Sarah Bettens

Who is Sarah Bettens? She has written international radio hits, including "Not An Addict," "Believe" and "Almost Happy", and has been awarded Gold and Platinum records in continental Europe. She's headlined European festivals, and been featured in Rolling Stone, Vogue, Chicago Sun-Times, Billboard, and other US publications. But despite her many accomplishments to date, Sarah Bettens is feeling like a first-timer now. That's because the former singer for K's Choice - from Antwerp, Belgium - has gone solo with Scream (Hybrid Recordings, August 23rd) a diverse album that sways between hard-charging rock and pure pop bliss. "I had been wanting to do this for a long time," says Bettens, adding "it's a whole new challenge, and it kind of makes me feel like it's my first record. Everything has a new level of excitement to it, especially touring." In the summer of 2004, Bettens took material from her mini-album Go on a test-drive through several of Europe's biggest festivals, often playing in front of crowds of more than 20,000 people. She also debuted two songs from Scream - the in-your-face rocker "Not Insane" and the sensual bass-driven groove "Come Over Here" - on K's Choice "Yellow Umbrella Tour" across America last fall. Gigging with new musicians, Bettens was thrilled with the fan reaction. "The shows were amazing," adding, "the K's Choice fans were really excited that I'm doing something different, and people who didn't know me from K's Choice really responded to the new songs. It was way beyond my expectations." The new songs she's written for Scream have also surpassed her expectations. As part of K's Choice, Bettens wrote songs with a certain sound in mind. Now, on her own, she's able to explore herself as an artist, taking risks and blending pop, rock and folk to create a sound that goes beyond anything she's ever done before. With less than a month in a Los Angeles studio to lay down most of the tracks, her overworked voice took on a roughness that gives the songs more of an edge. "It makes the whole record sound more raw," says Sarah. Betten's desire to take risks on Scream is also evident in the new disc's title track, which she at one point refered to as "The Frankenstein Song." "I'd been working on these two songs, and I was really happy with the verses on one but the chorus wasn't happening. And it was just the opposite with the other - the chorus rocked, but I didn't like the verses." Like a mad scientist working in a laboratory, Bettens took the verses from the first demo and combined them with the chorus from the second to create a quirky song that boasts a sense of urgency. On the pop side of Scream's spectrum is the first North American single "Stay," a lilting love song. Amid a unique combination of acoustic and electric arrangements, Sarah's throaty vocals take center stage on the chorus: "Things can't get much better / You might have to stay." Sarah says about the song, "Stay is my happy love song on this record... If this album is the story of the last 3 years of my life, 'Stay' is the happy ending. The song is like a little celebration and we wanted to transfer that innocent joy into the animated video too." Bettens takes a chance with her lyrics as well - taking a political stance and tackling issues important to people everywhere. Bettens considers the album's first European single "Not Insane" a "mini-protest song". Awash in a symphony of swirling guitars, "Not Insane" is an impassioned attack on small-minded people who can't accept others who are different, or who live alternative lifestyles. "I feel like this society is so fear-driven and people are so afraid of change that they can't accept anyone or anything that's different. Basically, this song is saying, 'Hey, you think I'm crazy, but you're the one who's messed up."