring in ’96”

Sinister Girlz: I saw you perform at Pianos on Monday night the crowd really dug your performance have you ever had to work hard at winning over a crowd? If so what have you done to get them onboard?

K.Flay: Definitely.  I’ve played for crowds who have no idea why some girl is making beats on a table in front of them.  The key, i think, is remaining engaged in your own performance, translating your passion and energy into something that people unfamiliar with your music can relate to and enjoy.

Sinister Girlz: At what age did you start rhyming?

K.Flay:  I started in college, on a bit of a whim.  There was something about hip hop and the unlimited potential for rhythm, cadence, and wordplay that really captivated me.

Sinister Girlz: What’s your creative process like? How do you create your songs?

K.Flay:  Usually i develop a basic 16-bar riff/drum pattern and concept for the track, loop that ad nauseam until I’ve written verses, and then flesh out the rest of the beat.

Sinister Girlz:  You performed cuts from your new mix tape, for those who weren’t at Monday’s show what can audiences expect from the album?

K.Flay:  The mixtape is a project I’m releasing throughout the month of April — every two weeks a new bundle of 3 tracks, 1 music video, and a photo series will be made available for free on my site.  All of the tracks on the mixtape are sample-based and the content is a bit darker than some of my previous stuff.  As it turns out, I’m kind of an intense gal.

Sinister Girlz:  Everyone always talks or asks about musical influences who are some of yours and how have you incorporated if in any way into your own music?

K.Flay:  I’ve been listening a lot to the new Kanye record, which i think helped give me that push to explore more serious, dark subject matter & production on the mixtape.

For more on K.Flay and “I Stopped Caring in ‘96″ visit her at www.kflay.com