In the relatively short amount of time she’s been on the music scene, Kristin Diable has had a whirlwind career.
Born and raised in Louisiana, Diable moved to New York soon after she turned 18. After making an impression on the music scene in Manhattan’s Lower East Side, Diable moved back to Louisiana in 2009, taking up residence in New Orleans.
Since returning, she has built her reputation in the Crescent City music scene, while also sharing the stage with stars like John Mayer, Norah Jones and John Legend.
Diable and her band, The City, have released their third, self-titled album. Diable spoke with The Daily Reveille about her influences, her time in New York and playing with some of the biggest names in music.
THE DAILY REVEILLE: Take us into the recording process for the album. How did you guys know which songs to include or how you wanted the album to sound? KRISTIN DIABLE: We tracked most of it live, playing as a trio or quartet. We really wanted to keep the integrity of the songs intact and keep the energy that exists in the song in the live shows. That was the basis, so we went old school in the way we went about tracking it. Of course we did overdubs with horns and harmonies and stuff to just polish it off and bring everything together. For song selection, it’s unlike the other records. We chose to record most of our current songs … We selected music that really fit the aesthetic of the record. I really wanted it to feel like a record, like something you can listen to from start to finish.
TDR: Your sound is very eclectic. One can easily hear the New Orleans influence in your music, but where did some of the other influences come from? KD: I really think a lot of the artists that inspired me a lot and showed me what music could be, I didn’t discover them until I moved away from the South. A lot of the old blues stuff that I love, to artists like Nina Simone and even to people like Bob Dylan, I wasn’t really into them when I lived in the South, even though the South has this great culture of roots, blues and Americana music. It wasn’t until I moved to New York when I was 18 or 19 that I discovered those artists, and it really developed my understanding of the power of music and how captivating it can be.
TDR: Beyond discovering those new artists, how did your time in New York influence your music? KD: Well, it certainly toughened me up. I was a baby when I went there. I don’t know how I survived it, really. I think it gave me a great work ethic. … New York is a very difficult place to live and survive and keep your head above water. Figuring out how to navigate that in New York went a long way, for me, to reaffirm that music is what I need to be doing.
TDR: You’ve played with some of the biggest names in music today. What’s it like for you as a young artist to play with someone who’s so well known? KD: As an emerging artist who’s working on becoming great at what I do, it’s really valuable for me to play for new people. To be able to open for artists that have great fan bases and great respect, it goes a long way for new people being able to hear the music and connect with it and get something out of it.
TDR: What’s in the future for you and the band? Are you guys going to tour around the country or just play around New Orleans? KD: Well, both of those things. We haven’t really been on the road a lot since I moved to New Orleans. We’ve played a lot in Louisiana and in New York and a couple of key places, but now that we have the new record to promote, we’ll definitely be on the road. But we’re also playing French Quarter Fest and Jazz Fest, and we’ll be playing a lot of indie dates in New Orleans as well. We’ll do mini-tours, like weeklong tours to Nashville and back down, or to Texas. We’re going to focus on just building a fan base within the region.  
 
 
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Contact Joey Groner at [email protected]