BLNovToWeb

Brevard Live
Brevard’s Orignal Music Scene
KRISTEN
WARREN
By Heike Clarke
She is a vocalist, an actress,
a teacher and the mother of
a 3-year-old boy. That’s a lot of
schedules to juggle every day,
and Kristen Warren is the first to
admit that it can be very challenging.
So why is she doing all
of that? “Because I love everything
about it,” she says without
hesitation. “I wouldn’t want to
miss any of it.” Her last glorious
role was as Billie Holiday in the
musical “Lady Day” directed by
Florida Today’s Pam Harbaugh.
That was past February, most
of the 10 Henegar Center shows
were sold out. Her performance
last month at Brevard’s newest
jazz club, Half Note, on Wickham
Road was also to packed room.
Kristen was born in Fort Worth, Texas,
as a military brat; her father served
in the air force. The family moved
to Florida when she was 1 year old,
four years later her father was transferred
to Utah. “I couldn’t have been
more of an outsider there,” she laughs.
Even though she’s rather petite, Kristen
stood out big time. “Some of the
kids have never seen a black person
before. They asked me to touch my
hair, my skin, but it was rather innocent,
more curious than judgemental.”
Kristen wasn’t uncomfortable with
that. “We were exploring each other’s
uniqueness, that’s all.” But there were
some awkward moments like when
during Black History month a teacher
read a provocative poem by Malcolm
X and then looked at her. “The class
wanted to know if I feel like that. I was
10 years old and didn’t know what to
say,” she remembers and then states
that, “I appreciate this kind of upbringing,
I was very much a minority and
learned to embrace it.”
Kristen grew up with music played
at the house all the time. Her parents
loved music, “all types of music,” she
says, “everything from Johnny Cash
to Al Green, Michael Jackson, and
her mother liking Prince, Aerosmith
and Kate Bush. Kristen laughs thinking
about her childhood: “My mother
taught me my address and phone number
by singing them.”
In Utah Kristen attended a private
Christian school where she enrolled
in a music program. She soon joined
a gospel choir, and at 7 years old she
performed as a soloist for the first
time. “I was terrified,” she says, “but
then I loved it. Singing with a choir is
the best voice lesson you’ll ever get.”
When Kristen was 11, her father
was assigned to Patrick Air Force
Base, and she and her family have
lived in Brevard County ever since.
“That’s why I consider myself a Brevardian.”
Then she stops for a moment
and adds, “I just recently visited New
York City and almost didn’t want to
come back. The city was electric, so
multi-cultural ..” - It’s obvious that
Brevard can be quite small and maybe
a bit narrow-minded for a black jazz
singer and actress with high aspirations.
And that just might be the reason
why you find Kristen Warren perform
continued page 17
Brevard Live November 2017 - 17