Kiirstin Marilyn Chases Her Dreams in “Ghosts.”

M / L

Kiirstin Marilyn:  Hard-Working, Hard-Rocking #Laner

Kiirstin MarilynKiirstin Marilyn was starting her career in musical theatre when she realized what she really wanted to do was rock. "[I was] performing my first show in my first band and thinking, 'Ah-haaa, THIS is what has been missing from my life.  THIS is where I'm the most happy.  THIS makes me happier than theater ever did.'  And that night was the end and the beginning for me," Kiirstin tells us. She left behind a promising theatrical career.  After graduating with a BA in theatre, she had performed in the national tour of Cabaret and the Westchester Broadway production of the same.  While on the road she was inspired by a fellow cast member who was teaching himself to play guitar.  So when her tour ended, she asked for a guitar for her birthday and started writing songs she now describes as "really crappy."  But she stuck with it, and today she drops her new EP, "Ghosts."  We are so proud of our hard-working, hard-rocking #Laner. Her album deals with the ghosts of Kiirstin's past, who have influenced her negatively or positively, but who stay with her in spirit regardless.  Some songs deal specifically with relationships that have ended painfully, or individuals who have made her feel that her dreams were too big and that she couldn't make it in music.  Several tracks have social or political themes, since, as Kiirstin Marilyn puts it, "The state of our society, our country, and our planet is definitely something that haunts me on a daily basis." She counts The Beatles, Live, Lana del Ray, and the Smashing Pumpkins among her influences.  She is particularly inspired by Enter Shikari, a politically and socially aware band from the U.K.  "They inspire me to write what I'm passionate about and make the music I want to make no matter what the industry might expect of me," Kiirstin says. [caption id="attachment_2487" align="alignleft" width="640"]Kiirstin Marilyn Kiirstin Marilyn and fellow #Laners Robyn Michelle Frank and Annette Navarro at the EP release party last Saturday, sponsored by Mustard Lane.[/caption] As of today, May 6th, "Ghosts" can be found on Amazon, Spotify, iTunes, or any other online streaming service.  Check out Kiirstin's website for more information about her upcoming performances, and watch a few of her videos here.  She is very active on Twitter!  Be sure to check out her amazing new album.   Congratulations, Kiirstin!  We're rooting for you.