We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Kristen Ford a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Kristen, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today We’d love to hear about a project that you’ve worked on that’s meant a lot to you.

I would say making music and being a storyteller is a meaningful job for me. Every other gig I’ve held has led to boredom, disappointment, and disillusionment. Of course pursuing music can also be those things, but I’ve been writing songs and playing guitar for 20 years, and I still find reasons to love it.

Kristen, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I am a singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, third-generation trouble maker, and bridger of the gap between worlds. I was raised by a white mother, and a black father, a lifelong singer. At age 14 I picked up an acoustic guitar and started writing songs, followed by attending a rock n roll camp for girls, led by musical icon June Millington. Coming out at age 18, navigating life as a biracial, queer girl was made all the more interesting by yearly moves (not an army brat, but a higher education brat) where I had lived in 6 states by age 18. Following in my grandmother’s lead, who played the organ professionally since the age of 13 (the one-man band of the 1940s), I use my hands, feet, and mouth to layer vocals, affected guitar, and beatboxing into a lush and energetic live looping show.

With 1500+ performances across 48 states and 8 countries at festivals, colleges, clubs, cafes, and dives, music is my true love, with 5 full-length records to date, including my latest and first on vinyl, “War in the Living Room”. Off the road, I have worked jobs diverse as vegan hot dog factory, wyoming wrangler, boston sound tech, TV show extra, mascot/clown assistant, plus every restaurant position imaginable. My Every(wo)man aesthetic, combined with unflinching honesty, vocals growling like a V8 engine, and virtuosic guitar skills (endorsed by Gallagher Guitars, K&K pickups, G7th Capos) have placed me on the verge of, well something!

I’m looking forward to continuing to drop singles- “Jackpot” comes out on 9/16/22 and touring internationally, with plans to record and collaborate on the next album, whatever that may look like.

“Amazing, she was great; Kristen Ford” -Ani DiFranco, Billboard podcast

“Elevates Indie Rock” -Boston Herald

“Pure Rock N Roll screaming with childish joy” -The Deli

Are there any resources you wish you knew about earlier in your creative journey?

It’s okay to make money in ways that are adjacent to your passion. I got a record deal at age 21 and I decided I HAD to do nothing but music, or I wasn’t legit. That meant busking in the cold, a lot of desperate feeling tips gigs and generally spreading myself so thin. There’s no shame in working for a cool restaurant or cafe where you can make some friends and money and still get time for your passion, until your passion is cookin enough you don’t have to cook.

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

I love being able to forge my own path, manage my time, take ideas from an acoustic guitar in my bedroom to a festival stage, or a tour from a bucket list to an actual location on my GPS. One step at a time, one mile at a time, one song at a time, we doing this thing!

Contact Info:

• Website: www.kristenfordmusic.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kristenfordmusic/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thekristenford
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/kristenfordmusic
• Other: https://distrokid.com/hyperfollow/kristenford/jackpot

Image Credits
kristen ford