Biography

Kirsten DeHaan is a true jack of all musical trades. Not only is she a talented singer/songwriter and guitarist, she promotes her music via her label SirLady Records, does various philanthropic work for American soldiers in the Middle East, and is a big proponent of the New York indie music scene. Her latest offering, a five song EP dubbed "Thorns On A Crown" is by far her most mature work to date and is set to hit the streets later this summer.

A native German/Indianan (her mother emigrated from Germany to Indiana), Kirsten graduated from college in Texas and moved to New York just six weeks before the 9/11 attacks. Having composed music most of her life, DeHaan says she writes based on two tenets: to deliver goose bumps and to question the status quo. Luckily for us, her music succeeds in doing both.

DeHaan stomped onto the indie music scene in 2004 when she released her first album "Conform." Reviewers compared her music to that of Nirvana, U2, and Belly. She promoted her music personally, pitching the record to MTV and over 150 radio stations all within the first few weeks of its release.

Since then, her music has been downloaded over 1 million times via various peer-to-peer sites. MTV approached Kirsten and the two struck a licensing deal to play her songs Commotion and Saved on hit reality shows Made and My Super Sweet Sixteen. "I'm a big fan of licensing," says DeHaan, "and glad to work with various companies seeking new fresh material. Today there's a different energy, reality MTV, so you have to work with what's out there." Garageband rated her #16 Best Female Vocals in Pop/Rock, all time, and FreshFarmMusic.com declared "Conform" one of the most popular records next to the Killers and Ashlee Simpson. In addition, Kirsten was one of five artists chosen for Men's Vogue/Hennessey Flaunt Your Taste Critics Choice Awards this past year.

In keeping with Kirsten's spirit of self-promotion and her indie sensibility, she partnered with Grooveshark, a startup peer-to-peer sharing network that combines the community aspects of Facebook and Myspace with music accessibility of iTunes in 2007. A strong believer in artists owning their material, DeHaan has made a conscious effort to work with those in the field who possess the same belief; delivering the best music possible while working on behalf of the fan and the artist. "I'm working very hard to put ‘Thorns on a Crown’ in the right hands, so that it can breathe and flourish," she comments when describing her latest album push. Further case in point, Kirsten's prior hit single, Russian Roulette was scored by Platinum Blue Inc. (now Musicxray) to have the same hit potential as that of Hey Ya by Outkast and James Blunt's Beautiful. Teaming with entities like Groovshark and Musicxray allows an artist like Kirsten to work outside the cookie-cutter setting of the traditional record contract.

DeHaan also strives to promote and foster the indie music scene in New York City. She started the New York Indie Rock Launch in early 2006 to bring the best New York artists of various rock genres together under one roof. Promoting entirely on a grass roots level (a flyer to flyer basis), the first Launch sold out quickly and found tremendous success. DeHaan continued the series in 2007 and again in July 2008 at the Galapagos Art Space in Brooklyn.

Having recently relocated from Brooklyn to Woodstock, NY, Kirsten's latest work provides an in-depth gritty look into much of today's social fabric. When Music Dish Network recently asked DeHaan about the new album she told us:

"My primary goal as a singer/songwriter and for "Thorns On A Crown" is to make my music as tight as possible. After many years of writing my own work and playing with various musicians, I'm working with my guys, which, in my view, has created the ultimate band recording with just five instruments. Paul Ambrose on drums, Jamie Sturm on guitar, Shawn Setaro on bass, and myself on guitar, vocals, and harmonica... When people ask what my music sounds like, I usually say it's a combo of Fleetwood Mac, Dave Matthews, and U2. Do I really think this, not really, but if you say this could be a new sound, you usually see question marks floating around people's heads."

Philanthropy also plays a big role in Kirsten's musical life. She's ran regular webcasts for American soldiers fighting abroad in an attempt to bring reassurance to the troops and their families. As Kirsten further notes, "Although I don't agree with wars in general, and troops being stationed overseas, it takes incredible courage to do what they do. So if I can perform for them, and it somehow makes their day a bit better, then I've done my job,"

When describing her latest offering," Thorns On A Crown" Kirsten notes, "This record, without exception, finally exemplifies who I am as an artist...Its alive, clear, and gripping. I wanted to make a very raw record, one that can't hide, I think that goal has been accomplished." She plans to embark on a full-blown press and touring circuit this year in order to promote the record.

Kirsten DeHaan contributes a tremendous amount to music. She creates new innovative songs that she successfully promotes via her own label and distributes using today's leading partners. She also strives to better the indie music in New York, a scene, she believes, to be the true historic face of music. These efforts combined with her latest offerings ‘Thorns on A Crown and KD Local makes her a true pioneer of the indie music scene.