KT Tunstall is going through a period of rebirth. Following some deeply personal life changing events before the 2016 album “Kin,” Tunstall has taken the pain and turned it into productivity, including a planned trilogy of albums coming in the near future. But first, she had to come to terms with her life and career.
“I got to 10 years of success and I wasn’t very happy and I knew that was not good news,” she says.
Lucky for her and her fans, Tunstall has never been happier to be making and playing music. We caught up with the singer-songwriter on the road with Barenaked Ladies and Better Than Ezra to chat about “Kin,” her new untitled album with Franz Ferdinand producer Nick McCarthy and her hopes for a better future.
Tell us about your new album in the works. What kind of sound are you going for?
It’s a rock-record centered around electric guitar. One of my main goals of the new record was to try and capture my live energy. So many times people come up and tell me “oh you sound so much better live.”
“Kin” came out less than two years ago. Is there anything responsible for this creative burst?
I had a bit of an epiphany when I was touring for “Kin.” I was going through a bit of a personal upheaval at the time with my father passing and I was going through a divorce. And “Kin” was about surviving difficult shifts in life and coming through it, but also feeling like you’re an improved person. And I kind of had this epiphany: “Why don’t I do a trilogy?” So I decided to write records and make them in quite quick succession.
So fans can expect even more music very soon?
This one’s in the bag and I’m getting to work immediately.
You’re currently touring with Barenaked Ladies and Better Than Ezra. Can fans expect to find you all onstage together at any point?
There’s a great collaboration with the Barenaked Ladies where I perform the song “Brian Wilson” and it’s a fantastic song for Ed and I to harmonize on. They just cultivate an amazing atmosphere with their fans. It’s so good-natured. It’s really about how music is meaningful and you’re going to walk away feeling great.
If you go: KT Tunstall is performing with Barenaked Ladies and Better Than Ezra on Wednesday at 6 p.m. at Ford Amphitheatre at Coney Island, 3052 W. 21st St., Coney Island, fordamphitheaterconeyisland.com
