In 1996, she released her first album, Tidy. It was received very well for an indepenent artist, and received critical acclaim from some reviewers for women's magazines, such as Inga Muscio for Wig Magazine. "Kinnie is going to be a huge star. Because she is so emotionally real, vulnerable, articulate, talented, and loving--things many people fear greatly in themselves, and thus, look for in others--people are going to glorify her in an insanely unrealistic way. "
She was soon after courted by Mercury Records, and signed a deal. She proceeded to tour for two years promoting Tidy, mainly in Canada, but also in the United States and Europe, with her band, handsome boyz 3. Her shows definitely got peoples' attention. She is very spontaneous, often chatting and joking with the crowd, and encouraging them to participate. Her early shows became known after she had audience members jumping up on stage and talking about their sex lives for a free t-shirt.
She also prefers to walk around the audience when possible, instead of being on stage, having been described as a caged animal when stuck up there. "I will devise a way of playing guitar in the crowd," she once said.
During her touring, she worked in five shows for the 1997 Lilith Fair. The next year, her touring took the form of the Scrappy Bitch Tour, done with Veda Hill and Oh Susanna.
Finally, she started to work on her second album. She finished the album during a time of internal shake-ups and changes in her label. Mercury records became Island/Def Jam Records, but there was still no sign of them publishing her album. In the meantime, she opened two Canadian shows for Alanis Morissette.
In 2000, she grew tired of the situation, and asked them to let her go. They did just that, but refused her the rights to her new album, Mending, instead keeping it for themseves. She proceeded to head back to Violet Inch, and recorded a third album, Tune-Up, which released in 2000, and a fourth, Sun Again, released in 2003.
Her sound has been described as a merging of rock, hip-hop, r&b, pop, and alternative. Kinnie has given it the name "Chunkhop". The songs are full of spoken word and rhyme, with with some strong bass tracks, more so in Tune-Up than in Tidy.
She's not all that excited about being a "personality", due to people knowing her music. "The state of music is very odd to me right now because it's all about the cult of personality. I try to be casual, but that becomes a look. No matter what choice you make, it's seen as cultivated."
Not Enough
Kinnie Starr Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Why does that seem like not enough?
Why does that seem like not enough?
Why?
Six hundred dollars in my wallet
Why does that seem like not enough?
Why does that seem like not enough?
A hundred-thousand dollars in my bank account
Why does that seem like not enough?
Why does that seem like not enough?
Why?
Why is everything, why is everything not enough?
Why is everything, why is everything just too much
Why is everything, why, why is everything, why
Why is everything, why is everything just too much
Another couple breaks up over infidelity
Maybe loving is just too much
Maybe loving is not enough
Maybe
And a baby is born to a family
Hope the world won't be too much
Hope the world will be good enough
I hope
Another cousin joins the Earth's slow spin
Maybe the world was too much for him
Maybe the world was not enough for him
Maybe
Maybe everything, maybe everything's just too much
Maybe everything, maybe everything's not enough?
Maybe everything, maybe, maybe everything, maybe
Maybe everything, maybe everything's just too much
Maybe it's not enough and it's just too much
And it's not enough
Maybe everything, maybe, maybe everything, maybe
Maybe everything, maybe everything's just too much
Maybe it's not enough
The lyrics to Kinnie Starr's song "Not Enough" seem to be grappling with the feeling of dissatisfaction or a lack of fulfillment, even in situations where one might have enough of something. The song's opening lines set the stage, with the singer referencing having $20 in their pocket and questioning why it doesn't feel like enough. This sentiment is repeated with increasingly higher amounts of money, culminating in a reference to a bank account with $100,000 in it. The repetition of the question "Why does that seem like not enough?" underscores the theme of feeling unfulfilled even when one appears to have plenty.
The theme of dissatisfaction is then expanded to include love and the world as a whole. The second verse references another couple breaking up over infidelity and wonders if "loving is not enough." The subsequent reference to a newborn baby and the hope that the world will "be good enough" suggests an underlying concern about the state of society and the future. The final verse references a cousin who may have been overwhelmed by the world, leaving the listener to ponder why everything may sometimes feel like "just too much" or "not enough."
Overall, "Not Enough" appears to be a contemplation of the human condition and the difficulty of finding true satisfaction or contentment, whether in material possessions or relationships. The repetition of the central question, along with the use of different scenarios to explore the theme, creates a haunting and introspective mood.
Line by Line Meaning
I got twenty dollars in my pocket
Although I have twenty dollars in my pocket, it still feels like there is not enough.
Why does that seem like not enough?
I am questioning why twenty dollars feels like insufficient funds.
Six hundred dollars in my wallet
Although I now have six hundred dollars in my wallet, it still doesn't feel like enough.
Why does that seem like not enough?
I am questioning why six hundred dollars feels like insufficient funds.
A hundred-thousand dollars in my bank account
Even with a hundred-thousand dollars in my bank account, it still doesn't feel like enough.
Why does that seem like not enough?
I am questioning why having a hundred-thousand dollars doesn't feel like enough.
Why is everything, why is everything not enough?
I am wondering why everything in life feels like it is not enough.
Why is everything, why is everything just too much
I am questioning why everything in life feels overwhelming and too much to handle.
Another couple breaks up over infidelity
A couple has just ended their relationship due to infidelity.
Maybe loving is just too much
I am suggesting that perhaps love is too difficult to sustain.
Maybe loving is not enough
I am suggesting that love alone may not be sufficient to maintain a relationship.
And a baby is born to a family
A new baby has just been born into a family.
Hope the world won't be too much
I am expressing my desire that the world will not be overwhelming for the new baby.
Hope the world will be good enough
I am hoping that the world will be sufficient to provide for the new baby.
Another cousin joins the Earth's slow spin
A cousin has just been born and has started their journey on Earth.
Maybe the world was too much for him
I am suggesting that perhaps the world was too overwhelming for this cousin.
Maybe the world was not enough for him
I am suggesting that perhaps the world did not provide enough for this cousin.
Maybe everything, maybe everything's just too much
I am questioning whether everything in life truly is too overwhelming to handle.
Maybe everything, maybe everything's not enough?
I am questioning whether everything in life really is insufficient to provide for our needs.
Maybe it's not enough and it's just too much
I am suggesting that perhaps we have too little and everything else in life is too overwhelming.
Maybe everything, maybe everything, maybe
I am still questioning whether everything in life is too overwhelming or insufficient.
Maybe everything, maybe everything's just too much
I am still questioning whether everything in life truly is too overwhelming to handle.
Maybe it's not enough
I am suggesting that perhaps we truly do not have enough to meet our needs.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: Kinnie Starr
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind