Sarah Bettens

Sarah Bettens already has a couple gold and platinum records under her belt. Shes already written international radio hits, including Not An Addict, Believe and Almost Happy. Shes already headlined concerts and festivals packed with more than 60,000 fiercely loyal fans. And shes been featured in Rolling Stone, Billboard and Hits, which described her unforgettably haunting vocals by saying, Sarah Bettens voice rings like an old silver chime. A smoky veil throws a burnish over the blinding clarity of her tone. But the renowned singer-songwriter is feeling like a first-timer on her latest project.

Thats because the former lead singer for international rockers Ks Choice has gone solo with a new album called Scream that sways from hard-charging rock numbers to tunes that smack of pure pop bliss. I had been wanting to do this for a long time, says Bettens. Its a whole new challenge, and it kind of makes me feel like its my first record. Everything has a new level of excitement to it, especially touring.

This summer, Bettens took some of the new material from her mini-album Go for a test-drive at several of the summers biggest European festivals, playing in front of crowds of more than 20,000 people. She also debuted two of the songs from Scream the in-your-face rocker Not Insane and the bass-driven groove Come Over Here on the recently completed Ks Choice month-long Yellow Umbrella Tour all across America in the fall. Gigging with new musicians, Bettens was thrilled with the reaction from fans. The shows were amazing, says the artist whos known for her high-energy stage presence. The Ks Choice fans were really excited that Im doing something different, and people who didnt know me from Ks Choice really responded to the new songs. It was way beyond my expectations.

The new songs shes written as a solo artist have also surpassed her expectations. As part of Ks Choice, Bettens wrote songs with a certain sound in mind. Now, on her own, shes able to explore herself as an artist, taking risks and blending pop, rock and folk to create a new radio-ready sound that goes beyond anything shes ever done before. With only 10 days in the studio to lay down most of the tracks, her overworked voice took on a roughness that gives the songs more of an edge. It makes the whole record sound more raw, says the artist.

Bettens is taking a chance with her lyrics as well taking a political stance and tackling issues that are important to young people everywhere. Bettens calls the albums first single Not Insane a mini-protest song. Awash in a symphony of swirling guitars, Not Insane is an impassioned rocker that attacks small-minded people who cant accept others who are different or who live alternative lifestyles. I feel like this society is so fear-driven and people are so afraid of change that they cant accept anyone or anything thats different. Basically, this song is saying, Hey, you think Im crazy, but youre the one whos messed up.

On the other side of the albums musical spectrum is the pop-driven Stay, a lilting love song thats guaranteed to put listeners in a sentimental mood. Amid a unique combination of acoustic and electric arrangements, the singers throaty vocals take center stage on the catchy chorus: Things cant get much better You might have to stay.

The spirited songwriters desire to take risks on Scream is also evident in the albums title song, which she refers to as The Frankenstein Song. Id been working on these two songs, and I was really happy with the verses on one but the chorus wasnt happening. And it was just the opposite with the other the chorus rocked, but I didnt like the verses. Like a mad scientist working in a laboratory, Bettens took the verses from the first song and combined them with the chorus from the second to create a quirky song that boasts a sense of urgency. The experiment worked just like her solo career.