What made you decide that music is a thing for you?
I have always loved music. Even as a small child, I was singing and performing. I don’t think there was a conscious moment of deciding that music was for me, it was just always somehow part of me. As far as deciding to pursue it as a career, my priorities changed due to major life events right before and during the pandemic. I decided to make sure I spent my time on Earth doing what I was passionate about instead of climbing a corporate ladder.
Introduce us to you and your musical history?
My name is Kit Citrine. I make indie alternative, pop, and rock music. I’ve been a performer for over 2 decades. I used to perform as a cover artist under my legal name. I also performed in musical theatre for a long time. I have recently begun writing, performing, and producing my own original material in the alt/pop/rock space. My first single was “Midnight Masquerade” in June of this year. I have released two other singles, “Stardust” and “Hollow”. All of them come from my debut album, also titled “Midnight Masquerade” that will be released on September 16, 2022.
What’s one question you’re sick of being asked when interviewed?
I haven’t been interviewed that many times yet, but I will say it’s hard to come up with new and unique ways of answering the “what made you decide to pursue music” and “tell us about yourself” type questions.
We set up RGM USA and many other countries in the world to share music with America and the UK, good idea?
Yes, absolutely!
Do you sign up to any conspiracy theories?
No. I am strongly against wacky, unsubstantiated conspiracy theories. I trust science, observable and objective facts, and credible sources.
Did you buy anything you didn’t need in the pandemic?
I still have a lot of hand sanitizer that I haven’t used yet, but I know I’ll get through it eventually.
What useless party trick do you have?
I don’t know if this would be considered a party trick, but I know a ton of useless facts about random things. I love looking up answers to questions that pop into my head about history or how things work, so I’ve accumulated a bunch of quirky trivia knowledge.
What was the most fun you have had on stage?
More than a specific instance, the most fun I have ever had on stage has been in moments when the audience and I are on the same page, and everyone is having a great time. I love feeding off their energy and giving them something to be excited about or moved by. There’s nothing like it.
What was the worst experience on stage?
This came from my musical theatre life, but once when I played Belle in “Beauty and the Beast”, a huge set piece fell on top of me while I was alone on stage. I had to hold it up and continue singing until someone came to help me. It was an experience I’ll never forget, that’s for sure.
Tell us something about you that you think people would be surprised about?
I speak multiple languages. In addition to English, I’m fluent in Spanish. I speak some French, Portuguese, and Italian. I have some very basic knowledge of Japanese. I’d love to learn Korean and German someday.
If you had to describe your music to an alien, how would you describe it?
Provided we had a common language to communicate and some basis for cultural understanding, I’d tell that alien my music is emotionally driven, mostly up-tempo, and inspired by my own life experiences.
What makes you stand out as an artist?
There are a couple of things. Firstly, I write, perform, and produce all my own material. Most producers are men. It’s unfortunately somewhat rare to see non-binary people and women who are producers. I just grabbed a quick statistic from NPR in March of this year – over the past decade, women made up only 12.7% of songwriters and a mere 2.8% of producers on the Billboard Hot 100.
I’d also say my style makes me different. Lyrics are very important to me. I have an extensive background in musical theatre, so I bring that storytelling aspect into my songwriting, and the vocal stylings in my performances. I also do not shy away from mental health, grief, LGBTQ+ themes, and often stray from standard pop song subject territory.
Right now, what’s pissing you off the most?
United States politics. I could really go on a rant here, but I will leave it at that.
What’s your favorite song to play live and why?
I unfortunately haven’t gotten to play my original material live yet because of the pandemic. I can’t wait to have that experience and opportunity – I can let you all know once I can perform live again.
I hear you have new music, what can you tell us about it?
I do! “Stardust” is a cozy, sweet, indie pop love song. It was inspired by a reading in my wedding ceremony from Philip Pullman’s “His Dark Materials” trilogy and the galaxy projector on my bedroom ceiling. I chose to create a sweet, simple arrangement to mirror the profound calm and unconditional love I feel in those moments of closeness, watching the stars. The lyrics are nerdy and science-based because that’s the relationship style my husband and I have. We are science nerds.
Talk me through the thought process of the single/album?
The single was at its heart, a love letter to my husband. I’m so glad we have had each other to lean on through the pandemic and the hard times we’ve faced in the past few years especially. I wanted to do a play on both meanings of the word “stardust” – the astronomy term as well as the word meaning “a dreamy or romantic quality or feeling”.
The album is an autobiographical look at the past two years of my life, with all the ups and downs. “Stardust” is one of the happier songs on the album, which can get dark at times.
What was the recording process like?
I record in my home studio, so it was great. I love being able to record by myself at home; it makes things so much easier.
What was the biggest learning curve in writing the single/album?
The entire thing was a steep learning curve because I had never done this before! I think the hardest lesson to learn is editing and letting go. I wrote double the number of songs that eventually wound up on the album. Even though I really loved some of them and felt strongly about them, they didn’t fit with the others, just weren’t up to scratch, or didn’t do enough to tell my story for one reason or another.
Would you change anything now it’s finished?
Oh, of course, I would. But if I didn’t release my music at some point, I would be tweaking it forever and never publish anything. If you are learning and growing, you will always look back at your completed work and see places for improvement
What are your plans for the year ahead?
I plan to write and release more music! I want to learn new techniques, incorporate more experimental production elements I’ve never tried before, and continue creating and growing. I’d also love to be able to play my music live for a crowd. I truly miss performing live.
Is there anything else you would like to share with the world?
If you’re still living, it is never too late to pursue your dream or learn a new skill. You are not too old, and your time has not passed. The world can always benefit from more people who are doing what they are passionate about.
Linktree: https://linktr.ee/kitcitrine
Website: https://www.kitcitrine.com