Today we’d like to introduce you to Kristina Urgel.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
I’m just an LA native born in the valley and I started singing before I could even form full words. My dad had a video camera taped to his eye when I was a kid and I loved performing in front of the camera with my little pink microphone. I was in chamber and jazz choirs from elementary to college and I performed in coffee shops and bars too many times to count. I have always carried a deep affinity for learning and have always been a nerd so when I went to college I just took a bunch of classes that interested me with no idea of what degree I wanted to tackle. I just knew I wanted to help change the world around me and I felt selfish for pursuing only music when there was so much work to be done. Funny enough, it was within one of those classes when we were studying Abraham Maslow who said “A musician must make music, an artist must paint, a poet must write, if he is to be ultimately at peace with himself,” and I remember laughing at this moment as I realized I am and will always be an artist no matter how far I may deviate from the traditional trajectory. Within that truth, I realized that living in my genuine and authentic self is one way I can start to change the world. Ever since I came back to my roots as an artist, things have been aligning, synchronicities have been exposing themselves, and things have just felt clear and good. Just recently, I released my debut single, “where we are”, as a solo artist and I have to say I am so proud of myself. Now I am working on a full EP to be released 2022 so stay tuned!
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
No, the road has never been smooth, but in retrospect the juice has always been worth the squeeze despite the challenges. When I was younger believing in my dreams was easy, but then as I started growing up I realized there are a lot of battles with doubt, fear, and rejection that you have to bite down and overcome as an artist. Hell, any human really. Society doesn’t help either when they try to tell you there’s only one way to live your life and being an artist isn’t one of them so it was certainly disheartening at times. You realize you have to show up for yourself through the struggles and fight through no matter how isolating it can be at times. I even let music take a spot on the sidelines for a few years because my mental health was tanking and I didn’t have a good relationship with self. Today I am grateful for taking that time to change some narratives and perspectives in my own story because today, I feel I’m capable of achieving whatever I want and I hold myself accountable if I start falling back. That is a superpower I did not have before so like I said, the juice is definitely worth the squeeze.
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?
Ultimately, I’m a singer and writer and I try to work on and improve my craft every day. My sound is primarily influenced by my jazz background which has been fundamental to my creative development. I have always loved the freedom in jazz and moving through the music wherever you wanted. I can improvise a melody on the spot because of jazz, but recently I have been working on writing my words on the fly. Something I do think that sets me apart as an artist is my vocal versatility. I have studied all kinds of vocal techniques from opera and jazz to pop and soul making it easy to adapt and create any style of music I want. But something I am really proud of on both a human and artist level is my big heart and compassion for all living things. I aim to create a place of solace both for myself and others in my music, in my home, in my words and my actions. The world is a beautiful place but can feel lonely at times so I just like to use these vocal cords, these hands, and this heart to conjure up whatever my soul is wanting to express and hopefully connect with others on a soul level.
If we knew you growing up, how would we have described you?
Outside of singing and performing, I was actually a pretty shy kid. Writing and singing were really the only ways I knew how to express myself as a kid so I leaned heavy into that part of myself. I did also speak up when it came to social activism and I attended my first protest before I even had my first kiss, if that gives you any perspective, lol. It wasn’t until I moved away and went to college that I really started to open up and discover who I was and who I wanted to be.
Contact Info:
- Email: kluismyname@gmail.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/k.l.u/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCXHt-AsTj0liXeI93C_Fu_w
- SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/kluismyname
Image Credits:
Darby Kelley
