An Interview with Brittany Kingery

Brittany Kingery, an American born singer from Washington, released her first album, Edge of the Ocean, in 2013. The songs on this CD are mostly about what life is like in Bucerias, a pueblo approximately 30 minutes from Sayulita. Shortly after the CD was released, Brittany left behind a government job in the states and moved to Bucerias, following her dream to become a full time musician. In July of this year, Brittany released her second album, Dream in Blue. On this album is a song, “Sayulita,” which is about our about our magical pueblo.

How did you end up in this part of Mexico?

I first visited Bucerias in 2009 and sang at the St. Patrick’s Day Festival as part of Game Six, my co-writer Rob Hill’s band. They were releasing an album called God, Love & Mexico, on which I was a featured vocalist. I have been working with Rob in one capacity or another for almost ten years, and this has been his favorite vacation spot for a long time. I came back with him in 2012 to shoot some music video, and my love for the area that began on that first trip really deepened on the second visit. At one point Rob asked me why, if I loved it so much, I didn’t move here. At first I thought he was joking, but after thinking about it, I started asking the same “Why not?” questions. I came back to release Edge of the Ocean in the spring of 2013, and for me, that trip was kind of a test. I stayed a month and really thought about what it would be like to live here. I decided it would be awesome. I went home, quit my job and came back in August of 2013. Now it feels like home.

How would you describe your style of music? 

My original music, the music that’s written by Rob or co-written by Rob and me, is a blend of different styles – it’s a little country, a little rock, a little reggae, and a little Latin sometimes. In some circles, what I do is called “tropical rock” or “trop rock” for short, and that’s a pretty good shorthand for a lot of the music I play. I identify with artists like Colbie Caillat, Jason Mraz, Jack Johnson, Zac Brown, and Kenny Chesney.

What is your inspiration for the song, “Sayulita?” What is the song about?
 
“Sayulita” is kind of a maturation of a song Rob had in the works for years. In putting together Dream in Blue, I wanted to write a song that was not just about being in a beach town, but a song that really captured the moment in my life – a moment of calculated risk, a moment of escape, but not just an escape from something but an escape into something. Into life, really. So even though the song is literally about Sayulita, it’s really about what Sayulita symbolizes for me, which is the idea that the real payoff and the real joy in life comes when you are willing to take a big risk to follow your heart’s desire. The line in the song that sums it up and most captures this moment in my life is the start of the second verse: “It’s time now for a change of plans/We need to take some chances in our lives”.

What is it that you like about our pueblo, Sayulita? 

There are obviously a lot of very cool things and places and things to do in Sayulita, but more than that, there is also a youthful energy and creativity there that is hard to explain. Not just creativity in the sense that people are making and doing imaginative things, but that it seems like a place where people come to make their lives into works of art.

How would you describe your video of “Sayulita” and why did you choose to shoot the video as you did?

Well, when you shoot a video with no budget on a short timeline, there really are not a lot of choices. I would have loved to have gotten some shots of the coast from a helicopter, but none of my friends here have one! Thematically, the song is about being on the road, literally and metaphorically, to this magical place called Sayulita. So the video is divided between the contemplative journey and the joyful arrival.

Where can people see you perform live? Will you be performing in Sayulita?

I play weekly on Sunday evenings in Bucerias at the Drunken Duck at 5:00 p.m. with my full band and on Wednesday nights in Puerto Vallarta at Que Pasa as an acoustic duo. As the tourist season heats up, my performance calendar will expand to four or five nights a week, and yes, absolutely I would love to have one of those weekly performances be in Sayulita!

Any final words or thoughts? 

I feel incredibly fortunate to be living this magical journey, and I am determined to never take it for granted. I wake up every day and am just amazed that I am not dreaming. I love being in Mexico and I love performing my music for people.
 
Additional information:

Check my website and my cdbaby.com page for additional biographical information.
 
Dream in Blue and Edge of the Ocean are available at all my performances and also at cdbaby.com. Music is also available for download at I-Tunes and Amazon.com. I will be performing here in Mexico until approximately the end of April 2015, and then am returning to the United States for the final leg of my Dream in Blue tour in the late spring and summer, which will include concerts throughout the United States and Southern Canada.

Performance dates will be listed at BrittanyKingery.com andreverbnation.com. People interested in booking concerts or events can email booking@brittanykingery.com or call 360-280-5209 from the US or Canada.
 
Click here to watch Brittany's video, "Sayulita."