COVER STORY REVIEW

"Kris crosses over"

Singer-songwriter taking the States by storm...

Saturday - Observer

REVIEW

BY JANE CONNOLLY

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SITTING in the audience at the 2007 Los Angeles Music Awards, Kris Searle vowed he would be among the winners the next year.

The singer-songwriter from Herne Bay was on yet another trip to Hollywood, trying to launch his music career, and he dreamed of stepping on that stage to pick up a gong.

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A year later, the 28-year-old had made his dream a reality. After winning over US judges with his distinctive brand of Brit pop. he walked away from November's glittering ceremony with the Best International Artist award.

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Now he has set his sights even higher and is sending a clear message to American music fans - the British are coming.

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"It's one of those moments when you think oh my God, what I did actually worked. Everything I have been through since losing my Dad and over the last two years - suddenly it just made it all perfect."

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His debut album, Slowly Diabolical, released last summer, also generated Record Producer of the Year award for Dino Maddalone. Escorting his Mother and Sister down the red carpet was a triumphant moment for Searle, but one which was also tinged with sadness.

Following the sudden death of his father in 2007, be had sometimes struggled to keep his dream alive.

"It was one of the most poignant moments in my life, seeing mum looking up at me as I collected the award," he said.

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"I thought, I don't care if I don't make it from now on, the last five years have been worth it just to get here'. You don't want money or success, you just want people to see that you believe in what you're doing" Finding people who believe in his talent has evidently not been a problem. 

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WINNER (Pic): Kris Searle with his gong and award-winning actor Hector Luis Bustamante at the LA Music Awards and performing (right)

his album track Honestly due for release in the UK soon.

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In the States, he has been picked up by the PR man who promoted global heartthrobs Backstreet Boys, and will soon be starring in his own reality show in which he searches for his new band. He runs his own label, Inspire U Records, Hollywood has also come calling, with a major project in the pipeline that he is not yet able to discuss.

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But the road to recognition has been long. and hard, demanding enormous amounts of dedication and hard work from Searle.

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He always knew he wanted to perform, teaching himself to play the guitar and quitting a degree in theatre studies to become an entertainer at a Devon hóliday village. It soon became apparent that music was where his ambitions lay, but discovering his vocation was just the beginning of the story.

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After investing thousands of pounds in an ill-fated deal with a record company that subsequently went bust, frustration prompted

Searle to seek a change of scenery. Between the ages of 23 and 27, he made four trips to stay with friends in the US, using three-month tourist visas, and set to work launching himself on the LA music scene. He soon found a manager and his prospects as an independent artist started to improve, but his father's death almost derailed his career for good.

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"Personally, it (launching myself in LA) has been the hardest thing" he said. "Ive almost given up a few times, especially since Dad died,

and I've thought it's not worth it. I've had two breakdowns and spent all the money Dad left me on this album, pretty muc. But if you give up, you obviously didn't have the drive you thought you had. If you can get through the worst times, you can be rewarded."

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He finally managed to arrange a six-month business visa last year, which enabled him to launch Slowly Diabolical to an appreciative audience. Originally nominated in the Best Male Vocal and Record of the Year categories in the LA Music Awards, Mr Searle was also put forward for Best International Artist by no less a person than the awards' founder.

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Now back at home until March, he is works-ing on the UK side of his determined assault on the music industry. He is hoping a reworking of his ballad Honestly, by rapper Ayo, will bring a new audience to his music. But him-ing his first video to accompany the track was an eye opening experience.

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"It was very nerve-racking because you have to throw yourself into the emotion (of the song)," he said. "I had all these questions about how to do it. Did I mime or sing? You do actually have to sing all day.

But I guess it feels like it does when you get your dream job."

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Being a Brit abroad has sometimes been an advantage, as the Americans have been impressed by his uncompromisingly English sound. His PR people in the States are keen to revive great British pop in the Duran Duran mould and focus on Searle as a charismatic front man with a hip young band.

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With first-hand experience of how tough it can be to make a start in the music industry, Searle is keen to support other musicians and plans to launch a compilation of tracks by independent artists. Information about how to submit can be found online at www.inspireurecords.com.

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Alongside all his other projects, Searle is setting his sights on his next goal "Ta like to win a Grammy,"

will more likely be next year, but it's not impossible."