Charming rootsrocker here's the girl who charms the world with her rough mix of country, folk and rock. her name is kathleen edwards. kathleen edwards is one of the 10 artists we should look out for this year, no matter what genre. her debut album is a winner, according to the music magazine rolling stone. - funny, of course, kathleen twitters on the phone from holland. the 24-year-old has played different promo shows in europe lately, and can probably count on her life as an artist with five bystanders or sleeping in the back of her suburban, is a passed stage in our life. - i don't have to worry anymore if i make enough to get to the next place, no, she laughs. from violin to singing edwards life is about to change. - i have gradually gone from being a local artist to becoming more famous, kathleen says shyly. - what's the best thing with rising fame? - the money that i'm not making yet. it's funny that you ask, because my artist life hasn't become a living yet. - but first and foremost that's not what it's about. the best thing is the friendly reception that i get, no matter where i play, she adds. kathleen was born in canada, but has spent part of her upbringing in korea and switzerland. five years old she started to play violin, and continued to do so for 12 years. as a teenager she was drawn to artists such as neil young, bob dylan, tom petty and ani difranco, and she decided to go for a carrier as a singer and songwriter. most of the songs were written in the canadian countryside, where she stills resides. canadian rootsrock the debut album is called "failer", but it's perhaps not the right description of what is happening now? - no, but the title is from the lyrics of one of the songs and is a word that has to do with the song. but "failer" is also a sort of reminder that i can retreat, if i want to. i haven't got a bigger ego from all that's happening, she swears. kathleen even claims that there are surely a lot of bad press about the album as well as good. but she says it laughtingly. - what do you think about being compared with artists like lucinda williams and neil young? - that's a huge compliment. especially neil young was an artist who had a great influence on me when i was younger. but i think that i sound like me. - your music is a mixture of folk, country and rock? - i prefer to call it rootsrock. others say americana, but maybe that's not entirely appropiate since i'm canadian. so what about canadiana, she laughs. from holland she was heading straight home to concerts with blue rodeo. in april she's back in europe, and it looks like norway is going to be visited in the end of april/may. knut utler oslopuls.no translated by suzanna				Album reviews Feature articles Interviews Show reviews