Melbourne's Krista Polvere has just put out her latest album. Based on raw emotion, heartache, and life experiences, Ms Polvere found her own name to be the apt title for the album. Tomatrax caught up with Krista to ask a few questions.
What inspired you to become a musician?I was initially inspired by attending a PJ Harvey show and from there I decided I had to be like her. She was so androgynous and seemingly strong I took a very deep dive into her music.
When did you write your first song?I started writing when I was in my early teens. Started off as poetry and morphed into song writing after studying some of the greats like Bob Dylan and Bruce Springsteen. Then I took a trip to NYC to really immerse myself into the culture which brought about the most magical opportunities.
You've just released your latest album, what's it like to have it out?Feels good to finally get this one out because it was so hard to make. It's like letting it go and sharing with my fans is cathartic.
The album touches on a lot of personal themes, is it hard to have these out of show?It makes for a better show if I feel the music and express this accordingly live. And I love being able to get my stories out there to people to identify with. There is an element of being able to tap into all of that again and again and again without fear. I can disassociate the music with the intense heartache I had so it's not really like reliving it but to a degree I can reminisce about what is was like back then. If that makes sense.
What was the inspiration behind the video for 'Devil in me'?It's about acting out my version of when the song means. The mannequin represents the emotionally unavailable man I'm in love with. The 'Devil in Me' is the desire that aches and overthrows all rationality when one is in love. Music clips are another platform of expression for me.
What was it like to work with Ryan Adams?He's a lot of fun to work with and so intuitive. He has been a mentor in an informal way and an inspiration to me, I guess he schooled me so to speak for a number of years (about ten years to be exact).
When writing what comes first, the words or the music?The words come first most of the time for me. That may be because I started off as a poet. I was into Buwkowski, Dante and Dostoevsky when I was about 17 years old. That is some heavy stuff to aspire to be like. And I have always been into the darker stuff.
Do you ever listen to your own music?Only when I have made a record to finalize it. After that generally never. It's etched in my mind and I play the songs so much live that I guess when I listen to music (which is all the time) I seek out other artists to be inspired by.
What music do you listen to?My collection is far and wide. 70's, 80's and current stuff. I have spotify which is like being in a candy store as there is no limits to what you can access.
What do you have planned in 2017?Lots of shows and some writing.
Check out Krista Polvere's website to find out more!
