Quick & Dirty: Kyrie Kristmanson - by Jason Giammaria - Over the last couple of years, Canadian musicians, especially those who run through the independent scene, have been making quite a name for themselves all over the world. Along with the likes of Broken Social Scene and Feist making their claims to fame, there is a new Canadian artist who will soon have her name mentioned in the same breath. And she's making sure to do it on her own terms. Kyrie Kristmanson is a well-spoken, incredibly gifted singer/songwriter. At only 19 years of age, she has already mastered guitar and trumpet and has played in the band Rah Rah. But for the last little while it is her solo career that has created quite a stir in the biz. "I think one does have to write on their own eventually." For Kyrie, the switch was never a question of being held back by the dynamics of a band, but a seemingly inevitable move for any musician. "Both being in a band and playing solo have their strengths. I mean, in a band, when everything's working, you get that incredible sense of being one, but being solo, creatively, you can write anywhere, anytime." With her angelic voice and amazing songwriting ability, I'm sure Kyrie could make the jump to a major label and skyrocket straight to the top. Instead, she has decided to perfect her craft and create her own path to fame; "It's an exciting time in music, the artist is very empowered and there aren't any rules or specific trajectory to the top." Along with patience, Kyrie has an incredible thirst for knowledge. Having lived in Ontario, Quebec, Saskatchewan and New Brunswick, Kyrie loves to read the poetry of writers from each town or city she has lived in. "I like to read a lot, I mean a songwriter has to take in so much to put out just a couple of quality songs." She is currently working on a new studio album which is being recorded in Montreal and should be out sometime in May 2008.