Written by Kris Angelis and producer/songwriter Adrianne Gonzalez, “Bright Side” explores finding the good in a negative situation. Angelis began writing at an early age, and when her family moved from Florida to California, the fertile artistic environment of Northern California inspired her to really chase her dream. In 2013 she released her critically praised debut, “The Left Atrium,” which she followed up with 2017’s thematic “Heartbreak Is Contagious EP.” Already it’s garnered a considerable number of accolades, including a prize in the International Songwriting Competition for her single “Built This House”, winning Best Female Artist at the International Acoustic Music Awards and landing a top 10 spot in the iTunes singer/songwriter chart.
Adrianne is no stranger to success herself, she’s amassed a long list of producer credits and sync licensing wins that includes work with artists like Katie Herzig, The Rescues and Ciara and placements in shows like Pretty Little Liars and Grey’s Anatomy, as well as a national Starbucks commercial. Introduced through mutual friends, the two songwriters bonded over a desire to push each other out of their mutual comfort zones and create something equal parts emotionally engaging and melodically addictive.
In this interview spotlight, I chat with Kris Angelis about Bright Side, motivations, challenges and more. You can find more recent releases, including A Billion Hearts and Please Come Back Home, on Bandcamp or Spotify.
Full Q&A along with links and music below.
Where are you from and what style of music do you create? (In your own words, not necessarily in marketing terms or by popular genre classifications.)
I’m originally from Gainesville, Florida and then Carmel, CA but I live in Los Angeles now. I make music that tells a story, often from my personal experience. Working with new producers and trying new things has led to a variety of sounds but most of it has acoustic elements as the base. Its difficult to do this without the genre classifications! I’m not sure that that gives anyone an idea of what my music sounds like. Ha! Its interesting to notice how much we rely on comparisons to other artists or generally defined categories.
What led you down this path of music and what motivates you to stay the course?
I always enjoyed singing and listening to music. My twin sister and I would put on little shows for our parents and grandparents when they were watching Lawrence Welk and pretend that we were on the show. I also joined choir in school and did musical theatre during the summer, then started playing the violin and learned how to read music in youth orchestra. When I discovered Hanson and realized that they were so young and they played their own instruments and wrote their own songs, it made me feel like I could do it too so I started practicing harmonizing with my sister and then when I heard Brandi Carlile with her raw voice and musical style and lyrics that I really related to, I finally picked up a guitar and started writing songs regularly and haven’t stopped.
What motivates me to stay the course is the way music makes me feel when I hear it and hoping that my music could do that for other people. Its also a great way to process what’s going on in life and I don’t know what I would do without a creative outlet. When I do feel stuck or overwhelmed or frustrated with the business or I’m not feeling inspired, I am motivated by the other musicians that I look up to and knowing that grit is the biggest factor to success. Someone once said to me “The ones who make it are the ones who are left” The ones who didn’t give up and went the extra mile.
How is Bright Side different than previous ones? Did you set out to accomplish anything specific?
Bright Side is a lot more upbeat, percussive, and much more on the pop side than my more folk/pop previous releases. I had loved Adrianne’s music wth The Rescues for a long time and we could have written a beautiful ballad but I came in wanting to explore outside of my comfort zone and try something like this! Adrianne created an awesome track and we wrote the lyrics and melody together and it was as fun to record as I hope it is to listen to.
Do you face challenges as an indie musician in a digital age? How has technology helped you (assuming it helps)?
It can be a challenge to keep up with all the new platforms, how they work, and building a large and engaged following. The fact that those numbers are a big part of what the industry looks at can be discouraging but it can’t be denied that its incredible the reach an independent artist can have with the internet and technology if you know how to do it! Being able to put my music online for little to no cost and have it available to the public where it can be discovered by new potential fans is very helpful! It makes it possible to raise money through crowdfunding, build a bit of a fanbase before paying to go on tour so you know that there will be at least a few people there, etc. There are many benefits that go along with the challenges.
Where can we connect with you online and discover more music?
- www.krisangelis.com (There are icons with links to all of these at the top of the home page)
- www.krisangelis.bandcamp.com – best place to buy where you can set your price!
- www.twitter.com/krisangelis
- www.facebook.com/krisangelismusic
- www.instagram.com/krisangelis
- www.youtube.com/krisangelis
- www.younow.com/krisangelis
- iTunes
- Spotify
Anything else before we sign off?
My biggest influences have not only inspired me with their music but also with what they do in the world. I want to be someone who uses my music to help people who get something from listening to it and also by bringing awareness to and raising funds for causes that I believe in. Following the tragedy in Las Vegas last week, I was hesitant to promote a single called “Bright Side” because there isn’t one to this situation, but I have decided to give the proceeds from the pre-sale and first week to the victims so please go to iTunes or Bandcamp (you can set a higher price if you want here and there is a lower commission so more will go to the cause),purchase the single, and then share it as much as you can with the message that it’s going to help victims in Las Vegas. #BrightSideSingle
Thank you for supporting indie music and spreading positivity.
