Kristina Stykos is an award-winning country/folk singer/songwriter, music producer, recording engineer, songwriter, radio host, AND podcaster from Vermont. Yeah, she really does all of that!
That’s just part of what shows the pure determination she has and the fiercely independent spirit that she is. In 2017, Kristina was diagnosed with spasmodic dysphonia, which is a disorder that makes speaking and singing difficult or even impossible.
That doesn’t stop her from doing all of the things that she’s good at though. She still continues to write and record new music, such as her latest single and music video for “River of Light” off of her sixth album, River of Light. Spasmodic dysphonia didn’t prevent her from doing it, it simply changed the way she did it.
Rather than let it define her, she accepted the challenge, and she damn well did it good.
Recorded in her wind and generator powered studio, “River of Light” perfectly expresses her dark music and lyrics like, “It doesn’t matter now / When I hit the ground or how,” and “There’s a pain in my heart / I’m about to lose my mind / I’m drowning.”
According to Kristina, “River of Light” as an exciting departure from anything she has done before. “I’m a poet-musician working at the outer boundaries of the music industry, and I believe that we can all take control of our own message,” she says.
After starting her audio engineer career in 2008, she has earned a certificate in studio production from the Berklee School of Music, she holds producer credits for upwards of 30 albums, she became the founder-owner of a small Americana label (Thunder Ridge Records), she was awarded “Best Songwriter of 2013” by Vermont’s Times Argus newspaper for her 5th solo album (Wyoming Territory,) and her first self-produced release (In the Earth’s Fading Light,) was awarded “Best Vermont Album of the Year” by that same paper.
We wouldn’t be surprised if Kristina achieves more major milestones with her new album.
You can listen to her album, River of Light, on SoundCloud below:
Watch the music video for “River of Light” below:
Connect with Kristina Stykos:
Website // Facebook // Instagram // Twitter // Bandcamp // SoundCloud // YouTube
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