After Juilliard, Kristin spent a year at NYU and her songwriting evolved as she combined her classical roots with accessible pop sensibilities. She was briefly signed to Capital Records, but ended up self-releasing her first album Divided Heart, which she not only wrote, but co-produced, engineered and recorded. All the while, Kristin continued to hone her performance skills with a residency at Café Vivaldi in Manhattan’s West Village. Along with playing some 200 shows, selling 3,000 copies of Divided Heart and securing a loyal local following, As the buzz grew louder, Kristin was discovered at Vivaldi by Interscope and soon after signed to the label.
After enlisting her longtime musical collaborator Darian Cunning, along with producer David Bottrill (Peter Gabriel, Tool), Kristin escaped to Longview Studios to make the album she’d always dreamed of. "I really had a very special, deep experience writing this record,” she explains of her time in the converted farmhouse studio in the middle of pretty much nowhere. In all that quiet open space, and with the help of a great piano left behind by Keith Richards, Kristin’s songs evolved with love and care.
Using her piano as a vehicle for her voice, Kristin keeps her instrumentation simple, so the gorgeous melodies and lyrics resonate with the audience on songs like “Home,” which is about finding inner-strength, “Bittersweet,” a song about choosing to follow your dreams over taking the safer path and the title-track “Real,” a song about being true to yourself.
Of her live performance, Kristin muses, “I hope to stimulate my listeners to go deeper within themselves to places they may be reluctant to go. I’ve come to realize that my greatest challenges have emerged from my mistakes, and that they were really blessings in disguise.” Through her gift for songwriting, Kristin illustrates spectacular sonic stories. "My music can reach across a lot of generations,” says Kristin of her varied audience. “Connecting to people by creating music is my contribution to the world."
New York City
Kristin Hoffmann Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
In these nights when I'm alone
Café corners, hung with strangers
Gulping down a bitter soul
Wouldn't mind the peace of going back home
And meeting a knowing smile
Where Sunday tastes of confession booth sins
And Monday comes with new denial
I am pretty good at nothing
When I think that I'm a star
Flying ego over mountains
Spacious skies of who we are
Wouldn't mind the peace of rewinding the time
Give me blank paper and pen
I'd feel ease in calling you mine
But then I'd know it's just pretend
Gotta find a better space
Where I recognize my face
I begin to cry
Emotions churning
Gotta find some peace of mind
Somewhere in between these lines
'Cause I begin to die when my fire's burning
Ocean turning
New York City, I'm uncertain
Think I lost round Chelsea Town
Café corner, I'm a stranger
Hold me close and take me down
In "New York City," Kristin Hoffmann describes her experience of feeling lost in the bustling city. She starts by saying how the city takes her over, especially during the nights when she's alone. The café corners and strangers only add to her feelings of disconnection. She longs for the peace of going back home where she can meet with someone who knows her for who she is, rather than putting on a facade or attempting to fit in with those around her. She uses the contrast of Sunday and Monday to highlight how she's caught in a cycle of guilt and denial.
In the second verse, Kristin expresses her feeling of inadequacy. She admits that while she may think she's a star, she's actually pretty good at nothing. She's driven by her ego and the need to be someone important in the world. The spacious skies and mountains could represent the vast opportunities that seem to be out of her reach. She longs to go back in time and change things but acknowledges that this is just a fantasy.
Finally, in the chorus, she sings about her need for a better space where she can recognize her true face. She's tired of having to fake it in the city and wants to find a place of peace. She compares her emotional turmoil to the ocean, constantly churning and tossing her around. She pleads for someone to hold her close and take her down from the chaos of city life.
Overall, "New York City" is a reflective song that speaks to the experience of feeling lost in a big city. Kristin Hoffmann captures the emotional complexity of wanting to belong while also feeling the pressure to succeed.
Line by Line Meaning
New York City takes me over
New York City consumes me and becomes the center of my attention
In these nights when I'm alone
During the times of loneliness or solitude
Café corners, hung with strangers
The coffee shops filled with unknown faces
Gulping down a bitter soul
Consuming something bitter or harsh
Wouldn't mind the peace of going back home
Desiring a sense of comfort and familiarity
And meeting a knowing smile
Being greeted with a familiar and understanding expression
Where Sunday tastes of confession booth sins
A reference to religious guilt and regret
And Monday comes with new denial
Starting the week with a new sense of ignorance or dismissal
I am pretty good at nothing
Feeling inadequate or useless
When I think that I'm a star
Despite feeling inadequate, there are moments of self-importance or grandeur
Flying ego over mountains
Displaying an inflated ego or sense of pride
Spacious skies of who we are
Reference to the American National Anthem means reflecting on identity
Wouldn't mind the peace of rewinding the time
Wanting to go back in time and stop certain actions or decisions
Give me blank paper and pen
Desiring to express oneself through writing
I'd feel ease in calling you mine
Finding comfort in possessing or owning someone or something
But then I'd know it's just pretend
Coming to terms with the fact that it's all just a fantasy or delusion
Gotta find a better space
Desiring a better mental or physical state
Where I recognize my face
Finding a sense of identity or familiarity
I begin to cry
Feeling a strong emotions
Emotions churning
Feeling a chaotic mixture of different emotions
Gotta find some peace of mind
Desiring a sense of calm or tranquility
Somewhere in between these lines
Someplace along the spectrum of experiences and emotions
'Cause I begin to die when my fire's burning
Feeling worn down and exhausted when seeking passion or inspiration
Ocean turning
Maybe confronting a great struggle or discovering something powerful
New York City, I'm uncertain
Feeling confused or uncertain when in New York City
Think I lost round Chelsea Town
Feeling lost in the Chelsea neighborhood
Café corner, I'm a stranger
Feeling foreign and out of place in a coffee shop
Hold me close and take me down
Desiring comfort and support during times of confusion and uncertainty
Contributed by Aaliyah I. Suggest a correction in the comments below.