Kris Angelis
Photo credit: Alix Angelis
After the release of her successful EP That Siren, Hope, indie folk singer/songwriter Kris Angelis is now releasing her new single titled “My Quiet”.
Produced by Billy Lefler, “My Quiet” came from finding peace and healing after having a broken heart. “It describes wanting to get back to that place of solace with whatever you’re passionate about or finding that quiet within yourself,” says Angelis.
With a music video on the way, “My Quiet” is a hopeful song destined to encourage people to find peace and healing.
“My Quiet” is now available.
Photo credit: Alix Angelis
Hi Kris, how are you? What have you been up to?
I’m good but very busy! At the beginning of ‘quarantine’ I had already started learning Greek and relearning Spanish while on tour earlier in the year, so I got really into that. I’m still working on it but not as much because I’m focusing on being on the Grammy ballot and making the most of that. I’ve been doing some writing and recorded one of the new songs called, “My Quiet” I just finished filming a music video for it, as well as a music video for the song “Ghost (I’m Alive & Breathing), both directed by my twin sister, Alix Angelis, this weekend! It was quite the whirlwind and I think they’re going to be great!
"My Quiet" is your new single - what's the story/inspiration behind this song?
Last year I was heartbroken so I got in my little car and booked and performed in all 50 states in less than 6 months to try to connect with people and heal. At the very end of that tour, my last mainland show (the very last one was Hawaii) was in Boulder, CO. It was a beautiful day with an outdoor show and that night it suddenly went from sprint to winter with several inches of snow in what they called a “hundred year storm”. It hadn’t snowed that early there in a hundred years. So I got snowed in. I was in a bustling coffee shop watching the snow melt and drip off of everyone’s shoes and that inspired the line “The storm that’s rolling off my shoes” That’s just one of the lines that is a juxtaposition and metaphor describing whatever or whomever in your life is a source of peace, quiet, beauty, and love and is surrounded by the turmoils of life and has such a hold on your heart and mind that it can sometimes be the cause of the chaos and longing. It describes wanting to get back to that place of solace with whatever you’re passionate about or finding that quiet within yourself.
Could you describe the songwriting/production process? Who helped you create it?
I spent a lot of the snowed-in time with another singer/songwriter, Paul Kimbiris, who I discussed the ideas behind the song with so that was definitely part of the process. I took things from the journaling I had done while I was there and crafted it into a song months later while in the midst of this hundred year pandemic during which a lot of us have had more chance to explore what it’s like when things quiet down and we have to really be with ourselves. I brought the song to my producer, Billy Lefler, the day I completed it and he loved it. We both had some struggles and butting of heads during the process because we wanted to really do it justice. A friend of mine joked that if an artist and producer don’t fight during the process, you’re not doing it right haha! It just means that everyone is passionate and really cares. So the process turned out to be a pretty good example of the metaphor in the song. You have to walk through the hurricane to get to the eye, but it’s worth it.
What did you feel when writing this particular song?
Peace and longing surrounded by some anxiety about creating something to represent myself the way and when I want to. It’s a process and I’m trying to let go of that part of it. But again, that whole experience is what the song is about.
What made you want to release "My Quiet" as a single?
I wanted to release something during the Grammy voting season, and I loved the song.
What can you tell us about the artwork?
I found the orange circle and thought it was a beautiful representation of that quiet space within the noise and passion. I wanted to soften in a little visually as well as symbolically and thinking of the line, “you’re my flower on the interstate”, I found the photo of the white flower (don’t worry, I used the images with permission) which can represent peace, hope, and purity and I liked the idea of the new growth that comes out of burning since the orange circle looks like fire.
What is your goal for this single?
The business goal is for it to get seen and heard by many people to expand my audience, but the artistic goal is for those people who hear it to feel some peace even if it takes the burning of desire to get there.
How did people respond to your latest EP That Siren, Hope?
The response to “That Siren, Hope” has been wonderful! It debuted at #1 on the iTunes singer-songwriter chart and as the highest-ranking independent release on the Billboard Top Current Albums chart that week. People have related to it strongly and I’m glad to have made something that helps get people through the strong feelings of heartbreak and healing.
What major life lesson have you learned so far?
Things tend to go a lot better when you’re not hungry.
What are your thoughts on today's global situation and on the Black Lives Matter movement?
It’s uncomfortable as it absolutely should be. I’ve been learning a lot that shocks me. We all need the wake up call of how human selfishness is affecting the world and that applies to the pandemic, racism, and the catastrophic effects of climate change we’ve been experiencing. Black Lives Matter is an extremely necessary movement to fight the ingrained racism in this country and give POC the chance they deserve to live their lives with the same opportunities as anyone else without constant fear.
What message do you want to give to the world?
YOU MATTER - whoever you are. And you know what that means? The person next to you (whoever they are) matters too. Let’s try to have empathy and compassion for ourselves, and the people who will be affected by our actions.
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