KRITERIA
“My music is purely about love, freedom, and fun”
“XTRAORDINARY”
FAULT: Tell us about Kriteria, how did you start making music?
Kriteria: Well it’s been quite a journey. I’ve been passionately in love with music for as long as I can remember. When I was about 3 years old my Godmother bought me a Mickey Mouse Drum Set and there was just no turning back. I played those things until there were holes in the snare. Growing up, I turned most of my musical attention towards song writing, but eventually, during my college years, I started experimenting more and more with production. I’ve always been a huge fan of 80’s and dance music so I decided that electro-house would be where I concentrated my efforts. As I started to share some of my creations within my circle of friends, I received a lot of positive feedback. It’s easy to fall in love with something when people tell you that you’re really good at it. Thus, I became Kriteria.
FAULT: What is your musical background?
Kriteria: Looking back, my musical evolution has been relatively balanced and I think that’s something that certainly shines through my recordings. At a very young age I took piano lessons and performed at several local venues. In middle school I was a member of an award winning choir and I studied the Djembe under a couple of African Drumming Masters. My musical background features the study of multiple instruments, as well as, poetry and song writing. This provides me with the ability to produce both infectious beats and captivating lyrics. So when you listen to a song by Kritera, you get all of me.
FAULT: What sets you apart from other artists?
Kriteria: Love, Sincerity, & Humility. I view the world differently than many people. I see every single human interaction as an opportunity to positively impact someone’s life, in turn making the world a better place. My music is purely about love, freedom, and fun. I’m very community oriented and want nothing more than to share happiness with all of humanity. The way I see it, there is far too much pain and suffering in the world. What I desire most is to make more people smile and I pray that I am able to do that through my music. Every one of my songs is a love note and I hope that you feel like you’re on top of the world when you listen to it. I hope you feel ‘xtraordinary’. I hope you feel beautiful. I hope you feel loved by me.
FAULT: Do you have any live shows coming up?
Kriteria: Towards the end of last year I was actually taking some time off from live performances for a couple of reasons. At the time, I was deep into the later stages of producing my most recent album, so that was taking up most of my attention as I focused on the fine tuning. Also, I was heavily concentrated on getting out to venues and supporting some other artists such as DJ Lazer, DJ Penske, DJ Shannon H, DJ Chris Corsello, Hot Peez, Dee Will, Bibi The Phantom and my dude Aegis. That being said, now that the New Year is here I’m definitely in the process of lining up some very interesting opportunities.
FAULT: How do you prepare for a live show?
Kriteria: My music is my soul, so I really don’t have to do anything too structured in terms of getting ready for a show. I just make sure my outfit is dope and my body looks good just in case my shirt comes off, which it usually does. Other than that I usually have a couple of celebratory drinks at the bar with friends and fans. Then, it’s go time. Hit the stage. Rock the show. And party till it hurts.
FAULT: What are you looking forward to in 2011?
Kriteria: 2011 marks the release of my new album “XTRAORDINARY”. I’m extremely excited about this project and simply can’t wait to share it with the world. I also have a lot of other things developing which should add a great deal of excitement to this journey of ours. We will just be taking on whatever comes our way with a full head of steam. No matter what, 2011 will be a very fun year, which hopefully includes exponential growth on all levels. My dream is to use my talent as a medium to have a positive impact on the entire world. I pray that in 2011 we will continue to take steps in that direction by spreading love, happiness, and fun.
FAULT: We love the track superstar, what is the story behind the song?
Kriteria: I’m a bit of a party animal, so I was really looking to create a song that channelled that sort of energy. It’s about having fun and living good. It’s about doing whatever makes you happy regardless of what other people think or what they may have to say about it. It’s about freedom of expression. One aspect of that for me, personally, is standing on top of a bar in a crowded disco full of beautiful people getting drunk and singing a song just like “Superstar” at the top of their lungs; just nothing but love all around me in an environment where nobody is passing judgment. That sounds like a good time to me!
FAULT: Do you have a creative input when it comes to artwork and videos?
Kriteria: I AM the creative input when it comes to artwork and videos. Over the years I have become a strong believer in self-sufficiency, because I never want to be in the position that I have to put my creative expressions on pause. Especially if it means waiting on someone else to do their job just so I can move forward.It ties back to one of my personal mantras which is “Unselfish Loyalty”, I’m all about sharing and welcome constructive feedback or input from external sources. However, loyalty to self means that I maintain the ability to openly and freely express my works of art. So up to this point, in terms of all things Kriteria, I have self-produced every beat, lyric, image, and video.
FAULT: What is it like being an artist based in Carolina and Texas?
Kriteria: Firstly, allow me to say that, with all due love and respect to the rest of the world, I feel that there is no better city to call home than Houston, and there is no better state to be born in than The Great State of Texas. Being an artist from Houston is incredible because Houston is a world city and I grew up being exposed to numerous cultures. In Houston, it’s relatively easy for anyone to access the various artistic mediums that peak their respective interests. I absolutely love my hometown, its chock full of beautiful talented people; again, it’s a reflection of the world. North Carolina is a beautiful place to live as well. There is no place like home but I’m also very comfortable here and pleased by the amount of culture that you’ll find. It can be challenging at times for a house musician to find a happy home almost anywhere in the U.S., but NC definitely has some very talented and savvy circles.
FAULT: What is your FAULT?
Kriteria: What a thought provoking question! I don’t have to reach far on this one though. My ‘FAULT’ is that I wear my heart on my sleeve, which means a number of meaningful things in my life, although, on the surface, this may sound a bit cliché. For one thing, it means that my heart can be rather vulnerable and is exposed to life’s elements. I all too easily absorb the energies of external forces in my environment. Sometimes, that weighs on me and can be very hard to deal with. On the other hand, sometimes, it’s a good thing. The fact that I am so open means that I also absorb the positive energies introduced to my environment. I fully appreciate the beauty of the human spirit and enjoy being around genuinely beautiful people. This means that I’m susceptible to falling in love without even knowing it. We make a connection, and then something magical happens as love blossoms into the depths of our souls intertwined. It’s a rather glorious enchantment, but it can certainly get me into trouble at times. Lol. Oh well. I’m a passionate lover, and I like loving a lot. It’s much more a gift than a curse.