Rising Stars: Meet Christina Apostolopoulos

Today we’d like to introduce you to Christina Apostolopoulos .

Hi Christina, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
I started playing guitar at age seven, beginning with lots of classic rock tunes and later moving to classical and jazz. Singing & songwriting began for me in high school, mostly as a way to cope with stress and sadness. I grew up listening to a lot of Simon & Garfunkel, Elliott Smith, Jackson Browne, etc. so songwriting was a natural progression for me. I also studied Guitar Performance at Berklee College of Music, moving from Boston back home to California after graduating. Since moving to LA I’ve played in multiple bands & recording sessions, performed all over town & have worn many musical “hats”. Last summer I played guitar in the band Vista Kicks and was fortunate to have joined them on a UK Tour where we opened for the Rolling Stones in Hyde Park. That was a real highlight in my career, which I’m very grateful for. I’m currently playing lead guitar in the post-punk band Cuffed Up, and working on my own duo project Good Juice with my friend Steph Sloan. I also teach guitar lessons and play solo gigs often when I’m not touring.

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
I’ve definitely struggled with the financial ups & downs of gig work, and “keeping the faith” in general. I think you have to have a deep confidence in yourself to live as an artist, and it’s taken me a long time to cultivate that level of belief in myself and what I have to offer. I also think I’m a fairly responsible/prudent person overall, and sometimes that quality doesn’t always match up with the rock n’ roll lifestyle. But I’ve always loved music. Any fears I’ve had about the musician lifestyle have been soothed by the joy I feel when playing and making music. I’ve also received so much positive support in my career from family, friends, audience members, etc. That support has kept me going in the darkest of times, career-related or not.

As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
Guitar has been a constant in my life since I was very young, so a lot of what I do musically is centered around that – whether it’s playing for other bands/sessions or playing my own music. I’m a singer/songwriter at heart, but I always like to sneak some fancy guitar work into anything I am doing. I play slide guitar frequently too, especially in recording sessions. I’m also very passionate about female-led spaces in music and am keen to work with any organizations that foster that.

What does success mean to you?
Having a balanced, well-rounded life and continuing to grow/stretch/improve in my career is what matters most to me. I always have concrete career goals that I’m actively working to achieve, but I’m not putting any kind of strict deadline on them anymore. I’m just trying to show up as my best self and trust the process. Things will unfold the way they are meant to.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.christinaapostolopoulos.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/christinaaposto
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/christinaapostolopoulosmusic
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@christinaapostolopou

Image Credits
Primary photo – Karina Logothetis #2 – Audiotree #3 – Karina Logothetis #4 – Justin Higuchi