Kinnie Starr : in tents with Cirque du Soleil

Hip-hop diva living every girl’s dream Kinnie Starr inks record deal, then runs away to join the circus by Christine Leonard  June 1, 2003 As if signing a new record deal wasn’t enough, Kinnie Starr had to go and join the circus, too. The rising hip-hop diva has had a lot of good fortune come her way lately. The offer to sign on to Canada’s prominent Maple Music record label – home of Kathleen Edwards and The Dears, among others – came only days after her successful audition for the position of lead vocalist in Cirque Du Soleil’s new Las Vegas production, Zumanity. Set for a two-year run at the New York, New York hotel in Vegas, Zumanity is touted as an exploration of human sensuality and art that combines dance, music and contortionism. For her part, Starr describes the multi-disciplinary show as "an erotic cabaret." Although Starr is obligated to remain tight-lipped about the nature of her role in the international troupe’s latest project, she does confess that the rigorous rehearsal schedule is taking its toll. "A lot of artists do one thing at time," she says. "But six months in transition? I don’t quite know what to make of it – the physical demands are tiring, but it’s a great job, great money and great experience. Plus, I get to keep my voice in shape. Right now, I’m working 10 to 15 hours a day, six days a week, in rehearsal." Outside of endless cast practices and time spent in the recording studio, Starr does what she can to keep her temple in shape. Running, swimming, dancing, working out, martial arts and generally kicking butt all help to keep this wonder-girl feeling happy and healthy inside and out, a formula that had eluded her for years. "Whatever is in my life comes out in my work. It’s the first time in my life I haven’t been addicted to pot or anything, and it’s good to have my head above that depression. I’ve been working with my body a lot. Physical therapy and conditioning have finally relieved the chronic pain I’ve been living with for so long. "It paints the world so differently to have something like that lifted off of you. And now, I’m working with professional athletes who make their living off of their bodies. I realize that your body is the instrument for your voice. You see some singers really straining to get the right tones as they sing – my goal is to be able to relax in order to get tone." With the help of her family, friends and a multitude of musical guests, Starr has refurbished her life and created a new album in the process. Sun Again, the much anticipated follow-up to her previous full-length releases Tidy (1996) and Tune-Up (2000), is less political than its predecessors, but just as soulful. Contributors to the record include her regular core of band-mates (John Raham, Chris Carlson and Rob Chursinoff), as well as her cousin Lily Frost and friends Moka Only, Kia Kadiri, Coco Love Alcorn and DJ Murge, among others. Still basking in the glow of this eclectic musical endeavour, Starr relates that sharing her work with so many people has been its own reward. But, given the collaborative nature of Sun Again, one must ponder how such a technically polished and multi-tiered sound could be successfully transferred to the live arena. "There’s no way we could re-create those songs live onstage, so we had to strip things down to the bare bones. Really old-school, hybrid electric/acoustic stuff. Stripped-back beats, that’s the sound," says Starr. "You have to keep in mind that you never want the show to sound exactly like the album. It’s weak – and boring for the audience." Of course, Starr notes, that’s assuming the audience is willing to be engaged. She knows that no matter how hard she works, some people just aren’t going to appreciate what she’s doing. But she is nevertheless excited to tour with her band before she heads off to Vegas with Cirque. Moving away from her multilingual poetry-slam style of rap, Sun Again reveals Starr’s thoughts and emotions exclusively in English. Her sexy, spiritual beatnik rhymes are still there, but they’re wrapped in a gauzy layer of floating electronic melodies and heavy urban pulses. The record’s ear-catching beats and smooth vocal grooves smack of platinum potential, but when asked if her easy-listening brand of hip-hop could achieve a wider audience than ever before, Starr remains skeptically optimistic. "That would be nice," she admits. "But I’m not going to hold my breath. People who are well versed in hip-hop understand the need for diversity in the culture. I’m working with a really talented group of people who were all very involved in making the CD. I can remember all the fuckin’ amazing moments I had in the studio with Moka Only and DJ Spek – musicians who like to play music for music." Starr notes that her project functioned as side work for these friends, who like the untrained structure of her sonic palette. Starr learned by listening and doesn’t need classical training to express herself. "A lot of Canadian rhymers are influenced by U.S. rap phrasing and accents, and I don’t necessarily think you have to go that way," she says. "I can’t do that U.S. rap thing. That’s why I love my friend DJ Spek – his lyrical delivery is so Canadian, and you can really hear it. Hip-hop would grow so much faster if artists were encouraged to put more of their own personal style and character into it."