Recent Los Angeles transplant Cristina Black, has been writing music since before she can remember, but it’s only been in the last five years she’s been recording. In short amount of time, this singer, songwriter is well on her way to becoming the next artist whose song gets stuck in your head.
Inspired by song writers like Nick Cave, Fiona Apple, Rufus Wainwright and Bob Dylan, Black says she’s inspired by anyone who, “Is truly dramatic and emotionally indulgent.”
The ukulele-driven songwriter says one her closet friends has described her music as film noir meets Laurel Canyon. The description given by her dear friend is very accurate because when you see Black bring out her mini guitar, don’t cue the ‘sunny day’ music in your head just yet.
Many of Black’s song from her The Ditty Sessions EP like These Days and Purple Houses, are about unfortunate and sad subjects. Although having the lyrics and the melodies battling it out for your emotions is exactly what Black enjoys doing with her music, “That contrast is so gorgeous to me” says Black, “It’s almost like I feel obligated, if I’m going to insist on telling you something disturbing, [I’m going to] put it in a pretty package,” she says.
The New Orleans native has a song on her EP that talks about her experience during Hurricane Katrina. Purple Houses channels Black’s despairing and disastrous past during the 2005 hurricane, “I could tell you volumes,” she says, “When something you love is suddenly destroyed, you get stuck for a while and when you finally get unstuck, you find you’re not the same.”
More recently, Black’s Drunk Rich People was featured in episode 13 of season two of NBC’s Parenthood which Black is a fan of, “It’s one of my favorite shows and I was obsessed with the movie growing up…the scene was about money and it just worked.”
When Black isn’t writing music or performing she enjoys going to shows, dressing up in her “witch frippery” style and sitting in cafes while drinking tea and daydreaming.
Black has always loved Los Angeles and now that’s she a resident, she’s happy to have made the move from New York. With things going they way they are, don’t be surprised if you hear a ukulele on the radio and it’s Ms. Cristina Black.
Photos by: Elias Ressegatti
