Kristy Thirsk
Encyclopedia
Kristy Thirsk is a platinum selling Canadian
singer-songwriter best known for her work with Delerium
.
, which was signed to Nettwerk
in the 1990s. Rose Chronicles released two full-length albums: Shiver
(1994), which won a Juno Award
for Best Alternative Album
, and Happily Ever After
(1996). The band split up in 1997.
and Balligomingo
. She sang the vocals in Front Line Assembly
's cover of Madonna
's "Justify My Love" and Mystery Machine
's cover of Blondie
's "Heart of Glass."
According to Kristy in an Auralgasms interview, Garrett Schwarz allegedly borrowed samples from her Delerium song, "Incantation" and then released his own song on the Balligomingo album, Beneath The Surface. This, she explained, was the reason she discontinued any further collaboration with Garrett.
Thirsk was also involved in the initial stages of Adrian White's side project Silent Alarm. The Sleepthief
album The Dawnseeker, released June 2006, features Thirsk's vocals in the songs "Sublunar (Sweet Angel)". Sleepthief's follow-up The Chauffeur - The Remix - EP features Kristy on "Send Me an Angel", a remake of the Scorpions
' 1990 power ballad. She also sings on "Overkill" for the D:Fuse
& Mike Hiratzka album Skyline Lounge (July 2007).
Thirsk and fellow Delerium singer Shelley Harland were the two lead vocalists for Delerium's first US
tour in 2003. She toured again as the singer with Delerium's European Tour in May 2008, playing in London, Antwerp, Budapest, Prague, Munich, Frankfurt, Berlin, Athens, Thessaloniki, and Moscow.
in 1997. This song received a Genie Award
nomination for Best Movie Theme.
She worked on her own material throughout this period and released her first full-length solo album, Souvenir, in 2003. Souvenir was produced by Eric Rosse
(Tori Amos, Lisa Marie Presley).
In May 2008, Kristy released a limited edition 4-song EP called Under Cover EP with the songs "Hourglass", "Conspiracy", "What If I", and a cover of Prince
's "When Doves Cry" that features exclusive mixes of the four songs that will also be on her upcoming solo album. The EP will be sold on the tour only and online.
Her song "Out There" was released on the Sirènes compilation album in May 2008. Kristy designated the song as the theme song for Red Cross Canada in January 2005, in response to the 2004 Great Sumatra-Andaman earthquake/Asian Tsunami in the Indian Ocean.
Her sister Natasha Thirsk is also a musician, currently fronting the indie rock
band Catlow.
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
singer-songwriter best known for her work with Delerium
Delerium
Delerium is a band from Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, formed in 1987, originally as a side project of the influential industrial music act, Front Line Assembly...
.
Rose Chronicles
She was the singer and a co-writer for the band Rose ChroniclesRose Chronicles
Rose Chronicles was a Canadian alternative rock band in the 1990s. The band, from Vancouver, consisted of vocalist Kristy Thirsk, guitarist Richard Maranda, bassist Judd Cochrane and drummer Steve van der Woerd.-Career:...
, which was signed to Nettwerk
Nettwerk
The Nettwerk Music Group is the umbrella company for Nettwerk Management, Nettwerk Records, Nettwerk One Publishing, Nutone Records, and Artwerk. With over 150 employees, the Vancouver-based company has offices in New York, Los Angeles, London, Boston, Nashville, and Hamburg...
in the 1990s. Rose Chronicles released two full-length albums: Shiver
Shiver (Rose Chronicles album)
Shiver was the debut album by Canadian rock act Rose Chronicles. It was released in 1994 by Nettwerk Records.-Track listing:*All songs written by Cochrane/Maranda/Thirsk/Van Der Woerd.# "Dwelling" # "Glide "...
(1994), which won a Juno Award
Juno Award
The Juno Awards are presented annually to Canadian musical artists and bands to acknowledge their artistic and technical achievements in all aspects of music...
for Best Alternative Album
Juno Award for Alternative Album of the Year
The Juno Award for Alternative Album of the Year is presented annually at Canada's Juno Awards to honour the best album of the year in the alternative rock and/or indie rock genres...
, and Happily Ever After
Happily Ever After (Rose Chronicles album)
Happily Ever After was the last album by Canadian rock act Rose Chronicles. It was released in 1996 by Nettwerk Records.-Track listing:*All songs written by Cochrane/Maranda/Thirsk/Van Der Woerd.# "Bruise" # "Vicious Thorn"...
(1996). The band split up in 1997.
Collaborations
In the years that followed, Thirsk was featured as a guest vocalist and co-writer on albums by DeleriumDelerium
Delerium is a band from Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, formed in 1987, originally as a side project of the influential industrial music act, Front Line Assembly...
and Balligomingo
Balligomingo
Balligomingo is an electronic music project by Garrett Schwarz and Vic Levak. Their music has been compared to that of Delerium, Massive Attack, Mythos, Nitin Sawhney and Enigma. The current Album Under an Endless Sky has been released via the group's website in early August 2009...
. She sang the vocals in Front Line Assembly
Front Line Assembly
Front Line Assembly is a Canadian electro-industrial band formed by Bill Leeb in 1986 after leaving Skinny Puppy. Influenced by early Industrial acts such as Cabaret Voltaire, Portion Control, D.A.F., Test Dept, SPK, and Severed Heads, FLA has developed its own unique sound while combining...
's cover of Madonna
Madonna (entertainer)
Madonna is an American singer-songwriter, actress and entrepreneur. Born in Bay City, Michigan, she moved to New York City in 1977 to pursue a career in modern dance. After performing in the music groups Breakfast Club and Emmy, she released her debut album in 1983...
's "Justify My Love" and Mystery Machine
Mystery Machine (band)
Mystery Machine are a Canadian alternative rock band, mainly active in the 1990s. Based in Vancouver, the core of the band consisted of Jordan Pratt, Luke Rogalsky, Bean and Shane Ward....
's cover of Blondie
Blondie (band)
Blondie is an American rock band, founded by singer Deborah Harry and guitarist Chris Stein. The band was a pioneer in the early American New Wave and punk scenes of the mid-1970s...
's "Heart of Glass."
According to Kristy in an Auralgasms interview, Garrett Schwarz allegedly borrowed samples from her Delerium song, "Incantation" and then released his own song on the Balligomingo album, Beneath The Surface. This, she explained, was the reason she discontinued any further collaboration with Garrett.
Thirsk was also involved in the initial stages of Adrian White's side project Silent Alarm. The Sleepthief
Sleepthief
Sleepthief is an American electronic music recording project formed by producer and composer Justin Elswick. Elswick began writing music for the album ten years prior to its release. The album was mixed, mastered, co-produced, and co-arranged by Israel Curtis...
album The Dawnseeker, released June 2006, features Thirsk's vocals in the songs "Sublunar (Sweet Angel)". Sleepthief's follow-up The Chauffeur - The Remix - EP features Kristy on "Send Me an Angel", a remake of the Scorpions
Scorpions (band)
Scorpions are a heavy metal/hard rock band from Hannover, Germany, formed in 1965 by guitarist Rudolf Schenker, who is the band's only constant member. They are known for their 1980s rock anthem "Rock You Like a Hurricane" and many singles, such as "No One Like You", "Send Me an Angel", "Still...
' 1990 power ballad. She also sings on "Overkill" for the D:Fuse
D:Fuse
D:Fuse is an American producer, remixer and DJ based out of Los Angeles, California.He is the co-owner of Lost Angeles Recordings, along with fellow DJ/producer Mike Hiratzka. The duo’s first release on their label was the D:Fuse & Hiratzka album ‘Skyline Lounge’, which was initially released on...
& Mike Hiratzka album Skyline Lounge (July 2007).
Thirsk and fellow Delerium singer Shelley Harland were the two lead vocalists for Delerium's first US
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
tour in 2003. She toured again as the singer with Delerium's European Tour in May 2008, playing in London, Antwerp, Budapest, Prague, Munich, Frankfurt, Berlin, Athens, Thessaloniki, and Moscow.
Solo career
Thirsk's first released solo track was "Bounds of Love" which was on the soundtrack of the movie KissedKissed
Kissed is a 1996 Canadian film, directed and co-written by Lynne Stopkewich, based on Barbara Gowdy's short story "We So Seldom Look On Love"...
in 1997. This song received a Genie Award
Genie Award
Genie Awards are given out to recognize the best of Canadian cinema by the Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television. From 1949-1979, the awards were named the Canadian Film Awards...
nomination for Best Movie Theme.
She worked on her own material throughout this period and released her first full-length solo album, Souvenir, in 2003. Souvenir was produced by Eric Rosse
Eric Rosse
Eric Rosse is a record producer. He is best known for his work with singer Tori Amos, particularly production of her albums Little Earthquakes and Grammy nominated Under the Pink. He also produced Anna Nalick's album Wreck of the Day and Lisa Marie Presley's debut album To Whom It May Concern...
(Tori Amos, Lisa Marie Presley).
In May 2008, Kristy released a limited edition 4-song EP called Under Cover EP with the songs "Hourglass", "Conspiracy", "What If I", and a cover of Prince
Prince (musician)
Prince Rogers Nelson , often known simply as Prince, is an American singer, songwriter, musician, and actor. Prince has produced ten platinum albums and thirty Top 40 singles during his career. Prince founded his own recording studio and label; writing, self-producing and playing most, or all, of...
's "When Doves Cry" that features exclusive mixes of the four songs that will also be on her upcoming solo album. The EP will be sold on the tour only and online.
Her song "Out There" was released on the Sirènes compilation album in May 2008. Kristy designated the song as the theme song for Red Cross Canada in January 2005, in response to the 2004 Great Sumatra-Andaman earthquake/Asian Tsunami in the Indian Ocean.
Her sister Natasha Thirsk is also a musician, currently fronting the indie rock
Indie rock
Indie rock is a genre of alternative rock that originated in the United Kingdom and the United States in the 1980s. Indie rock is extremely diverse, with sub-genres that include lo-fi, post-rock, math rock, indie pop, dream pop, noise rock, space rock, sadcore, riot grrrl and emo, among others...
band Catlow.
Kristy Thirsk
| Year | Title | Label | Type | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | Lit from Within Lit from Within Lit from Within is a Canadian compilation album, released on Nettwerk in 1995. A benefit album to raise money for rape crisis centres in Canada, the album featured songs by several Canadian musicians, as well as short literary readings by a number of noted Canadian writers.-Track listing:# Lorna... |
Nettwerk Nettwerk The Nettwerk Music Group is the umbrella company for Nettwerk Management, Nettwerk Records, Nettwerk One Publishing, Nutone Records, and Artwerk. With over 150 employees, the Vancouver-based company has offices in New York, Los Angeles, London, Boston, Nashville, and Hamburg... |
Compilation | Features exclusive track “Songbird”. |
| 1995 | Slow Brew | Nettwerk | Compilation | Features exclusive track “Songbird (Remix)”. |
| 1997 | Kissed Kissed Kissed is a 1996 Canadian film, directed and co-written by Lynne Stopkewich, based on Barbara Gowdy's short story "We So Seldom Look On Love"... Motion Picture Soundtrack |
Nettwerk | Soundtrack | Features exclusive track “Bounds Of Love”. Kristy is also featured on the movie’s score. |
| 2000 | Bootlegs Bootlegs (Kristy Thirsk album) Bootlegs was the debut E.P. by Canadian singer/songwriter Kristy Thirsk. It was self-released in 2000. The album features demos and live tracks that would later appear on Thirsk's full length debut Souvenir. Bootlegs was issued in extremely limited numbers to support Thirsk's west coast tour... |
Self-Released | E.P. | Features demos and live tracks. Released to support Kristy’s west coast tour. Only 200 copies were made. |
| 2001 | Ready For Radio! Music West 2001 | Nettwerk | Compilation | Features exclusive track “Over It”. Released to promote the New Music West Festival 2001. |
| 2003 | Souvenir Souvenir (Kristy Thirsk album) Souvenir is the full length debut album by Canadian singer/songwriter Kristy Thirsk. It was produced by Eric Rosse and released in 2003. It was later re-released via Maple Music with a bonus track.-Track listing:... |
Pretty Noise | Studio Album | Produced by Eric Rosse Eric Rosse Eric Rosse is a record producer. He is best known for his work with singer Tori Amos, particularly production of her albums Little Earthquakes and Grammy nominated Under the Pink. He also produced Anna Nalick's album Wreck of the Day and Lisa Marie Presley's debut album To Whom It May Concern... . |
| 2004 | Souvenir | Pretty Noise/Maple Music | Studio Album | Produced by Eric Rosse. Includes bonus track, a re-recorded version of “Over It” |
| 2008 | Under Cover | Self-Released | E.P. | Physical copies available exclusively on Delerium Delerium Delerium is a band from Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, formed in 1987, originally as a side project of the influential industrial music act, Front Line Assembly... ’s 2008 European tour. Collaboration with Mike Hiratzka. |
| 2008 | Sirènes: The Beauty Of The Female Voice | Spectacle Entertainment | Compilation | Features exclusive track “Out There”. |
| 2010 | Beauty 2 | Neurodisc | Compilation | Features exclusive track “Fading Light”. |
Guest appearances
| Year | Artist | Title | Label | Type | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1994 | Delerium Delerium Delerium is a band from Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, formed in 1987, originally as a side project of the influential industrial music act, Front Line Assembly... |
Semantic Spaces Semantic Spaces Semantic Spaces is an album by Canadian industrial/electronic music group Delerium in 1994 . Guest musicians on the album include Greg Reely and Kristy Thirsk.... |
Nettwerk Nettwerk The Nettwerk Music Group is the umbrella company for Nettwerk Management, Nettwerk Records, Nettwerk One Publishing, Nutone Records, and Artwerk. With over 150 employees, the Vancouver-based company has offices in New York, Los Angeles, London, Boston, Nashville, and Hamburg... |
Studio Album | Kristy is featured on “Flowers Become Screens”, “Incantation” and “Flatlands”. |
| 1994 | Delerium | "Flowers Become Screens" | Nettwerk | CD Single | - |
| 1994 | Delerium | "Incantation" | Nettwerk | CD Single | - |
| 1995 | Mystery Machine Mystery Machine (band) Mystery Machine are a Canadian alternative rock band, mainly active in the 1990s. Based in Vancouver, the core of the band consisted of Jordan Pratt, Luke Rogalsky, Bean and Shane Ward.... |
Ten Speed | Nettwerk | Studio Album | Kristy is featured on “Chihuahua”. Some copies of this album feature a cover of Blondie’s “Heart Of Glass”, which also features Kristy. |
| 1995 | Mystery Machine | "Heart Of Glass" | Nettwerk | 7” Single | Limited edition single featuring Kristy singing lead. |
| 1997 | Delerium | Karma | Nettwerk | Studio Album | Kristy is featured on “Enchanted”, “Lamentation”, “Wisdom”, “’Til The End Of Time” and “Heaven’s Earth”. |
| 1999 | Front Line Assembly Front Line Assembly Front Line Assembly is a Canadian electro-industrial band formed by Bill Leeb in 1986 after leaving Skinny Puppy. Influenced by early Industrial acts such as Cabaret Voltaire, Portion Control, D.A.F., Test Dept, SPK, and Severed Heads, FLA has developed its own unique sound while combining... |
Virgin Voices Volume 1 - A Tribute To Madonna | Cleopatra/Eagle Records Eagle Records Eagle Records is a leading independent record label, a division of Edel Records. Also exists as Eagle Rock Entertainment.In the United Kingdom the label's managing director is Lindsay Brown, former manager of Van Halen, while in the United States the head is Mike Carden, formerly of CMC... |
Compilation | Kristy is featured on “Justify My Love”. The song was supposed to be credited to Delerium, but due to contractual problems, the song is credited to another of Bill Leeb and Rhys Fulber’s projects, Front Line Assembly Front Line Assembly Front Line Assembly is a Canadian electro-industrial band formed by Bill Leeb in 1986 after leaving Skinny Puppy. Influenced by early Industrial acts such as Cabaret Voltaire, Portion Control, D.A.F., Test Dept, SPK, and Severed Heads, FLA has developed its own unique sound while combining... . |
| 2001 | Delerium | "Heaven’s Earth" | Nettwerk | CD Single | - |
| 2002 | Balligomingo Balligomingo Balligomingo is an electronic music project by Garrett Schwarz and Vic Levak. Their music has been compared to that of Delerium, Massive Attack, Mythos, Nitin Sawhney and Enigma. The current Album Under an Endless Sky has been released via the group's website in early August 2009... |
Beneath The Surface | Windham Hill | Studio Album | Kristy is featured on “Heat”. |
| 2003 | Delerium | Chimera | Nettwerk | Studio Album | Kristy is featured on “Returning”. |
| 2003 | James Divine | Intervention | - | Studio Album | Kristy is featured on “Sun Moon Stars” and “Catch Me”. James Divine is the pseudonym of Kristy’s brother J.T. James. |
| 2004 | Delerium | The Best Of Delerium The Best Of (Delerium album) The Best Of is a compilation album by Delerium, released on Nettwerk in 2004. The album collects most of the band's singles up to this point... |
Nettwerk | Studio Album | Compilation featuring “Flowers Become Screens” and “Incantation”. |
| 2006 | Delerium | Nuages du Monde Nuages du Monde (album) Nuages du Monde is an album by Canadian new age/electronic music group Delerium in 2006 .The title is French, and translates to "Clouds of the World".-Track listing:#"Angelicus" – 5:10... |
Nettwerk | Studio Album | Kristy is featured on “Self-Saboteur”. |
| 2006 | Sleepthief Sleepthief Sleepthief is an American electronic music recording project formed by producer and composer Justin Elswick. Elswick began writing music for the album ten years prior to its release. The album was mixed, mastered, co-produced, and co-arranged by Israel Curtis... |
The Dawnseeker | Neurodisc | Studio Album | Kristy is featured on “Sublunar (Sweet Angel)”. |
| 2007 | Sleepthief | The Chauffeur EP | Neurodisc | E.P. | Kristy is featured on “Send Me An Angel”. |
| 2007 | D:Fuse D:Fuse D:Fuse is an American producer, remixer and DJ based out of Los Angeles, California.He is the co-owner of Lost Angeles Recordings, along with fellow DJ/producer Mike Hiratzka. The duo’s first release on their label was the D:Fuse & Hiratzka album ‘Skyline Lounge’, which was initially released on... & Mike Hiratzka |
Skyline Lounge | Lost Angeles Recordings | Studio Album | Kristy is featured on “Overkill”. |
| 2009 | Sleepthief | Labyrinthine Heart | Neurodisc | Studio Album | Kristy is featured on “A Cut from the Fight” and “Reversals”. |
| 2010 | Delerium | Voice | Nettwerk | EP | Kristy is featured on re-recorded versions of "Flowers Become Screens" and “Self-Saboteur”. |
| 2010 | Matt Darey | Nocturnal | Black Hole Recordings | Studio Album | Kristy is featured singing "Black Flowers" on Matt Darey's Urban Astronauts project. |
External links
- Official website
- Kristy performs Run Away and Truth Fantasy (QuickTime link) at a September 30, 2004 charity concert/fashion/performance art show.
- Kristy performs I Know You Are Out There (QuickTime link) as the singer of "Silent Alarm" at a 2005 live acoustic charity performance.